5 impacts Mike Clevinger trade will have on Cleveland Indians

4. Trade helps later

A trade of Francisco Lindor will probably happen this offseason, as the front office won’t want to dedicate $25 million to one player, no matter how great he may be.

With Lindor’s eventual departure a foregone conclusion, there’s already armchair scouts looking at his replacements.

The Tribe has some nice prospects in Tyler Freeman and George Valera. Both could be ready to help the big-league club in 2021. But the addition of Gabriel Arias, the Padres seventh-ranked prospects, adds depth to the position group.

The 20-year-old probably would’ve started the season at Class AA, had their been a minor league season. He’s a got a good glove and his power started to come around in 2019, as he hit 17 homers in high A ball.

Pitcher Joey Cantillo is also one to be excited about. The Hawaii native was the youngest player taken in the 2017 draft, as he was a young 18 when selected in the 16th round.

With a fastball that can touch 93-94 miles per hour, Cantillo also possesses a nice change, in addition to a big curve (he needs to improve the command on this). He’s also 20 and his ETA is probably for 2022 or 2023.

Owen Miller, the Padres 11th rated prospect, was drafted in the third round back in 2018. Miller makes contact, posting a lifetime mark of .303 (.808 OPS) in the minors. He played double-A ball last season and it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see him make the jump to the big league at some point in 2022.

It’s worth noting he’s listed as a shortstop, but his future is probably at second base.