Cleveland Indians: 4 impacts trade deadline moves have on 2022

3. ChiSox get Cesar Hernandez, Cleveland Indians get SP Konnor Pilkington

The Cleveland Indians were always going to trade Cesar Hernandez with their postseason hopes fading. With a $6 million option for next season, the fiscally conservative Tribe weren’t going to pay that salary in 2022, especially with many of the organizations middle infielders approaching their MLB born-on-date.

So, for a player under contract for two more months, the Indians got a left-handed pitching prospect–and with the organization carrying the rep  of being “Pitching U,” that’s a great thing.

Pilkington will likely join Battenfield in the RubberDucks rotation. He was 4-4 with 71 strikeouts in 62 innings spanning 14 starts. In the Southern League–regarded as a hitter’s league–Pilkington posted a 3.48 (sixth lowest in the league), while the opposition hit .173.

In dealing Hernandez, Cleveland will begin it’s quest to find the second baseman of the future. Owen Miller was recalled after Hernandez was dealt, and Ernie Clement started at second to open the three-game series in Chicago.