Would Dealing for OF Starling Marte Made You Feel Better About the Indians at the Deadline?

The Cleveland Indians were very active on Monday at the MLB trade deadline as they dealt away pitcher Mike Clevinger along with Greg Allen and a future player for half a dozen players. That's not all the club was trying to do, as a report from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal states the Indians were one of the team's with heavy interest in Diamondbacks OF Starling Marte.

A lot of Indians fans remain upset at what the team did (or didn’t do) on Monday during the MLB trade deadline, as the club’s one massive move didn’t sit well with a number of fans who felt the team should have done more.

The club was reportedly one of the more active teams hours leading up to the deadline, but after the 9-player deal that sent Mike Clevinger to the San Diego Padres, the Tribe was unable to pull off grabbing another player.

It was not due to a lack of effort, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on Wednesday that the Indians were one of the teams that tried to land 31-year-old veteran outfielder Starling Marte.

Marte this season with Arizona was hitting .315 with three homers and 15 RBI and an on base percentage of .845.

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Rosenthal said that the Indians “did well” in the deal that netted them six players for Clevinger, Greg Allen and a player to be named later, but getting Marte would have made their day a whole lot better.

“The Indians made a run at Marte, but didn’t line up with the Diamondbacks. Such a deal would have made their day a greater success, but let’s not forget how this all started 2 1/2 weeks ago: With Clevinger angering teammates by breaking curfew and COVID-19 protocols and then failing to take accountability for his actions. All things considered, the Indians did well.”

The Indians outfield still is a weak point of their roster. The acquisition of Josh Naylor in the Clevinger deal gives them a young player that they want to see for the rest of the season in left field, but clearly Marte would have been a better fit right now.

There’s been rumors more than once that the Indians have had interest in Marte, who played eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates before being traded by Pittsburgh in late January as the Pirates purged their roster.

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Would Marte have made Indians fans a little more happier about how Monday turned out?

Likely depends on who you ask and how much that person liked Marte. But for the most part it seems that most fans would have looked at Marte as a huge upgrade for an outfield that still is a trouble spot for the Tribe roster.

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For more from Matt Loede, follow him on Twitter @MattLoede. Follow CBI on Twitter @IndiansonSI