Indians Still Looking to Deal Kluber or Bauer

One of the off-season headlines that isn’t getting much attention is the Indians shopping of both of their aces. They are looking to trade either Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer and still remain competitive. Yes, you read that right. After three straight division titles, it seems some of the teams in their division have made the steps to become bigger threats. So then why are the Indians looking to deal at least one of their Cy Young candidates?

The Indians have a great core of position players with Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez leading the charge. The return of Carlos Santana and addition of Jake Bauers should give the lineup a boost this season. That said, the tribe are losing quality players heading into 2019. That list includes Brantley, Encarnacion, Donaldson, Alonso and Melky Cabrera. 

These subtractions open up multiple holes in the lineup. Trading for above-average bats would be logical. They recently re-signed Carlos Carrasco who can resemble an ace when healthy. He could dampen the impact of a Kluber or Bauer trade.

Pitching is a huge factor in the playoffs and playing well into October. They could still be well equipped with arms heading into 2019, even with a blockbuster trade. Since their loss in Game 7 to the Cubs, the Indians haven’t even sniffed a bid to the fall classic. Maybe shaking things up and rolling the dice could improve things and make them more formidable.

Dave Cook – Contributor – WTF Sports

Scott Neville – Editor – WTF Sports

Indians Acquire All-Star Closer Brad Hand, Adam Cimber from Padres

The Cleveland Indians finally made a move for some bullpen help. The Indians have been in desperate need for arms in the back end. Relief Pitchers for the Cleveland Indians have an embarrassing 5.28 ERA which is 29^th in the league, trailing on Kansas City. Brad Hand will show up to Cleveland with a 3.05 ERA and 24 saves. He has 65 Ks in 44.1 IP but has not been the dominate pitcher he has been in years past. At only 28-years-old, the lefty has no excuse for regression, though he will still be an upgrade over the pitiful 2018 Indians Relief Core. Adam Cimber will also head to The Rock and Roll Capitol of the World, a 27-year-old rookie right-hander with a 3.17 ERA in 48.1 IP.

The Indians needed to do something here, but I feel they made the wrong move. Don’t get me wrong I think Hand and Cimber will help the team immensely, but they gave up Catcher Francisco Mejia MLBs #15 Prospect. I believe they should have knocked on the Marlins door and asked for Kyle Barraclough and Drew Steckenrider.  Barraclough is the only reliever on the market I would trade a top tier prospect for as he has a 1.28 ERA in 42.1 IP with 47 Ks. He is also under team control through 2021 which is important with Miller and Allen set to hit free agency in the off-season. Now the Indians need more than just one guy, which is why Steckenrider would be the perfect addition. Like Cimber, Steckenrider is a quality controllable 27-year-old righty. This season Steckenrider has a 3.38 ERA with 50 Ks in 44.2 IP. Also the Marlins would be able to acquire a 22-year-old elite prospect which would allow them to trade Realmuto to a contender and really kickstart the rebuild.

Both situations would help an abysmal bullpen for the Tribe, I just think if you are going to give up a top fifteen prospect you mine as well go big and target an absolute stud like Barraclough.

Scott Neville – Head Baseball Writer – WTF Sports

Second Basemen may be on move this Trade Deadline

There are many contenders in need of middle infield help like the Red Sox, Indians, and Brewers. The Indians will almost certainly make a move to shore up the second base position with the 26^th worst OPS out of the second base position (.629) this season. Jason Kipnis is hitting .216 with 7 HRs and 35 RBIs. The Red Sox are not getting much more out of the 2B position. The Sox rank 20^th sitting with a .659 OPS at Second Base. Eduardo Nunez has an inconsistent bat and seems to have no idea how to use a baseball glove. The Sox signed Brandon Phillips recently, but could certainly use some insurance. The Brewers have two struggling players splitting time at Second Base with Jonathan Villar and Hernan Perez.

The good news for these teams is that there are plenty of talented second baseman in the trade market. Jed Lowrie is hitting .290 with 25 doubles, 14 homers, 59 RBIs, and an .855 OPS. Oakland should be open to trading Lowrie as he is in a contract year. The Athletics are trying to contend soon but most likely not in 2018. Lowrie has been the 4^th best second baseman in the MLB this season, trailing only Altuve, Baez, and Scooter Gennett.

Best Fits: Red Sox, Indians

 

Asdrubal Cabrera is a great trade candidate and will almost certainly get moved. Teams should have interest as he is hitting .283 with 15 HRs, 49 RBIs, and has an .814 OPS. Cabrera is 32-years-old and will be a free agent at the end of the season. Cabrera is a textbook deadline guy. He is over the hill yet still effective, a rental, and should be reasonably priced. He has a decently sized contract, making $8.25 million this season. The Red Sox may be inclined to strike a deal for the Long Island slugger. They appear to be looking for second baseman with versatility, Cabrera can play 2B, 3B, and SS. Boston could eat some of that contract, so they could give up lesser prospects. The Phillies are reportedly attempting the same strategy and could use Cabrera to upgrade their middle infield.

