Cleveland Indians: 5 starting pitchers to target at MLB trade deadline

Cleveland Indians Trade Target #4: Alex Cobb, Los Angeles Angels

Alright, we’ve bemoaned the circumstances of the Angels’ season long enough, so let’s jump right into another Halos starter. Alex Cobb has experienced a bit of a revival in his age 33 season on the west coast after three poor seasons in Baltimore, returning more to his career averages in 2021.

Through 14 starts this season Cobb has compiled a 7-3 record to go along with a 3.96 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP over 72.2 innings. Cobb is a big right-handed sinker-baller who is doing an excellent job limiting hard contact this season (3.6 Barrel%) while striking out a career best 26.2% of batters faced. Those numbers are very solid for a 33-year old starter, and even better for a starter on an expiring $15M contract who’s only owed $5M thanks to Baltimore retaining part of his salary.

Over the course of his career Cobb has historically been a better pitcher in the second half of the season, with a career average 4.48 ERA in the first half and a 3.04 ERA in the second. He also possesses a 3-1 record and a 3.86 ERA in Progressive, a ballpark that would lend itself well to a sinker-baller.

Again, Cobb and Heaney both hinge on how the Angels view their own postseason odds, but like Heaney, Cobb might be worth more to the organization fetching a few prospects than allowing his contract to expire. Cobb would slot right into the Tribe rotation as the most significant improvement they could possibly externally afford compared to any of the other Replacements.