5 Reasons Why The Cleveland Indians Should Trade for Yasiel Puig

Over the weekend, Jon Morosi, of Fox Sports and MLB Network, reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians were "engaging in ongoing talks aimed at acquiring a starter (Carlos Carrasco or Danny Salazar.)"

Carrasco and Salazar have been great. They are young, top of the rotation guys, with team-friendly contracts. They are certainly a great duo to have at the number two and three spots in the starting five.

Morosi's report did not specifically say what the Dodgers would be willing to part with, but outfielder Yasiel Puig has long been the subject of trade rumors for at least the past year. Some of his off-the-field antics and public behavior have given the Dodgers headaches, and he has not been as productive the last two seasons as he was in his breakout rookie season in 2013.

The latest altercation took place the night before Thanksgiving at a bar in Miami, in which Puig appeared to take part in a bar fight. Video surfaced of the fight last week, but Puig's lawyer claims that he was misidentified and it was not him. Police did not see any reason to charge anyone. Nevertheless, it's not a good look for the outfielder, given his well-documented history of off-the-field incidents.

However, I'm here to tell you why the Indians should make a move to get the right-handed hitter, despite all the baggage that comes with him...

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1. YOU HAVE TO SCORE RUNS TO WIN!

The old adage is "pitching wins championships," and it is still true, but everyone would agree that in the 2015 season, the Indians had one of the best pitching rotations in the league. They still fell short of a playoff-berth, mainly due to lack of offense.

Corey Kluber, Carrasco, and Salazar were outstanding, but didn't come away with many wins to show for it, and the team finished just barely above .500.

Aside from Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley, and the mid-season addition of Francisco Lindor, there weren't many sources of consistent offense that manager Terry Francona could rely on to get clutch hits.

Carlos Santana would have his hot streaks, which were few and far between, and we'd rave about his league-leading walks, while his average was in the .220's. He ended the season on a good note, finishing with a .231 batting average and 19 home runs, but anyone who followed his season from start to finish can tell you how brutal it was, at times, to see him batting clean-up.

Lonnie Chisenhall had a nice stretch from August-October after transitioning to right field, but we've seen him do this to us before. There was a period in 2014, where Chisenhall was hitting close to .400 and then went ice cold to finish the season.

Yan Gomes had a down year, offensively in 2015, due to injuries, but he was hitting in the top half of the lineup, much of the season, and on any good lineup he wouldn't be anywhere above seventh for the way he was struggling at the plate.

The Indians finished 11th out of 15 teams in runs scored in the American League in 2015. Their second-half surge, thanks to Kipnis, Brantley, and Lindor made them much more competitive from July to the end of the season, but it was a slow start that really de-railed the Tribe's chances of making the playoffs, and they will be without Brantley for at least a month, if not longer to start 2016.

Do we really believe Rajai Davis and Mike Napoli are going to make up for that production, and can the Tribe afford another slow start to put a major dent in their playoff hopes like it has the last two seasons?

If the Tribe adds Puig, they will have a legitimate, middle of the order bat, who instills fear into opposing pitchers. Puig has been in the Majors for three seasons, and played just over two full seasons' worth of games. In 331 games, Puig has 46 home runs, 146 runs batted in, and 70 doubles. His career batting average is .294.

2015 was not a great season for Puig, and some of that is due to the fact that his manager (who was fired after the season) did not like his attitude and only played him in 79 games. Puig hit .255 with 11 homers, and 38 RBI.

If Puig could be closer to or even somewhere between his 2013 rookie season, where he hit .319 with 19 HR and 42 RBI in just over half a season; or his 2014 sophomore season, where he was an All-Star, and hit .296 with 16 HR and 69 RBI, he would be a significant upgrade from anyone who has hit clean-up in Cleveland since Travis Hafner in 2007.

When everyone is healthy in the lineup, picture Kipnis, Lindor, Brantley, and Puig getting things started at Progressive Field.

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2. Trading Salazar or Carrasco Does Not Mean The Rotation is Weak

In order to get something of value, you have to trade something of value. The most sensible trades for both teams are when each team trades from a position of strength to bolster a position of weakness. The Dodgers happen to have a strong lineup, but not a very deep starting pitching staff, and it only got worse when Zach Greinke signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

We already went over the Indians' weakness, their offense in the last page, but let's look at how strong their pitching staff would be, even if it meant having to take away Carrasco or Salazar.

Obviously, you would prefer to hang on to Carrasco if you had to choose between the two. But here is what the roation would look like without one of those two hard-throwing right handers.

1. Kluber
2. Carrasco/Salazar
3. Trevor Bauer
4. Josh Tomlin
5. Cody Anderson

Does the rotation take a hit? Absolutely. Are you scared and nervous with Tomlin or Anderson on the mound, the way that Minnesota, Detroit, and the White Sox were in 2015 when their bottom of the rotation guys took the mound? Absolutely not.