Best Fits: Phillies, Red Sox

 

Whit Merrifield has an interesting case to get moved. He will certainly garner interest with a .293/.362/.415 slash line. The problem is that he is already 29-years-old and is under team control through the 2022 season. The Royals could keep him as he is not able to leave anytime soon, though I still expect the Royals to move their surprisingly controllable asset. Merrifield has been linked the Brewers and Phillies most frequently

Best Fit: Brewers

 

D.J. LeMahieu is a movable asset that may or may not get traded. LeMahieu is a free agent at the end of the season meaning the Rockies have less than a month to decide on D.J.s future with the organization. LeMahieu is hitting .274 with 8 HRs, and 33 RBIs. He is a career .299 hitter and has eclipsed the .300 mark three times (2015-2017) including 2016 when he hit .348 in 146 games. LeMahieu is one of the best contact hitters in the game with a high batting average and low strikeout numbers. He has only one season of 100+ Ks, with 107 in 2015 when he still managed to hit .301. In this era of baseball, those strikeout numbers are hard to find. LeMahieu could find a home in a lot of different cities but may not go anywhere at all. The Rockies are 46-43 which puts them in 3^rd in the NL West, only 3.5 games back. They are 4.5 games back of a Wildcard spot. LeMahieu’s destiny will be determined by the Rockies ability to contend. I hope the Rockies buy in and try to make a run while Arenado is still in his prime.

Best Fit: Rockies

Scott Neville – Head Baseball Writer – WTF Sports

Where Could Hanley End Up?

Hanley Ramirez was informed of his release today at 3:45 am in a surprise move that will shake up the Red Sox line-up. Ramirez was hitting .254 with 6 HRs and 29 RBIs. While those numbers do not jump off the page, Hanley had the second most RBIs among American League First Baseman, behind only Joey Gallo, who is a hitting a cool .199 and has already racked up 74 Ks. He ranks first in RBIs among Designated Hitters and seemed to really bring a lot to the clubhouse. Hanley’s numbers on the field can be replaced by Mitch Moreland getting more time and Blake Swihart getting his first real opportunity to produce this season. However, Ramirez brought a lot to Boston, despite the media constantly attacking his work ethic, I truly believe he wanted to win a championship with the Red Sox. It appeared as though he was well liked by his teammates and really added to the team chemistry with his antics. I will miss Hanley in a Red Sox uniform and wish him success, unless he goes to the Yankees.

Hanley showing off his catching ability in the dugout on Mother’s Day

Cleveland Indians

Cleveland seems like the best fit for both sides. The Indians are currently getting next to nothing out of their 1B/DH spots. Yonder Alonso has started 40 of 48 games for the Indians at 1B and appeared in 47 games total. He is hitting .228 with 9 HRs and 26 RBIs. Edwin Encarnacion has been the DH 37 times this season and played 1B 6 times. He is also struggling with a .202 average with 10 HRs and 25 RBIs. Edwin has a -0.2 WAR according to baseball-reference.com, meaning he is negatively contributing to the team. Safe to say the Indians are in need of help at either spot and could use a bat. The Indians are a contender at 24-24 based on how bad their division is. I think Terry Francona could keep Hanley motivated and playing loose. This is my prediction for a Hanley Ramirez landing spot.

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles are off to an abysmal start and Chris Davis has largely contributed to Baltimore’s downfall. “Crush” Davis has worn out his nickname and no longer deserves it. Khris Davis of the Athletics has dethroned Chris as the best slugger named Davis. The Orioles Chris Davis is hitting .154 with 4 HRs and 13 RBIs. He has a -1.4 WAR and a .490 OPS. It is time for Baltimore to move on from this once dominant masher of baseballs and try something new. Hanley could help the team out, though no single addition could help them this year. He could contribute at 1B or DH allowing the Orioles to either Designate Chris Davis for Assignment or let him ride out his massive contract on the bench where he belongs. This would be more of a statement move for the Orioles but absolutely could happen if no teams are willing to trade with Boston and eat the $15 Million remaining on his contract this season.

New York Mets – Scott Edwards Pick

The New York Mets have not had a solid First Baseman since Lucas Duda and even that was dicey at times. Adrian Gonzales is the Mets primary First-Baseman with Wilmer Flores getting reps at 1B as well. Gonzales has been serviceable hitting .268 with 5 HRs and 20 RBIs. If Hanley were to join I would expect him to move positions as Adrian is one of their better hitters this season which says more about the offense than the player. They have a lot of options, they could move Hanley back to 3B or even have him platoon with Gonzales at 1B or Frazier at 3B. Both Frazier and Gonzales are struggling massively against lefties while Hanley has hit .333 off LHP with a HR and 10 RBIs in only 42 at-bats. The main argument here is that the Mets DESPERATELY need bats and could find a way to put him in the line-up. Their offensive needs were capitalized when they signed 37-year-old Jose Bautista on May 22nd and proceeded to start him that night. Bautista landed in New York an hour before first pitch. He has played in all three games proving just how desperate the Mets are for offense. This scenario is a likely one and my colleague Scott Edwards official prediction.

Scott Neville –  Head Baseball Writer – WTF Sports