Names the Indians May Target as the Trade Deadline Gets Closer

With 3 weeks to go until the MLB trade deadline, the Indians look like certain buyers. The rotation is likely the best in baseball and the lineup has been surprisingly productive. Buster Olney has them ranked as the second best team in baseball, trailing only the Giants. While the team is playing great, there is always room for improvement. Another bat and bullpen help seem to be the most likely needs the team will address during the season. Hopefully the team can add some more help without giving up either of their top two prospects in Clint Frazier or Bradley Zimmer, creating a bright future in the OF. Let’s take a look at some of the names out there that make sense for the Indians and the chances they come to the Land.

COL OF Carlos Gonzalez

Carlos Gonzalez would be the ultimate home run for the Indians at the trade deadline. He’s a former MVP finalist, Gold Glove winner, Silver Slugger winner, and All-Star and is having one of the best seasons of his career. He’s got a great bat hitting .318 with 18 HR’s this year to go along with some plus speed and defense in the corner outfield. The problem is going to be the cost of getting him. At 30 years old, and on the books for 20 million next year, that could be a doable contract because he would make the Indians the clear front runners in the AL. What they would have to get up to get him may cause the balk. I don’t see the Rockies trading him without giving up at least Frazier or Zimmer, if not both. Think back to the Ubaldo trade a few years ago and the Indians giving up two top pitching prospects to land him as well as a couple others. The Rockies don’t have to trade him if they don’t want to and they are going to have to get an offer so good they can’t turn it down to move him.

Chances: 2%

OAK C Stephen Vogt

The Indians need to get some kind of productivity from their catchers if they want to make a final run for the World Series. Roberto Perez has been on the DL almost the entire season, Yan Gomes has decreased his lines each of the last four seasons to the point he’s hitting .168 right now, and the team traded to get Chris Gimenez back who’s also hitting .185. Roberto Perez has a WAR 0.8 higher than Gomes despite hitting .000 this season before getting hurt. For those that don’t know what that means, it’s statistically saying the Indians would win one more game this season playing Roberto Perez with him having a batting average of .000 than Yan Gomes in the lineup. Stephen Vogt would be an intriguing option. The A’s are in an obvious rebuild mode and are no strangers to making trades and Vogt will be hitting his first arbitration eligible year after the season. That would put him under team control for three more seasons despite him already being 31 years old. He’s a back to back All-Star and hitting .277 for Oakland this year. Due to his ability to be controlled, Oakland may want to keep him around but the Indians can at least make an offer.

Chances: 3%

PIT 3B David Freese

Pittsburgh is the true wildcard team at the trade deadline this year. Since adding the second wildcard team, there have been a lot more teams holding onto their players and going for it than selling. The Pirates currently only stand 1.5 games back of a wildcard spot and with the injuries that both the Dodgers and Mets are recently facing the Pirates may creep back into the postseason. The reason they could sell is because the NL does have some very good teams at the top, the Pirates have some valuable players that are set to hit free agency, and they have also have some talented players at AAA that are getting close to hitting the majors. With depth at third, Freese might be available. He’s on a one year, three million dollar deal and he’s hitting .295 this year. He’s a seasoned veteran at 33 and has the postseason experience that some of the younger guys don’t. Cleveland was linked to Freese as a possibility all offseason and still makes a lot of sense. He could be had for maybe a midlevel prospect as the Pirates would build up for a run next year but still being in the wildcard race would be the hold back.

Chances: 5%

MIL C Jonathan Lucroy

Lucroy will be the most sought after catcher in the market this year. The two time all-star is hitting .301 and at 30 years old still has some years left. The Brewers haven’t given him anything long term as he only has a 5.25 million dollar club option for next year. A team looking to get him could turn it into a long term deal especially with a bad free agent market coming up after the season. His WAR and BA rank third this year among qualified catchers. The thing holding the Indians back from this one could be the long term deal with Yan Gomes (signed through 2021) compared to the price they would have to give up for Lucroy. It might take one really good prospect or a couple of good ones to pry him from Milwaukee. Derek Norris of the Padres could be another name to watch out for but with him only hitting .210, the Indians need an upgrade as compared to a second catcher that a team with injury problems might look at.

Chances: 10%

ATL RHP Arodys Vizcaino

Vizcaino would be a big pickup for the backend of the Indians bullpen if they can make it happen. The Braves have traded away a large chunk of their better players and pretty much everyone not named Freeman or Teheran is likely available. He’s only 25 years old and would also be hitting his first year of arbitration before next year. He was 3-1 with a 1.60 ERA last year and 1-4 with a 2.75 ERA this year. His strikeouts per 9 have increased to just under 12 this season. While it would be another right hander in the bullpen, he would be an upgrade over Bryan Shaw as the setup man. He’s struggled in his last few outings, which may make him more expendable for Atlanta. He may be costly in terms of a decent prospect but the club control for three years and being just 25 years old should make it worth it.

