What package can the New York Yankees put together for Mike Clevinger?
Even though the New York Yankees significantly improved their rotation by signing free agent Gerrit Cole before the 2020 season, the team could still use an upgrade at the 2-spot. Fortunately, there is a pitcher out there – Mike Clevinger – on the outs with his current team – the Cleveland Indians – who might be available at the MLB trade deadline.
So, today we’re going to try to build a trade package the Yankees can put together in order to acquire the right-handed flame thrower. To do this, we’re going to use an excellent on-line tool called Baseball Trade Values (BTV).
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For those who don’t know, BTV is a trade simulator that uses a proprietary model designed by statistical analysts not affiliated with or licensed by MLB. Its site boasts that since 2019, there have been 66 real-life trades. 62 of those trades were also accepted by BTV’s model for an acceptance rate of 93.9%.
Now, in order to build a trade package between the Yankees and Indians for Mike Clevinger, first, we need to identify pressing needs for Cleveland. In looking at the team’s depth chart, the following areas can be identified as areas of need:
- Starting Pitching – If the team is to trade away one of it’s best starters, naturally they’ll want an up-and-coming arm in return.
- Outfield – Currently, there are some question marks in the outfield that the Yankees can address.
- Salary relief – Shortstop Francisco Lindor is set to become a free agent after this season and the team could benefit from ridding of Clevinger’s ever-increasing salary.
With all of those things in mind, here’s a deal, accepted by BTV, that the New York Yankees can present to the Cleveland Indians.
In this package, the New York Yankees would get Clevinger in exchange for two of the team’s top prospects. Deivi Garcia, once compared to Pedro Martinez, is currently listed at the Yankees’ number three prospect while Estevan Florial is the team’s seventh-best prospect.
Now, if the Indians are in need of an MLB-ready player, another possible deal that BTV accepts would be…
With this slight modification, the Indians would still get Garcia, but instead of Estevan Florial, they’d receive Mike Tauchman, who at this point has proven that he belongs in the big-leagues. You could also swap out Tauchman and return Clint Frazier to his original team, though I don’t see the Yankees parting ways with “Red Thunder”.
What’s more, in both deals, the Yankees would absorb any future salary Clevinger earns until he becomes a free agent in 2023 (at the earliest) while paying league minimum for quality players.
We’d love to hear from you: what’s your take on these proposals? Who would you want (give up) for Mike Clevinger?