Cleveland Indians: 5 Missed Players at the 2015 Trade Deadline

Apr 23, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder

(66) singles against the Washington Nationals during the fourth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit:

-USA TODAY Sports

Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers may have been available at the deadline according to Bob Nightingale via Twitter, or maybe not, but his name alone brought about some intrigue. After storming into the league in the second half of 2013 hitting .319 with 19 HR’s and 42 RBI’s, Puig hit .296 with 16 HR’s and 69 RBI’s in 2014, his first full season. Puig has since fallen back a bit in 2015 hitting .248 with 8 HR’s and only 29 RBI’s, but he’s struggles a bit with injuries and inconsistency.

Now it’s hardly great statistics for a guy making $6 million per year, but he’s the kind of player Shapiro/Antonetti typically like to take a chance on. Someone who is having a down year, but has the potential to rebound. The asking price for Puig might be a bit high considering this is only his second full season in the Majors, so I understand the Cleveland Indians not making a move for him now. However, a team like the Dodgers might panic if he continues to struggle.

Will the expiring contract of Michael Bourn or Nick Swisher be appealing to them at the 2016 Trade Deadline? Is Antonetti willing to give up on Lonnie Chisenhall? Trade an up and coming minor league player like Tyler Naquin or Clint Frazier? Maybe P Carlos Carrasco is an option as the Dodgers did inquire about him at the 2015 trade deadline. Those might be the costs, but the right-handed power hitting potential of Puig might be more than worth the risk. Antonetti can’t afford to miss out again if Puig’s name arises in 2016.

That’s strike one. Who else did the Indians miss out on in 2015? How about a player they could have had in 2014 too?

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