Cleveland Indians: The next three players to be traded
By David Hill
Even though the Cleveland Indians payroll is at $35 million, they still have pieces they could trade to lower their costs.
In a normal year, teams would be looking to improve their roster in free agency. This offseason, however, has seen many teams looking to pare down payroll amid the ongoing pandemic and questions about whether or not fans will be allowed in the ballpark.
Yet, for all of those teams that have sat out free agency, none has focused as much on slashing payroll as the Cleveland Indians. These efforts to reduce their budget had started over the past couple of years, but truly reached another level this offseason. Their projected $35 million payroll is less than, or equal to, the salary of six individual players in the league.
That does not mean that the Indians are done. They still have several players earning a robust salary by their standards. It is possible that Cleveland could look to move on from these players as well given their desire to have as low of a payroll as possible.
Who else could the Cleveland Indians trade? Let’s look at three possibilities.
Nick Wittgren
Plenty of teams are looking for solid relief pitchers, either in free agency or on the trade market. The Cleveland Indians have one such pitcher in Nick Wittgren.
Wittgren has been a solid reliever over his five years in the majors, posting a 3.36 ERA and a 1.191 WHiP over his 209 innings, striking out 204 batters with 59 walks. He has been a solid middle reliever over the years, and at just $2 million for the upcoming season, should fit into the budget of virtually any team.
Chances are, the Indians would not receive much for Wittgren. But this would be about clearing away more salary from their roster and removing another impending free agent. For a team that has been looking to pinch any penny possible, even a borderline prospect may be worth the savings.
Nick Wittgren has been a solid reliever over his career. Even at his lower cost, the Cleveland Indians could look to move on.