Chances: 15%

MIL LHP Will Smith

Will Smith has just come back off the DL for the Brewers and with the NL Central being so good, the Brewers might as well sell in order to start rebuilding. Smith would bring a left handed arm the Indians would need. Although he has only pitched in 18 games, he has a career low 2.25 ERA and like most of the others on the list will just be hitting arbitration next year. The concern for him is his strikeout rate is down 5 points from last season to just 7.9. The Brewers may be stuck with some teams trying to buy low because of this versus holding onto him when he gets healthy again and improves his trade value. He would be a great target for Cleveland if the Brewers sell low right now.

Chances: 15%

OAK OF Josh Reddick

Like Smith, Reddick is also coming back from the DL and is set to hit free agency after the season since the two couldn’t come to terms on a deal before the season, making him a perfect trade candidate for the A’s. He’s hitting a career high .296 in 52 games so far, and can add some power as well, likely finishing in the 15-25 home run range. He will be in hot command from a multitude of teams, so the Indians would likely have to act quick if they want to get him before another team does.

Chances: 20%

MIL RHP Jeremy Jeffress

The Brewers closer should be on the market and is the second Brewers pitcher on the list. With him being the closer I think he is the one more likely to be dealt of the two. He’s 23 of 24 on save chances this year with a 2.41 ERA. He’s nothing overly special for a closer, only tallying 26 strikeouts over 37.1 innings of work with a 1.31 WHIP but he’s gotten the job done for them. He’s a former first round pick and 28 years old hitting arbitration next year. Like Smith, I think it will take a good prospect to land, but nothing that will break the bank. The Indians need somebody to move Shaw to the seventh and Otero for jams.

Chances: 25%

CIN OF Jay Bruce

Jay Bruce is a player that would fit well with what the Indians do. While he is not a big for average hitter, he’s having the second best batting average of his career at .264, he has power. He’s got 18 home runs and 62 RBI’s this year for Cincinnati. For comparisons, Mike Napoli is at .242 with 18 home runs and 61 RBI’s. Bruce also strikes out a little less than Napoli although both do at a high rate. He can take a spot in the outfield and provide that extra power bat that can scare teams. I think they would need to be separated in the lineup a little bit, with one batting fourth and the other six or seven just due to the high strike out rates could strand early runners. It would also allow for guys hitting in the middle of the lineup like a Ramirez or Santana who have good on base percentages to get on base to add more runs off the long ball. He does have Cleveland in his no trade clause but said he would likely waive it to play for a contender. There’s also a 13 million dollar club option for next year which would be smart to pick up to allow a little more time for Zimmer and Frazier to progress before setting them up to take over long term. They might be able to do this move without giving up the big two, but might have to include another highly regarded prospect like Bobby Bradley to get it done. This would be a fan favorite move and would upgrade one of the team’s biggest weaknesses and make the lineup even more dangerous.

Chances: 30%

MIN LHP Fernando Abad

The Twins got off to a horrible start this year and the AL Central is loaded with too many good teams for them to get back into anything this year. They don’t have a lot of trade pieces to offer either but they have one of the best farm systems in the majors and would look to continue to build on that as they get set to make a run in the next few years. Abad to me is the most gettable pitcher in this list and is also a left hander. The Indians can’t seem to keep a lefty in the bullpen so finding one might need to happen. For Minnesota he is 1-3 with a 2.83 ERA. He doesn’t allow a ton of hits, walks, or strikeouts and is 30 years old. That’s what should make him more reasonable to get than the others on the list and the fact the Twins aren’t going anywhere soon he won’t be in the longterm picture. Cleveland could look to ship an average prospect to the Twins and come away with a lefthander.
Chances: 40%

OAK 3B Danny Valencia

Valencia makes the top of my list as the most likely player the Indians will add before the trade deadline. Oakland is in sell mode and Valencia is playing on a very reasonable 3.15 million dollar deal, something that fits in the Indians budget. While he isn’t an outfielder like most people would suspect the Indians to target, he would fit well as a 3B/DH. He’s not the most reliable defensively, but with Uribe struggling, he can take over time there moving Ramirez to play every day in the outfield. He’s hitting .307 with 12 HR’s on the year and is just a solid overall player that fits the Indians system and needs and is among the most tradable players at the deadline.

Chances: 50%

Other honorable mentions: LAA 3B Yunel Escobar, SD C Derek Norris, MIN 3B Trevor Plouffe, OAK LHP Sean Doolittle, OAK LHP Mark Rzepzcynski, OAK OF Khris Davis, ATL OF Nick Markakis, SD 3B Yangervis Solarte, PHI RHP Jeanmar Gomez