Cleveland Indians: 3 prospects to watch for in return packages at deadline

Cleveland Indians: Prospects from contenders to watch should Tribe sell

A little less than four days remain between now and Major League Baseball’s July 30 trade deadline, and the Cleveland Indians experienced more of their first half struggles coming out of the All-Star break. The Tribe had an excellent opportunity with three series against teams above them in the American League standings, but managed to go just 4-6 in those games, digging their grave even deeper.

The wave of injuries Cleveland has been forced to endure has proved to be far more than the new young core was ready for. Tribe skipper Terry Francona has done an admirable job keeping the team around .500, but there’s only so much you can do without Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale pitching every fifth day, even with the recent success of Cal Quantrill and Triston McKenzie.

Cleveland is still somehow second in the Central, but things are bleak with the White Sox pulling further ahead and surprise teams Seattle and Toronto complicating the Wild Card race even more. All signs point towards the Tribe being sellers come Friday, but what’s uncertain is who the team would move beyond Cesar Hernandez.

The first major domino has fallen, with the San Diego Padres trading for Pittsburgh’s Adam Frazier and setting the market for this year’s deadline. The Padres certainly set the market for the 2021 deadline, so multiple teams could see one of their top five prospects on the move. If the Tribe starts fielding some calls from contenders around the league, here are some of the prospects the team should ask for in a return package.