Tomlin had a comeback year in 2015, going 7-2 with a 3.02 E.R.A. That would be good enough to be a number three guy in a lot of rotations throughout MLB. He just turned 31, and pitched two complete games in only ten starts.

Anderson was one of the best surprises for the Tribe in 2015. The 25-year-old went 7-3 with a 3.05 E.R.A. in 15 starts in his rookie season. He was practically un-hittable his first 5 starts, had a rough patch for three starts (some of which may have been due to a nagging injury,) and the Tribe won six of the last seven games he started, as Anderson was 5-0 in the month of September with a 1.38 E.R.A.

That could be your number five man in the rotation.

Maybe the biggest wild card of the rotation is Bauer. Bauer has shown potential to be an ace, but hasn't quite put it together. He gets visibly frustrated on the mound and expresses those emotions after poor performances, but he's still so early in his career that it is far too early to count him out from reaching that ace potential.

Bauer went 11-12 with a 4.55 E.R.A. in 2015. Most teams would call that a solid season. He struck out 170 hitters in 176 innings. The problem with Bauer was inconsistency, but he'll be 25 at the start of the 2016 season and for a guy who is really a student of the game like him, there's no doubt he'll be spending this offseason and Spring Training perfecting his craft and looking for areas to improve.

By the way... You still have Kluber. As in, the 2014 Cy Young. Most teams would kill to have a Cy Young-winner in their roation.

If Salazar or Carrasco have to be dealt in order to add a power bat, the rotation is still in good hands with the remaining five starters.

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3. Terry Francona

The biggest complaint that people around baseball have had with Puig is his attitude/behavior/maturity, whatever word you want to use to describe his off-the-field antics.

There's no doubt he is a hot-head, and teammates haven't all gotten along with him.

You know who that sounds like? Albert Belle. Not saying that Puig is that level of player yet because Belle hit 50 homers and 50 doubles in a season, and was one of the premier power hitters in the game in the mid-90's. But Puig has potential to be that kind of impact player in a lineup.

He's only 25, so he is just beginning to enter the prime of his career. He's also signed through 2018 at a relatively cheap, 6 million per year, which is something we'll discuss further in our reasons, but as it relates to his "character issues," there are only two words you need to know about why Cleveland would be a good place for him to play.

Terry Francona.

Francona won two World Series rings in Boston, and he didn't do it with a bunch of choir boys. Every manager would love to have a team full of guys like Tomlin, who are super nice and willing to do anything to help the team, but the reality is you're not going to find that anywhere in life, let alone a baseball clubhouse, where you would like to have a superstar player or two to help your chances.

When Francona was in Boston, he had to deal with the egos of Nomar Garciaparra, Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez, and most notably Manny Ramirez.

You don't have to look hard to find stories about all the craziness that took place in those clubhouses, but you also don't have to look hard to see the success they had on the field, and a lot of that is due to a great manager, who knew how to handle them.

Francona is a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. He ended the curse in Boston. He has a chance to end a 68-year drought in Cleveland. Right now, it would be fair to say he doesn't have the resources to work with to end that drought.

But the addition of a legitimate clean-up hitter, with an experienced manager, unlike Don Mattingly in Los Angeles, could be the right combination to put the Tribe in the conversation of contenders.

Francona is considered to be a players' manager. He gets along with his guys. For all we know, he may not want another head case like Puig to have to deal with, but I'm sure he would approach it with as much professionalism and have the right amount of experience dealing with players like that, as any manager in the game right now.

Everything about a potential trade for Puig is somewhat of a risk, but when you're a team like the Tribe, a risk like that paying off, could be the difference between hovering around .500, and getting to the playoffs.

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4. This Is A Move For the Future and the Present

A trade for Puig would be looked at as the Indians saying "We're in win-now mode." But bringing him to Cleveland would also make sense in the long-term view, as well. Puig is only 25. He is signed for $6 Million per year through 2018. That's three seasons from the start of the 2016 season where you have him. He is arbitration-eligible in 2019, and a free-agent in 2020.

The window for the Tribe, which is seemingly changing every season, is ripe for the Indians to contend in the next couple years. Kluber is signed long-term. Carrasco/Salazar are both signed long-term. Kipnis and Brantley are signed long-term. Even Gomes, who isn't a great hitter, but is a phenomenal defensive catcher, is locked up for years to come.

Closer, Cody Allen is here long-term. And oh yeah, Lindor is entering his second season and is arguably, already the best shortstop in the game.

But, let's take that one step further. Everyone has been raving about the up and coming outfielder, Bradley Zimmer, in the Indians' farm system.

