Indians Trade Idea: This Jose Ramirez for Gleyber Torres trade is suspect

A trade idea has the Indians sending Jose Ramirez to New York for Gleyber Torres.

The Indians are not going to just trade Jose Ramirez for nothing. Sure, one day they’ll ship him away and use the trade to continue their run of winning seasons but that is not anytime soon. The Indians would have to be “blown away” by any trade offer for the only man who’s finished in the top three in AL MVP voting three of the last four years. He’s not heading towards a fourth, at least not at this current juncture but for anyone to trade for him, they’re going to have to pony up some big assets. Cue the Yankees and Gleyber Torres.

The Indians would be fools to not make the Ramirez for Torres trade; in 2019. In 2021? Something is suspect. Torres’ batting average has declined the last two years, his home runs have all but disappeared and he’s missed 14 games this year. He’s a shell of his former self and he’s only 24.

Maybe he bounces back, maybe he doesn’t, but it’s a huge risk to acquire Torres. The Trade, as pitched by MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan has the Indians shipping Ramirez and Bradley Zimmer to the Yankees for the powerless power-hitting shortstop in Torres, and two top-12 prospects in RHP Luis Gil and OF Kevin Alcantara.

Trading Jose Ramirez for Gleyber Torres almost makes sense for the Indians.

Trading Ramirez for Torres makes sense on its own, that is, would have made sense if he didn’t fall completely apart in 2020 and 2021. Getting two top-12 prospects is also enticing; Gil (No. 5 prospect) and Alcantara (No. 12 prospect) are both players who help fill the need for the Indians.

Except, it’s hard to make this trade. What is going on with Torres that the Yankees would ship out a 24-year-old shortstop with four more additional years of control to his name?

This feels like a trap, like the kid at lunch that entices you to trade him your peanut butter and jelly sandwich for his pizza. Only what you don’t know is that his pizza is the dreaded “home-made” kind, that’s made with gluten-free crust and non-dairy cheese.

That’s what Torres feels like in this trade idea, non-dairy cheese pizza. You can’t trust the Yankees to make a trade in good faith. If Torres was healthy and not showing signs of wear and tear already, maybe.

That’s not the case. Though, it’s a very enticing trade offer.