Cleveland Indians: 3 moves they need to make before the trade deadline
By Chad Porto
Trade for an outfielder
This can’t be disputed. It doesn’t appear that anyone will, anyway. The Tribes outfield has been poor all year offensively. Franmil Reyes has started to come around but he mostly hits at the DH spot in the lineup; though can play right field in a bind. Tyler Naquin has returned to form and as of press is hitting .250, close to his career average. Delino DeShields has come down to Earth some after his hot start but he’s still hitting better than anyone else at the position.
That means that Domingo Santana, Bradley Zimmer, Oscar Mercado, Daniel Johnson, Jordan Luplow, and Greg Allen have all failed to get themselves into the starting lineup consistently and produce. The team needs at least two more outfielders to step up and it’s more than likely not going to be Santana, Zimmer, or Luplow, at least this year. So you have to go get someone else.
Two names that will come up a lot between now and the trade deadline will be the Red Sox’s J.D. Martinez and Kevin Pillar. Both men are over 30 and both men have drastically different contracts. Martinez is signed through 2022, but an opt-out after the 2021 season. For the cash strapped Indians, that’s the kinda deal they’d love to have; one that ends soon. Trading someone like Mike Clevinger works here, due to the controllable years Martinez brings back.
They’d also love Pillar’s deal, as he’s only making $4.25 million for 2020 but his deal is only for 2020. So that’s part of the issue. The only issue is that the trade pieces to get Pillar should not be the same as Martinez. His expiring deal would be better served for a potential prospect and not one of the two front line starters.
The Red Sox aren’t good enough to make any noise in the playoffs this year and if they realize that before the trade deadline, both veterans may be on the trade block. While they’re not officially on the block as of any refutable source, anyone who’s anyone knows that when a team is losing, management looks to offload bad contracts in the hopes of young up-and-comers. Assuming the Red Sox are like the other 29 clubs, they’ll see if there are any bites worth tugging on in the trade market.
They won’t be the only team looking to sell off some veteran or expiring assets either. The Indians should have their ear to the ground and ready to move once they hear the rumbling of an open trade market.