Cleveland Indians Reportedly Interested in Steve Pearce and Eduardo Nunez
Rumors say the Cleveland Indians have two new targets in the run-up to MLB’s trade deadline.
With a 57-42 record entering an off day on Thursday, the Cleveland Indians possess a 4.5 game lead in the American League’s Central Division, the largest divisional lead in the AL and second-best in all of baseball. Still, the Tribe is just 5-6 since the All-Star break, and the need to bolster the roster for the stretch run is becoming ever more clear.
While the focus has been on Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy and an arm or two for the back end of the bullpen, two new names have surfaced in the past day or so that also make a lot of sense: Steve Pearce of the Tampa Bay Rays and Eduardo Nunez of the Minnesota Twins.
The absence of left fielder Michael Brantley has been brought up all season long as a reason Cleveland could use help in the outfield, and Pearce could help fill that need. Slashing .312/.384/.528 with 10 home runs, 29 runs batted in and an OPS+ of 147 in 58 games, the pending free agent at the end of the year could slot right into a corner outfield spot and somewhere in the bottom half of the lineup.
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Nunez, an infielder who can play second, third, and short, and the Twins’ lone All-Star representative in San Diego earlier this month, has a .300/.326/.444 slash line with 12 homers, 47 RBI and a league-leading 26 stolen bases. He still has a year of arbitration remaining, meaning he would be under team control beyond this season.
The Indians have relied heavily on utility man Jose Ramirez to plug holes both in left and at the hot corner. While he has performed extremely well, slashing .288/.352/.402 with a team-leading 23 doubles, he has also played in 91 of 99 games. Ramirez’s everyday presence in the lineup at those spots has meant he has been unable to provide off days for shortstop Francisco Lindor (98 of 99 games) and second baseman Jason Kipnis (96 of 99).
There is also the case of Juan Uribe, who has played 72 games at third and provided excellent clubhouse leadership, particularly to young Latin players, but is slashing just .209/.262/.336 with an awful OPS+ of 54. The acquisition of Pearce or Nunez would provide Cleveland manager Terry Francona much needed flexibility in his lineup and the ability to get key players a little rest.
Next: Indians Seeking Trade For Lucroy
The best-case scenario for the Indians would of course be the return of a healthy Brantley, but as that cannot be relied upon yet, making a move for a player like Pearce or Nunez could provide a stop-gap. Unlike years past when the Tribe has played the trade deadline conservatively, the team is in the driver’s seat in 2016, and the right trade could help them play deep into October.