Zimmer could be the Tribe's center fielder for years to come. Behind him in the minor league system is Clint Frazier, another elite prospect.

Since Zimmer is closer to being Major League-ready, let's picture this outfield for a second. Say... in 2017?

Left Field: MVP-Candidate and two-time All-Star, Michael Brantley
Center Field: One of baseball's best prospects, Bradley Zimmer
Right Field: Dynamic athlete, All-Star, power-hitter, Yasiel Puig

If that doesn't get you excited to come down to Progressive Field, no amount of dollar dogs will.

Just to paint a little bit more of a picture, imagine this 2017 lineup 1-5...

1. Kipnis
2. Lindor
3. Brantley
4. Puig
5. Zimmer

Maybe this is far-fetched, but it's worth considering if you're in the Indians' front office deciding whether or not to make the move for Puig.

But not only does the move make sense in the long-term, it also could make the Tribe contenders in 2016, even with Brantley missing 1-2 months.

Here is a projected lineup of the 2016 Indians without Brantley to start the season, if they trade for Puig.

1. Kipnis 2B
2. Davis CF
3. Lindor SS
4. Puig RF/LF
5. Santana 1B
6. Napoli DH
7. Chisenhall LF/RF
8. Gomes C
9. Urshela/Ramirez 3B

Here is a possible lineup with Brantley when the team is fully healthy.

1. Kipnis 2B
2. Lindor SS
3. Brantley LF
4. Puig RF
5. Santana 1B
6. Napoli DH
7. Chisenhall 3B
8. Gomes C
9. Davis CF

I know, moving Chisenhall to third base would not make the defense great, but it's an option. If you don't want Chisenhall there, maybe you keep Urshela and slide him down to eighth or ninth in the lineup. But it's worth considering.

All of this is to illustrate the vast difference it makes in the lineup to add a legitimate power-hitter. Which leads us to our next and final point.

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5. WHERE ELSE ARE YOU GOING TO FIND A CLEAN-UP HITTER?

I'm sorry, but clean-up hitters don't grow on trees. If you're lucky enough to have one in your farm system, you're one of a select few teams in MLB. Otherwise, there are two options: PAY A BOATLOAD OF MONEY, or TRADE SOMETHING OF VALUE.

Nothing about my reasoning to trade Carrasco or Salazar is a knock on either of those two pitchers. They are great. If I had to choose, I would trade Salazar because of his propensity to give up the long-ball, but he's still a very good pitcher.

The problem is to get something of value, you have to give up something of value. Maybe I'm the only person in town who was bored watching the Indians leave two runners on base in scoring position every night and talking about how great Salazar or Carrasco pitched, but the Indians losing 2-1. Were those games fun to watch? Did they end up leading to a playoff-berth?

Ask the New York Mets how their season went until July, when they traded for a controversial power hitting outfielder, Yoennis Cespedes.

The Mets were in basically the exact same position as the Tribe before that trade, and it was one of the biggest reasons why the made a run to reach the World Series.

Cespedes is obviously a bit better than Puig, but he has his off the field issues, as well. There's a reason he was traded from Oakland to Boston to Detroit to New York in a two-year time-frame. But he helped the team win.

Right now, Puig is not that level of player, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility that Puig has a monster year, and is on par with some of the best outfielders in the game.

It's clear the Tribe doesn't want to spend money on a power hitter. That's why they signed Napoli and Davis.

That's the beauty of Puig's contract. It's affordable for the Tribe and it guarantees he will be under team control for at least three seasons starting in 2016.

The other factor that leads me to believe this works out great for the Tribe is because it's not every day a team is willing to part with a star player like the Dodgers are.

This could be a situation where half a season from now, we're looking at an All-Star outfielder and thinking, "man what were the Dodgers thinking to get rid of this guy?"

They are so fed up with his behavior that it could turn into a steal of a trade. There may be no better time than now to make the move.

Because if Puig figures it out, he has the talent and proven MLB track-record to be a game-changing player.

All of the circumstances are in place for Cleveland to be a successful team for him to land.

The offense has some nice pieces with Kipnis, Lindor, Brantley, a few solid players spread throughout, like Napoli, Gomes, Chisenhall and Santana. Plus the future prospects of Zimmer and Frazier coming in the next couple seasons.

The pitching staff would still be one of the better rotations in the league with Kluber, Carrasco/Salazar, Bauer, Tomlin, and Anderson.

It is a relatively young team, with all of the key players signed to long-term deals.

And a manager who has done it before, winning multiple World Series Titles, with a cast full of characters.

If you're that in love with Carrasco and Salazar that you don't want to gamble on Puig, there's plenty of sense in that. But don't complain if the offense continues to strand runners on base while those two finish on the short end of 3-2 losses every other time they go out.