Cleveland Indians: 3 trade deadline deals when the Tribe sold but later won

3 trade deadline deals when the Cleveland Indians sold but later won

The current edition of the Cleveland Indians are expected to be sellers at the 2021 Major League Baseball trade deadline later this week. After a run towards the division fell flat during a difficult July schedule, the Tribe’s priorities shifted from trying to compete this season to building for the future. The team isn’t giving up on this year, but there’s an opportunity to cash in on some expiring contracts.

If there’s a bright side to the unfortunate position it’s that Cleveland has had a good amount of success at the trade deadline in the past as sellers. The team has been competitive for the better part of the last decade, so it’s a position that is, thankfully, not as familiar as it once was. However, the history of the organization supports that perhaps the Tribe can find some diamonds at the deadline.

Going over the last 20 trade deadlines, there are a trio of deals that stick out from the rest that illustrate the club’s success at the deadline. At the time these deals seemed like the waving of a white flag for that season, but the moves proved pivotal to the future success of Cleveland baseball. While the Tribe were sellers in the initial deal, it was in fact Cleveland that turned out to be the winners of all three deals.

Now, this hasn’t always been the case. Like any other team, the Cleveland Indians have made moves that they might later regret. The good news is that the right trades outweigh the wrong over the last couple decades, beginning with these three.

If Cleveland does in fact become a seller at the deadline, the hope is that the front office will be able to replicate the success of these trades. The outgoing players might play different positions, but if the incoming talent can just scratch the success of these three deals, then the Tribe’s front office will have walked away from this deadline looking like geniuses down the road.

Cleveland Indians move Bartolo Colon for one of the best returns ever

Note: The original trade was with the Montreal Expos, but only current teams were available to select for the trade

Trading away a 29-year old pitcher with a 2.55 ERA seems like a move familiar to the fans of the Cleveland Indians. It’s almost like the team has done the same thing the past two seasons. However, the deal that sent away Bartolo Colon to the Montreal Expos might be on the best trade deadline deals in the history of the game. Luckily, it leans to the favor of the Cleveland Indians.

Colon pitched a total of 17 games for the Expos in the regular season and Tim Drew totaled 13 appearances for Montreal. That’s it. As for Cleveland, they landed three players who went on to put together solid major league careers.

As for what came to Cleveland in the deal, Lee Stevens was the first contributor, playing 53 games that season for the Tribe that ended up being the final season of his career. The prospects, on the other hand, all landed well.

Cliff Lee had the most success of the trio, winning the Cy Young in 2008 when he led the majors in wins (22) and the American League in ERA with a mark of 2.54. That was by far the best season of his Cleveland career and the team later dealt him to Philadelphia, more on that later. In total, Lee had a really strong career, even if it wasn’t all in Cleveland.

The next name listed on the trade is Brandon Phillips who, like Lee, had a strong career, just not in Cleveland. Phillips was never given a clear shot in Cleveland. He played 135 games with the Tribe, but 112 of those were in one season. The other 23 were spread out over three seasons. Once traded to the Reds, Phillips blossomed into one of the better second baseman in the league, being a three-time All-Star and a four-time Gold Glove winner.

The final piece of the deal was the player with the most initial upside, Grady Sizemore. While Sizemore managed to make three All-Star games, was a two-time Gold Glove winner and a Silver Slugger, his career was cut short, perhaps before his prime, due to injury. He played a total of eight seasons in Cleveland with the stretch from 2006-2008 putting him among some of the best outfielders in the game at the time.

Cleveland deals Cliff Lee to Philadelphia for four prospects

While this trade might not have had the success of the Colon trade, moving Lee proved to be the right decision for the Cleveland Indians that netted them a trio of major league producers. Coming off his Cy Young season, Lee was set to demand too high of a price in the near, so the Tribe cashed in when the opportunity presented itself.

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On July 29, 2009 the Tribe traded away the defending American League Cy Young for the second consecutive season at the trade deadline. Lee ended up being dealt to the Mariners in the offseason, then to Texas during the season all to end up back with Philly in free agency during the 2010 offseason.

For Cleveland, the key piece landed was Carlos Carrasco who pitched 11 seasons in Cleveland, including leading the majors in wins with 18 during the 2017 season and finished fourth in the Cy Young voting, being the same season that Kluber won his second. Had Kluber not been the team’s ace, Carrasco would have been more commonly spoken amongst the best pitchers in the game.

For the rest of the deal, both Jason Donald and Lou Marson were able to contribute in Cleveland. Donald totaled 170 games over three seasons in Cleveland and was the typical utility infielder, similar to Ernie Clement now. Marson played 253 games for the Tribe and was a steady depth catcher.

This isn’t the best deadline trade ever made, far from it. However, it was the right deal for the Tribe. Had they waited the price on Lee would have decreased. Instead, they played the market well and got the most they could have for him.