The Indians Can Trade Francisco Lindor and Still Contend, if It's Not Their Only Move

The Indians seem bent to trade All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor, and if they can do that, they can still contend - but they have a number of moves they still have to make to take back the AL Central in 2020.

The Cleveland Indians are entering the new year with plenty of aspirations.

They want to contend in 2020.

They also have a marquee player in Francisco Lindor, one they believe they can’t afford and therefore don’t want to lose for nothing, instead netting out the most value they can get via trade. Despite initially insisting they prefer not to move him, reports indicate trade talks are starting to heat up.

To many, the idea of Cleveland contending in 2020 goes out the window the second the trigger is pulled on a trade of Lindor. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. The Indians can still aspire to win the AL Central this season even if they part with their franchise player.

Of course, this is dependent on one key stipulation – a trade of Lindor can’t be their only big move of the winter.

First thing’s first – if Cleveland is going to move a talent of Lindor’s caliber, it needs to get top value in return. Based on the latest rumors – which indicate the Tribe has its sights set on Los Angeles Dodgers prospects Gavin Lux (SS) and Dustin May (RHP) – it seems the team is aware of this.

Let’s say the Indians can successfully pry away the Dodgers’ top prospects (among a few other pieces). Provided such a deal goes through, ownership will have a tough job on its hands when it comes to selling the belief that the team still expects to contend for a World Series.

Said task can be made much easier if Cleveland follows up this trade with a few other big moves.

In dealing Lindor, the Indians would free up a projected $16.7 million they would’ve owed him in arbitration. This also comes after they opted out of Jason Kipnis’ contract, paying him $2.5 million to avoid the $16.5 million tab they’d have been on the hook for if he stuck around.

Top it off with the $15-20 million Cleveland freed up after dealing Trevor Bauer and avoiding arbitration with him, and the team has a sizable chunk of change to work with.

Of course, if the Indians still think they can contend after a Lindor trade, they actually have to use these available funds.

It sounds like an obvious statement. Cleveland clearly wouldn’t just let all that additional budget sit there, right?

Well, that’s exactly what happened last offseason.

Cleveland watched Michael Brantley, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen walk out the door for nothing last winter. With the money left behind by their departures, the Indians…did very little. Minor pick-ups were made to patch up the bullpen, while Hanley Ramirez and Carlos Gonzalez represented the Tribe’s “big splash signings.”

To their credit, the Indians still found a way to chase the postseason all the way ‘til the final week of last season despite choosing not to replace departed All Stars. However, they’d be foolish to assume the same outcome would occur after trading Lindor and following such a move with next to nothing.

Moving your franchise player to free up money and add marquee prospects doesn’t put Cleveland any closer to contender status. It’d be an almost laughable response to the Minnesota Twins’ 2019 dominance and the active winter the Chicago White Sox are having.

Bottom line – the Indians can’t trade one of the best players in the league, then pin their hopes to contend solely on the prospects they get back in exchange.

The extra funds can’t just sit there as savings. It can be used to effectively plug the hole at second base (or third, depending on what the plan is with Jose Ramirez), while also shoring up a bullpen which could use some upgrades and eliminating a question mark in the outfield.

Or, the Indians could just leave the money alone, setting it aside to collect dust in an effort to cut payroll for the second straight season.

If they take this route, though, if they move Lindor solely to collect prospects and financial wiggle room, there’s no point in insisting their goal is still to win a World Series. The only way Cleveland can push that narrative and avoid being met with eye-rolls and drops in ticket sales is to use the money it’s freed up to improve a roster which won’t be able to realistically contend without upgrades.