Factory Of Sadness
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Cleveland Indians: 3 moves they need to make before the trade deadline

By Chad Porto

PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 18: A general view of the field in the fifth inning during the exhibition game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cleveland Indians at PNC Park on July 18, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 18: A general view of the field in the fifth inning during the exhibition game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cleveland Indians at PNC Park on July 18, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OHIO – JULY 25: Starting pitcher Mike Clevinger #52 talks to catcher Roberto Perez #55 and Francisco Lindor #12 of the Cleveland Indians during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field on July 25, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The 2020 season had been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO – JULY 25: Starting pitcher Mike Clevinger #52 talks to catcher Roberto Perez #55 and Francisco Lindor #12 of the Cleveland Indians during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field on July 25, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The 2020 season had been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Acquire a second catcher

Yikes, the Indians have no other catcher worth their weight besides Roberto Perez. The Indians were once flooded with good catchers and good catching prospects, but some bad moves in trades have sunk the position to the lowest depth on the squad. Not even the outfielders are as bad as the catching corp. Sure Perez has some power and is more known for his defense and battery pairings with the elite pitchers on this team but after him, it’s bad. It’s not even a sudden drop-off. It’s more like they a sudden fall from a cliff.

The team needs to go for broke for some catching help. Even if Perez stays healthy, he’ll still only catch every three or four days before getting scheduled rest, then what? Sandy Leon? Beau Taylor? They’re terrible offensively. If the outfield was loaded with good hitters, and there wasn’t so much inconsistency from stars Fransico Lindor and Carlos Santana, fine. Ride it out. Deal with the bad backups.

That’s not the case here. Santana is just at .200 as of Aug 22 and Lindor isn’t even at .240 yet. The Indians can’t afford to have a sub .200 hitter anywhere else in the lineup, let alone someone like Leon or Taylor who are hitting around the .100 mark.

The Indians could look at Washington National catcher Kurt Suzuki. He’s still efficient at the plate and can call some pretty spectacular games still. With the Nationals all but out of the playoff race for 2020, especially after the loss of ace Stephen Strasburg, Suzuki could be had for a bargain. He’s in the last year of his deal and has shown a history of doing well after trades.

Another option is perusing the free-agent market. If not recently retired Chirs Ianetta, then perhaps names like Russell Martin or Jonathan Lucroy may be enough to warrant consideration. While Lucroy was assigned to the Red Sox alternative site, there may need to be some hot dogging to get him, Martin is free and clear of any obligations and is just waiting on a deal.

Since neither guy should be offered more than a one-year deal and would be the backup to Perez, these seem like no brainer ideas.

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