Cleveland Indians: 4 OF trade targets Tribe must pursue

1. Mike Yastzremski

Mike Yastrzemski, the grandson of the Hall of Famer  Carl Yastrzemski, is crushing in the early going for the Giants, batting .314 with a 1.081 OPS. The left-hander can hit both southpaws and right-handers and he’d fix the quagmire that has been the Indians outfield for the foreseeable future.

The younger “Yaz” is only in his second season, so why would the Giants trade him? The Athletic’s Jim Bowden pointed out that Yastrzemski is already 29, so his advanced age may tip San Francisco’s hand if the Tribe puts together a good enough prospect package.

Yastrzemski was a 14th-round pick of the Orioles in 2013. Being picked that low already put him behind the 8-ball from the onset. That said, he hit well enough to be promoted to the Class AA level by the end of his first full professional season in 2014.

Despite his fast rise, it took Yaz time to get out Class AA, and then Triple-A after that. Baltimore finally gave up on him after the 2018 season, dealing him for pitcher Tyler Herb.

As Bowden correctly noted, Yastrzemski is right up the Tribe’s alley as he’s extremely affordable. He won’t reach arbitration until the 2023 season, when he’s 32.

It took him a while to get to the big leagues, but Yaz is proving his debut season–one that saw him belt 21 home runs–is no a fluke.