Cleveland Indians: 3 teams that could trade for Cesar Hernandez

Cleveland Indians Trade Partner #1 for Cesar Hernandez: Seattle Mariners

In the American League Wild Card standings, the Seattle Mariners are the first time on the outside looking in, trailing the Oakland A’s by 3.5 games entering Saturday (July 24). Seattle was in a similar boat as Cleveland not too long ago, being on the brink of buying or selling, or maybe doing nothing. While that is still the case, Hernandez is an affordable enough player that Seattle could be interested.

So far this season the Mariners have had Dylan Moore at second for majority of the year, starting 52 games at the position. They’ve also had Ty France there for 18 games and Donovan Walton for 11, but no other player has hit double digit starts at second.

This year Moore has been able to slash just .190/.276/.363 for the Mariners. Now, he does have 15 stolen bases, but it seems clear that Hernandez would provide an offensive upgrade at the position for the club. Moore also has three years at second this year, so a Gold Glove player in Hernandez would provide a boost there as well.

The Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners have already been trade partners this year, agreeing to the small deal for Jake Bauers, so the phone lines are open. Hernandez would be an affordable upgrade for the Mariners, wouldn’t break the bank and would be more than just a rental.

Cleveland Indians Trade Partner #2 for Cesar Hernandez: San Francisco Giants

With the best record in baseball it seems a bit odd that the San Francisco Giants would want to shake anything up with the roster. However, Hernandez could be just the right upgrade for the team to make down the stretch. If there’s a spot in the infield for the Giants to make a change, it would be second base.

Brandon Belt is at first, Brandon Crawford at second and Evan Longoria at third. As for second, Donovan Solano has received majority of the playing time, starting 58 games there. Like Moore for Seattle, Solano has struggled in the field with four errors at second, so adding a Gold Glove could be a plus.

As for at the plate it would come down to what the Giants want out of the position. If they want average and singles, than sticking with Solano would be the right call. However, if they want power and more of a threat, Hernandez is the guy,

Solano has just three home runs and 12 doubles with only 21 RBI. Hernandez’s 16 home runs alone have provided more RBI for Cleveland than Solano’s entire season. The question will just be if the Giants are open to make a change. If they are, then it seems like Hernandez is a likely addition.

Cleveland Indians Trade Partner #3 for Cesar Hernandez: Chicago White Sox

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Trading within the division is really never advised, but in this case it might work out. The Chicago White Sox lost Nick Madrigal to injury earlier this season and have been using a committee to fill the void. With Madrigal as the second baseman of the future, Cesar Hernandez would only be needed this year, meaning the team could decline his option after the season.

The downside is that a rental trade package would be a little less coming to the Tribe, but it is an option. Hernandez would provide position stability for the rest of the season and a potential option for next year.

Since Madrigal went down the team has turned to Leury Garcia and Danny Mendick. Neither of them are hitting over .250 and they’ve combined for 14 doubles and five home runs, two stats that Hernandez has bested by himself.

At this point in the season it seems unlikely that the Tribe will be able to catch the White Sox in the division, so trading with them won’t really change much. If Hernandez is just a rental for Chicago, this move shouldn’t even be regarded as trading within the division because it wouldn’t really make a difference in the division this season.