Plenty of Indians trade speculation
There has been some speculation and rumors surrounding the Cleveland Indians and possible trades of Francisco Lindor, Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger.
It is definitely check your source season. There are plenty of rumors that involve the Cleveland Indians. Some are legitimate. Others, not so much. A perfect example is the trade rumor that Zack Meisel of The Athletic shot down immediately.
That would be a large return for Francisco Lindor. It would give Clevland three young controllable players in Lux, Verdugo and May. Too bad it isn’t real.
The inclusion of Austin Barnes in this rumor is a bit of a head scratcher. Cleveland already has Roberto Perez and recently acquired Sandy Leon. Leon is obviously the backup defensive-type catcher. The Indians also have Eric Haase down in AAA. Acquiring a catcher does not make the most sense here. Austin Barnes can play other positions, but mostly sees time at catcher. If Barnes was a bit younger he may be of interest, but he will be 30 at the end of December.
There is good point made about the Dodgers and what they are willing to give up to acquire Francisco Lindor.
There seems to be a reluctance to part ways with top talent. You have to be willing to trade premier talent in order to acquire premier talent That includes players such as Gavin Lux, Alex Verdugo and Dustin May. Unless they come to that realization they may not end up acquiring Francisco Lindor.
Padres are in on Francisco Lindor too
Now, the Indians and Padres were talking per a report on Friday. No specific players were mentioned in the report. Just that the two sides were talking.
Not sure what type of deal is being referred to here. Is it for pitching? Is it for Lindor? Speculation grew and now things appear to be pointing towards a Lindor to San Diego deal.
Jared Carrabis of Barstool Sports sent one tweet including a gif of Francisco Lindor and several eyeball emoji’s. This does not mean a deal is done or even close to being done. Just that there is a concrete rumor or trade proposal out there and it is very much real.
Some people do not like Barstool Sports and that’s fine, but when it comes to baseball rumors Jared Carrabis can certainly be counted on to be in the loop.
Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger are also rumored to be on the move
Francisco Lindor was not the only player of note to be rumored. Both Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger had their names mentioned, leading to even more speculation. Kluber was already mentioned as being of interest to the Los Angeles Angels. This should not come as as surprise as the Angels need pitching help and Kluber would be reunited with his former pitching coach Mickey Callaway.
Mike Clevinger does not seem like someone that the Indians have to trade. Given his contract status, a trade of Clevinger seems more likely after this season, if we are just going off Cleveland’s previous pattern with trades. Clevinger has two more arbitration eligible years after 2020, which is when Cleveland usually looks to move their players. Although, if the Indians move Clevinger now they could get more for him than Kluber. The only issue on the Indians side of things is that this points towards a full-blown rebuild and not a retool which most expect.
Trade talks are ramping up and moves could come soon
It seems that any trades that the Cleveland Indians are going to make will happen sooner rather than later. When the inevitable happens it will be tough to deal with. Trading a player like Francisco Lindor is never easy. Neither will trading Corey Kluber or Mike Clevinger if they decide to go that route.
When that trade does occur, Cleveland’s front office will have done enough homework to get the best possible deal. Their track record is quite positive in that regard and trades have usually worked out in their favor. They stand firm on their demands. Some call it being difficult. Others call it knowing the value of a player that is in high deman and getting the best return possible, something they have done many times in the past. This isn’t a guarantee that this trade will work out the same way, just that it is worth mentioning that the Indians have been successful in the past with deals that small market teams have to make.
