Cleveland Indians Trade Deadline Preview
The Cleveland Indians may not need to do too much as the 2016 trade deadline approaches.
The Cleveland Indians look poised to reach the postseason in 2016 for the first time since the 2013 American League Wild Card Game.
The Indians are sitting in first place in the AL Central and have not been under the .500 mark since May 3. The success is thanks to a surprisingly dominant lineup led by the likes of Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis and Mike Napoli.
Most of this success has come without Michael Brantley, who is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. He is not expected to return any time soon, so the current players on the roster are being given to fill the void, and have done just that.
The pitching staff for the Indians was the focus heading into the season, but the offense has been the real story so far.
While the offense has been great up to this point, there is always room for improvement. The loss of Marlon Byrd to a 162-game suspension for PEDs, along with Brantley’s absence, means the outfield could potentially use some help, even though things appear fine right now.
The front office will have to make some tough decisions if the team wants to compete for a World Series in 2016, but some players will be off-limits when it comes to trades.
Next: The starting pitchers
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?
The Cleveland Indians outfield has been talked about a great deal since Byrd was served his potentially career-ending suspension for PED use.
The group now includes Jose Ramirez, Tyler Naquin, Lonnie Chisenhall and Rajai Davis, with Michael Martinez also being an option on some days.
Davis and Naquin seem to have secure spots in the lineup, but the questions arise with whether Ramirez and Chisenhall can hold down their spots for the rest of the season.
As of right now, it appears they will be fine. The 23-year old Ramirez is arguably the team’s best hitter, while Chisenhall has been great in his move from third base to outfield.
Both players have had their respective struggles, but they have been able to step in for the injured Brantley and be strong assets to the team.
Those calling for a trade may also be forgetting about the return of Abraham Almonte, who is currently out serving an 80-game suspension for PED use.
His return will give the Indians five healthy outfielders, meaning the addition of another player may disrupt the formula that has worked all year.
This is not to say the offense may not level off at some point, but dismantling a successful system just doesn’t make sense. A system that works is better than overspending to get one player, especially when the player may only be a two-month rental.
The outfield is set, leaving two spots on the team where improvement can be seen.
Next: Third base
The Indians signed Juan Uribe this offseason to be the team’s starting third baseman, effectively pushing Giovanny Urshela back down to AAA Columbus.
Urshela played in 81 games last season, hitting .225 with a .279 on-base percentage, but was showing improvement during spring training this year.
So while Uribe continues to struggle, a replacement is awaiting him in Columbus. But given Uribe’s $4 million contract this season, his spot may be safe for now.
Change could come in September when the rosters expand, when Urshela will likely be brought up as some infield help.
The other option is to give Jose Ramirez more time at third, which is a position he has played in the past. Chisenhall can also be given some time there, although he has shown more promise in the outfield than he ever did at third base.
Uribe is also not likely to be someone other teams are asking for, so it looks like he will remain on the team for the duration of the season. Having Ramirez available as another option saves the front office from having to make a move right away, allowing more time to see if Uribe can turn things around when he is given the chance to play.
The attention can be given to the one spot where some change may actually be needed.
Next: The only real need: The bullpen
A team can have a dominant lineup and a dominant starting pitching staff, but that is not enough. For a team to win a World Series, the bullpen needs to be just as strong.
Nothing is worse than building a lead and having the bullpen blow it at the end of the game. Sorry to any Indians fans who had any flashbacks to the 1997 World Series after that sentence.
The 2016 Indians have a decent bullpen, led by closer Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw, but both have had their struggles this year.
It is to be expected that the bullpen will lose several games throughout a season, but this group lacks a dominant pitcher that is able to consistently shut down opposing offenses. More specifically, the group lacks a dominant left-handed pitcher to come out of the bullpen.
Kyle Crockett and Ross Detwiler were two lefties given chances this season, but neither could find any success when given the opportunity.
With the success of both the starting rotation and the lineup, this seems to be the only true need the Indians have right now. Allen and Shaw, along with Dan Otero, Zach McAllister and Jeff Manship are all right-handed, so finding a late-inning left-handed reliever could help the team in specific situations.
It is tough for manager Terry Francona when a strong left-handed hitter comes to the plate and he has no one to go to for the lefty-lefty matchup, which is why the front office needs to help him out and find him one or two players who can fill that void.
Next: San Francisco Giants Trade Deadline Overview
Acquiring this talent can be done by trading prospects, as taking any of the current starters would do more to hurt the team than to help. Now that the team has a solid foundation in Cleveland, a few prospects can afford to be let go as the team tries to compete for a World Series in 2016.