If The Indians Are Looking on the Waiver Wire, Here's a Couple Options They May Consider

CLEVELAND - With things getting closer to the playoffs by the day, the Indians roster might not be completely done in terms of what it's going to look like

CLEVELAND - With things getting closer to the playoffs by the day, the Indians roster might not be completely done in terms of what it's going to look like October 5th (the likely date for the playoff opener).

Many felt that the Indians should have done more at the trade deadline than just trading for Detroit Tigers outfielder Leonys Martin and minor leaguer Oscar Mercado.

There's a thought that the Indians have been successful the last two seasons grabbing an outfielder during the month of August (Jay Bruce 2017, Coco Crisp 2016), so why not go out and make another move for a bat?

As the month moves along more names might get added to the list as teams drop out of the races in both the AL and NL, but for now here's a couple names that might help the Tribe should they look to make a deal of some sort.

1. Josh Donaldson, 3B, Blue Jays

While the Indians would likely focus on the outfield if they picked up a player, Donaldson is getting closer to getting healthy, and with his bat might not be a bad option for the Tribe.

He's only appeared in 36 games this year, hitting .234 with 5 homers and 16 RBI, but if you look at the last few seasons he's been solid for the Jays, hitting 41, 33, and 37 homers the last three seasons.

Donaldson has been down since the end of May with a calf injury, but has been cleared for baseball activites, a great step in the right direction.

If the Indians do take a chance on him, it would probably mean Jose Ramirez to second and Jason Kipnis could platoon between the outfield, infield and the bench.

2. Jose Bautista, OF, Mets

There's no question that Jose Bautista has seen better days in terms of being a dangerous hitter, but he still has some pop in his bat and is a player that knows the pressure of the postseason from his days with the Jays.

He's only hitting .211 on the year with the Mets in 64 games, with six homers and 25 RBI, but if the Indians are looking for a cheap alternative to help in the outfield, as well as a player they know well with his time in Toronto, he might not be a bad fit.

He also is drawing plenty of walks, with a 17.1% walk rate, that could be something that could come in handy.

3. Curtis Granderson, OF, Blue Jays

Another name that isn't going to knock many folks' socks off, Granderson is hitting .235 with an OBP of .333, with 10 homers and 31 RBI.

He was awful in July, hitting just .192, and another thing in play is he's really used against only right-handed pitching.

This season against right-handed arms he's hitting .243/.338/.433. Again not numbers that are going to blow anyone away, but he's a vet and a player who has played in 57 playoff games, so he knows what it's like when the games are the most important.

4. Shin-Soo Choo, OF/DH, Rangers

There's no doubt this might be the most interesting fit to the Indians roster for the final month plus, but to think that the Indians are in a fiscal position to add the month it would take to get Choo back is the big question.

.270 with 20 homers and 54 RBI is nothing to sneeze at, but the money part is the huge question mark, as he's not only owed the balance of his $20 million annual salary this year but he's due to make $42 million over the next two seasons.

Sure Texas might donate some money, but to think they would donate enough to make it a good fit for the Tribe is a stretch.