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 #1: Drew Waters, OF, Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are currently two games below .500 at 48-50, sitting just five games behind the Mets in the NL East. It’s possible Atlanta is having a bit of a playoff hangover after reaching the NLCS in 2020, but they’ve had their fair share of struggles in 2021, especially with pitching.

The biggest issue for Atlanta is the loss of budding superstar Ronald Acuna Jr, who tore his ACL in early July tracking down a fly ball in right field. The Braves have since acquired Joc Pederson from the Cubs to fill plug that leak, and that likely won’t be the only move made by Atlanta.

Should Atlanta call Cleveland to try and make a splash at the deadline and make a push for the division, Drew Waters is a name that has to be discussed at length. The Braves have quite a log jam in the outfield this year and beyond, having traded for Pederson rather than promoting top prospect Christian Pache to fill in for Acuna Jr. So, despite being the team’s No. 2 prospect Waters might be expendable.

Waters is a 22-year old outfield prospect, measuring at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, projecting as a strong corner outfielder with an above average bat. So far in 2021 Waters has slashed .256/.346/.439 in 56 games with Triple-A Gwinnett, logging 15 doubles and eight home runs. He does have a career 29.8% strikeout rate in the minors which is concerning, but at just 22 he has ample room and opportunity to grow.

No player in Cleveland is truly unavailable, so Waters will likely be the prize return for a particularly big fish. Regardless of how the Braves approach the deadline, Cleveland Indians General Manager Mike Chernoff wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t ask for Waters should Atlanta come calling. Waters’ circumstances are a bit more flexible than any other team’s No. 2 prospect in baseball, and the Tribe need an outfielder of his caliber.

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.

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

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.