Four players the Cleveland Indians must get in a trade for Mike Clevinger with the New York Yankees.
No Cleveland Indians fan who bleeds red and blue wants to trade e a front-of-the-rotation starter to the New York Yankees, but the Evil Empire can’t be ignored. There’s other sensible trade destinations, but the truth is, the Yanks have the goods to move.
The Yankees are in need of starting pitching and New York GM Brian Cashman has reached out to the Tribe’s front office, according to SNY TV’s Andy Martino, wrote wrote he’s keeping a “Trained eye” on the Tribe.
The Yankees have some intriguing players, and the Indians should be able to demand quite a package should they Cashman want Clevinger bad enough.
The hard throwing right-hander comes with two-years of club control after this season. Depending on who you ask, he’d be an ace on half the teams in the big leagues.
The Indians have to think long and hard about whether they want to deal Clevinger, whom The Athletic reported is more likely to be dealt than Zach Plesac, per Martino.
I tend to think the Indians will be more likely to move Clevinger this offseason, as his arbitration numbers will continue to rise. As for the rest of 2020, I’ve got to believe he gets a second chance. With he and Plesac in the rotation, the Tribe’s five-man lineup is the best in the big leagues.
The only way I’d move him this season is if there’s no coming back with his teammates in the clubhouse.
Now that the Yankees and the Indians have officially been tied together in trade talks, here’s four prospects the Indians must come away with if they move Clevinger to New York.
1. Clint Frazier, OF
The obvious name that will be tied to the Indians is former Tribe farm hand Clint Frazier. The Tribe needs outfield help and Frazier packs a lot of power. He’s yet to get extended shot in the big leagues, although he’s made the most of his playing time in this weird campaign, batting .333 with a 1.087 OPS.
The Indians wisely dealt Frazier back in 2016 for Andrew Miller. It worked out for the Tribe, as Miller and Terry Francona re-invented the way bullpens are used. The Tribe one the pennant and came with a game of ending the franchise’s long World Series championship drought.
Speculation surrounding the deal at the time was that the Tribe was willing to deal one of their prospects, either Zimmer or Frazier. Zimmer won out and injuries have been a problem throughout his career.
Meanwhile, Frazier is with the big-league club right now. He’d look great back in an Indians. uniform, but only if he’s part of a package.
2. Deivi Garcia, P
Beyond Frazier, Deivi Garcia is an interesting pitching prospect. The 21-year-old pitched in the future’s game at Progressive Field a season ago and is considered to be close to being big-league ready.
Garcia fell out of MLB’s top 100 prospects, as he struggled to once he got to Triple-A, and again at Spring Training earlier this season.
Plus, Garcia’s stock has taken a hit recently because scouts aren’t sure if he’s a starter or a reliever. He posses a devastating curveball and a 97-mile-per-fastball, though, so he’ll eventually find a spot on someone’s roster.
Garcia’s also smaller, meaning, he’s 5-foot-9. Sonny Gray is around this height and is obviously very, very good. It’s not the typical build of a starting pitcher, though.
He has some very desirable skills and it would be interesting to see the Indians’ development team get ahold of him.
Even if the Indians view Garcia as a bullpen arm, which he may be, that’s OK. He’d be part of a package and the Indians need back-end bullpen guys for 2020 and beyond.
3. Miguel Andujar
Because the Indians really have the leverage here, checking in on Miguel Andújar would also be wise. Andújar’s trade value has to be low, as he’s been assigned to the Yankees’ alternate site twice this season. He’s blocked by–and get ready for this–Gio Urshela.
Urshela couldn’t hit Lake Erie standing on Huntington Beach, but with the Yankees, the guy’s become the second coming of Joe DiMaggio. Ok, not quite. But he’s, batting .306 with an .882 OPS. A lot better than the .225 average he posted here.
Andújar was demoted because he wasn’t hitting as a bench player. The Yankees are still really high on his bat, though. Honestly, the Indians shouldn’t make a deal with the Yankees that doesn’t involve Andújar.
The baseball world got a glimpse of what Andujar could be back in 2018, when he hit. 297 with 27 homers and 92 RBIs. An shoulder tear in his right labrum limited him to just 12 games in 2019.
Since then, Urshela’s emerged and Andujar is waiting for his opportunity.
From the Indians’ view, third base is occupied by Jose Ramirez, but the DH spot is spot in the order that one one person can claim. Plus, Cesar Hernandez is only under contract for a season. Could the infield be re-ordered for 2021. Something to think about.
Mike Tauchman, OF
The posts Joel Sherman touted center fielder Mike Tauchman as someone the Indians would be attracted to.
At age 26, Tauchman is firmly entrenched as a Yankee starter, having appeared in 20 games so far this season, through Aug. 24. Tauchman first received extended playing time last season, when he appeared in 87 games with New York.
Prior to wearing Yankee pinstripes, Tauchman was a 10th-round pick of the Rockies in 2013. He appeared in a combined 52 games with Colorado during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He was traded to the Yankees for Phillip Diel.
Sherman doesn’t see the Yankees wanting to deal Tauchman, because he’s got a left-handed stick the lineup needs, while he can also hold down center field.
The Indians outfield problems got larger this season following the poor play of Oscar Mercado. The former Cardinal farmhand’s sophomore slump forced his demotion to Lake County.
It’s too early to write him off, but patience is something clubs can’t have in 2020.