Brandon’s World: Will Indians Make Deadline Deal?
To trade or not to trade?
That is the question Cleveland Indians President Chris Antonetti and General Manager Mike Chernoff must answer by Monday Aug. 31 at 4 p.m. EST.
As of the time of this writing (Aug. 27), the team stands at 19–12, trailing rival Minnesota Twins by .5 games in the AL Central, but if the season ended today, the team would make the playoffs as the №5 seed in MLB’s new restructured postseason for the 2020 shortened season due to COVID-19. Even though the team is seven games above the .500 mark, they’ve had to deal with many behind the scenes issues internally, including the health of 61-year-old Manager Terry Francona, Bench Coach Brad Mills and Hitting Coach Ty Van Burkleo opting out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns, and pitchers Zach Plesac and Mike Clevinger breaking the team’s trust by going to a restaurant while on a road trip in Chicago.
Along with the off the field issues, the team has struggled mightily to hit the ball. Through the halfway point of the season, the Indians scored two runs or less in 15 of their first 30 games. 15! That’s insanity!
The top five in the lineup (Cesar Hernandez, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana and Franmil Reyes) have done their part, but the bottom of the order has been a complete disaster. Catcher Roberto Perez, though he’s only played in 10 games due to injury, is hitting .97 . In his absence, Sandy Leon and Beau Taylor split the catching duties, and they hit .119 and .048 respectively.
The team has tried a cast of characters in the outfield and only right fielder Tyler Naquin has been productive, and he has only played in 13 games this season due to injury, hitting .310 on the season. Management sent down Oscar Mercado and Bradley Zimmer because they weren’t producing, but neither are their replacements, Delino DeShields and Domingo Santana. The four men combined have had 184 at bats this season. They have only hit safely 30 times! That’s a .163 batting average. That just won’t cut it in the majors.
However, as bad as the lineup has been, the pitching has been the complete opposite. The Indians have the second best Earned Run Average (ERA) in the majors at 2.86, behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers, who as of today have an ERA of 2.80. The Indians bullpen is third in the league in ERA with 2.57, a surprise considering that was supposed to be the team’s weakness heading into the season, especially with the loss of Emmanuel Clase due to suspension, but the crew led by closer Brad Hand, who is second in the league in saves with nine, has done more than hold their own.
The starting pitching of the Indians has been their calling card since Francona took over the ball club in 2013, but this year Shane Beiber has taken the pitching staff to a new level. Since his last start Tuesday against the Twins, Beiber leads MLB in wins (six) and strikeouts (75), and he’s third in the league in ERA at 1.35. To go along with Beiber, young gun Aaron Civale has looked impressive, holding a 3.35 ERA in six starts and Triston McKenzie looked impressive in his debut last Saturday against the Tigers, striking out 10 and giving up one run in six innings of work. Not to mention Adam Plutko and Carlos Carrasco have held their own, and it begs the question: Do the Indians deal Clevinger or Plesac for outfield help at the deadline?
Plesac is highly unlikely to be dealt. He’s only 25-years-old and not a free agent until 2026. He’s 1–1 with a 1.29 ERA in three starts this season. For his career, which is only one and a half years in the big leagues, he’s 9–7 with a 3.42 ERA. My takeaway with Plesac is he’s a good kid that made a horrific mistake, but he’s not going anywhere.
Now Clevinger on the other hand, that’s a different story. The 29-year-old is a free agent in 2023, and the Indians may look to move him if they can get a great return. In my estimation, there’s a reason the Indians brought him back first instead of Plesac for Wednesday’s rubber match with the Twins: A showcase to increase his value (He pitched well in the game, going six innings and giving up two earned runs on eight hits and fanning six).
Since 2016, Antonetti and Chernoff have shown their ability to pull off deals at the deadline to win now. In 2016, they acquired Andrew Miller from the Yankees, a rifle left hander out of the back of the pen. In 2018, they acquired star closer Hand and reliever Adam Cimber from the Padres and last year they acquired Reyes, outfielder Yasiel Puig and left hander Logan Allen at the deadline. In order to make those deals work, Antonetti and Chernoff had to give up some pretty big names, including starting pitcher Trevor Bauer, №1 catching prospect Francisco Mejia and №1 outfield prospect Clint Frazier.
The Indians don’t usually make a deal just to make a deal. They target players they can win now with, but they also look for players that they have control over for one-three more years once the trade has been complete. This year, they’re going to try to do the same at the expense of Clevinger I believe. The Indians are currently a good team, but in order to win The Commissioner’s Trophy for the first time since 1948, an outfield bat is going to need to be brought in. Besides Naquin, there’s nobody else in the outfield you can trust in big time situations, and the Indians pitching depth is so good, Clevinger is expendable.
Antonetti and Chernoff are just going to have to do their due diligence and not make a deal that will hurt the team long term. If there isn’t a team out there, then a deal will not be made, but I do not think Clevinger will be in an Indians uniform by 4:01 p.m. EST Aug. 31.
Brandon Lewis is a columnist, radio show host and podcaster. Check out his podcast, Brandon’s World, here, and follow him on Twitter @real_bworld. Columns will be out every Friday!
