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.

Cleveland Indians Trade Target #2: Rafael Marchan, C, Philadelphia Phillies

Early reports out of eastern Pennsylvania are that the Philadelphia Phillies are going to be aggressive at the 2021 MLB trade deadline. General Manager Dave Dombrowski certainly has a history of that and the Phillies are in the hunt this season. Sitting at 49-49, Philadelphia is just four games back of the NL East leading Mets, so just how aggressive will Dombrowski be?

Cleveland’s No. 3 prospect is catcher Bo Naylor and No. 25 ranked prospect is catcher Bryan Lavastida. The issue is that neither of them has advanced beyond Double-A yet. Roberto Perez is arguably one of the most underrated players in baseball, at least defensively, and Austin Hedges is more of a band-aid. With veteran catchers Ryan Lavarnway and Wilson Ramos in Triple-A, the Tribe could use some advanced catching in their system going into 2022.

Rafael Marchan is Philadelphia’s No. 4 overall prospect, and at age 22 had two cups of coffee in the big leagues so far with respectable success in small sample sizes. He’s just 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, but has incredible reviews in terms of his ability to play behind the dish paired with a reportedly high baseball IQ. Offensively there’s more power to develop in his frame, with just one home run in his four year pro career, but the average is coming along to pair with an 8% walk rate and a 12% strikeout rate.

With the Phillies having just signed JT Realmuto to a five-year contract extension it seems they are set at catcher barring an emergency. If the City of Brotherly Love reaches out to The Land then Marchan needs to be at the top of the demands list if Dombrowski is as serious as he claims to be.

Cleveland Indians Trade Target #3: Dasan Brown, OF, Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto is starting to see the fruits of its rebuild. Vlad Guerrero Jr and Bo Bichette are the real deal offensively, and the pitching is coming along as well with Alek Manoah making a very strong debut. Toronto is 49-46 this season, within striking distance of an AL Wild Card, but likely won’t be the biggest buyers at the deadline unless they can land a player with a few years of team control left.

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The Blue Jays are still probably a year or two away from serious contention, but a second half run isn’t out of the question. Now, stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Cleveland needs outfielders with an above average bat and tools to round into an every day player. The first two players on this list are in the high minors, but Toronto’s Dasan Brown is a longer term project.

Brown is 19-years old and in Toronto’s A-Ball affiliate in Dunedin, but is far and away the fastest prospect in the Blue Jays’ farm system. His speed makes him a solid defensive prospect, able to cover a lot of ground in center field, but the bat will need the most work as he moves up through the minors and fills out his six-foot, 185 pound frame. There’s potential for more power, and more importantly the possibility of a four-tool player down the road.

Brown is Toronto’s No. 14 ranked prospect despite how long his development is expected to be, but ultimately not untouchable if the Blue Jays make a play for someone young and under control for several years (think James Karinchak). Brown should intrigue any team that gets a call from Toronto, but whether the Indians lean into this as a rebuild or a re-tool will be the determining factor in who Mike Chernoff decides to pursue as a return.