Cleveland Indians: 5 outfielders to target at MLB trade deadline

5 outfielders for the Cleveland Indians to target at MLB trade deadline

If the Cleveland Indians end up as buyers at the trade deadline for major league baseball, then they will have two glaring needs to invest in. Starting pitchers and outfield. Both positions have been hit by the injury bug this season, but needed upgrades before that even happened. Now, the Tribe are facing one of their last options to address the problem externally and time is running out.

While the outfield play for Cleveland has been a bit improved this season over the last few, it still hasn’t been great. Eddie Rosario and Harold Ramirez have shown to be strong additions, but the injury to Josh Naylor paired with Rosario missing time has set the outfield back to their old ways.

While Ramirez is still healthy the Cleveland Indians have been forced to use a mixture of Oscar Mercado, Bradley Zimmer and Daniel Johnson to fill out the rest of the lineup. Each of the three have shown potential, but consistency has been lacking. Even with Rosario back in the near future the outfield still needs at least one more player to complete the unit.

Whether or not the Tribe will be buyers at the deadline is still yet to be determined. What is seeming like the most likely option is that the team does nothing. But what if they do decide to explore options for the outfield? Who could be on the team’s radar?

There’s a handful of players that could be on the table for Cleveland. It will of course depend on how much the team is willing to spend, both in prospects and payroll, to acquire any players. Given the team’s want to build from within while also keeping payroll low surely indicates that the team will be frugal in all aspects. However, they could still find a way to reach a deal for a much needed boost to the outfield.

Cleveland Indians Trade Target #1: Starling Marte, Miami Marlins

One of the hottest names on the trade market right now, not only for outfielders but the entire league, is Starling Marte. Talks of an extension between Marte and Miami broke down and now the 32-year old outfielder is likely to become a rental for the rest of the season somewhere that isn’t Miami.

Being that Marte is one of the better players on the market it might take a pretty penny to be the team to snag him. However, if there are other trade options that have a higher chance of resigning or have team control left, then Marte could be a player that gets overlooked for more sturdy, long-term possibilities.

Right now Marte is performing about on par for his career numbers, just a little bit better actually. He’s slashing .290/.391/.449 with 10 doubles, seven home runs and 22 RBI. His 19 stolen bases are also a part of his game that is sometimes forgotten.

If Cleveland can find the capital to get Marte he would immediate become one of the club’s better players in nearly every aspect of the game. The added fact that he’s been the center fielder in Miami, the spot in the outfield Cleveland could use the most, is just the icing on the cake. If there’s a rental player to “break the bank” on at the deadline, at least in Cleveland’s perspective, this might be the guy to do it for.

Cleveland Indians Trade Target #2: Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates

The odds of the Pittsburgh Pirates moving Bryan Reynolds seems low. He’s only 26-years old and still has four years of arbitration left that could keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2025 season. Yet, despite all that, he’s still being brought up in trade talk. Sure, the Pirates are in a long rebuild, but it’s not so long that Reynolds won’t be part of the plan.

Let’s say that the Twitter-verse is right and Reynolds is available. In that case, Cleveland needs to run to the phones and offer Pittsburgh the farm. Reynolds is the perfect type of target for a team like Cleveland that is looking for players with team control and affordable contracts. Not to mention his numbers are pretty impressive.

An All-Star for Pittsburgh, Reynolds has lined up predominately in center. Like Marte, that would fill the biggest gap of the outfield. He’s also been strong at the plate, batting above .300 with a slash line of .302/.389/.518 with 21 doubles, 17 home runs and 54 RBI. He doesn’t have the speed of Marte with only three stolen bases, but the power is a bit better.

I mentioned breaking the bank on Marte as a rental, but the real candidate to hand over the keys to the kingdom for would be Reynolds. Not only is he showing a ton of potential right now in Pittsburgh, but his remaining team control is nearly unheard of for a productive player at the deadline.

Cleveland Indians Trade Target #4: Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh Pirates

It seems like each of the last three or four seasons there’s been rumors of a Gregory Polanco trade. This year might be the one that a deal is actually reached. While his stats are far from great and a stark contrast from the others on this list, the asking price from Pittsburgh could be incredibly low.

Polanco has a $3 million buyout clause after this season and a $1 million buyout after 2022, meaning he could essentially be a rental for whatever club brings him in. His price tag is high for what the Pirates want to have on the books, so they could move him for a bucket of Double Bubble at this point.

From the perspective of the Cleveland Indians, why would you bring in a guy who’s slashing .201/.282/.362 and hasn’t hit above .250 since 2018? Well, while Polanco is struggling there’s still potential there. Potential and a low asking price with a buyout option to make it a rental seem like a recipe that might intrigue this front office.

Polanco wouldn’t solve the problem, but he would be another option. If you look at the players the club has added to the outfield over the last few years, that type of move seems like par for the course.

Cleveland Indians Trade Target #5: Mitch Haniger, Seattle Mariners

Like the Cleveland Indians, it still remains to be seen where the Seattle Mariners will land at the trade deadline. They could decide to add starting pitching and make a run or they could opt to sell. They might even end up doing a bit of both. One such player on the fringe of that decision will be Mitch Haniger.

More from Away Back Gone

• Cleveland Guardians tantalizingly close to locking up AL Central tiebreakers
• Cleveland Guardians: Terry Francona becomes meme in profanity-laced ejection
• Say goodbye to defensive shifts and hello to bigger bases, pitch clock in 2023
• Cleveland Guardians: Shane Bieber second-fastest to 800 strikeouts in major-league history
• The next week will make or break the Cleveland Guardians’ season

On an affordable salary of $3.01 million this year, Haniger has one year of arbitration remaining on his deal in Seattle. If they do move Haniger, they could be looking for starting pitcher or a second baseman. This is where Cleveland could capitalize and save money.

The Tribe have a handful of middle infield options in the minors they could opt to move or they could shake up the league and deal Cesar Hernandez for Haniger. That would save a couple million and would solve a problem for both teams.

Haniger would return next year in arbitration and the Mariners could opt to keep Hernandez on his option for $6 million. It would also open the door for Gabriel Arias to break into the majors in Cleveland at second.

This doesn’t seem like a full commitment to buying or selling for either side. It’s more so fixing one problem with the hope that you aren’t creating another. Haniger would be a massive upgrade in the outfield, but would it leave a hole at second?