Cleveland Indians Trade Deadline Preview

Jun 9, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Chris Iannetta (left) laughs with Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (right) after Lindor was tagged out at home to end the top of the fifth inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /

The Indians have a lot of players who would be of great help to any team competing for a title in 2016. The only problem for those teams is that the Indians are not going to trade a successful player in the midst of a pennant race, so most of the roster should be safe from leaving town.

Fans in Cleveland are used to the Indians entertaining and sometimes executing trade offers for star players, but that is only when the team has no shot at reaching the playoffs.

The entire starting rotation should be safe from any trades this season. A resurgent Josh Tomlin is the team’s best pitcher right now, but Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer, and 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber are close behind.

Trading any of the four, along with Carlos Carrasco, would only serve to hurt the team’s chances of a title this year. A trade would likely be done to acquire a power bat for the lineup, but the cost would outweigh the benefits, especially with the way the lineup is performing right now.

The best move regarding the starting rotation is to not make any changes, given no injuries occur. Carrasco has dealt with some injuries so far, but he appears to be ready to go for the rest of the season.

This staff has been in development for several years, and it appears 2016 is the year the group helps lead the team to a division title and a return to the playoffs.

Next: Improve the outfield?

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