Indians Trade Clevinger to Padres for Six Players

The San Diego Padres are acquiring starting pitcher Mike Clevinger from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for outfielder Josh Naylor, right-handed pitcher Cal Quantrill, shortstop prospect Gabriel Arias, catcher Austin Hedges, left-handed pitcher Joey Cantillo, and shortstop Owen Miller.

A.J. Preller doesn’t sleep much lately.

Robert Murray had the breaking news first.

BREAKING: Padres acquire Mike Clevinger.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) August 31, 2020

Padres Making Moves

Clevinger had a controversial season with the Indians after violating team COVID-19 protocols, which upset his teammates and led to him being sent to the alternate site for two weeks. He posted a 3.18 ERA in four starts this season. He has a career 3.20 ERA in five seasons and still has three years of team control.

The Padres will also be receiving 27-year-old outfielder Greg Allen and a player to be named later. Allen is hitting .160 this season in 25 at bats.

This is the fifth trade for Preller and the Padres since August 28. They acquired Trevor Rosenthal on Saturday, Mitch Moreland on Sunday morning, Jason Castro Sunday afternoon, and Austin Nola, Austin Adams, and Dan Altavilla Sunday night in a seven-player deal.

They did so by parting with five of their top 20 prospects. The Clevinger deal included three top 20 prospects with Arias being No. 7, Cantillo being No. 9, and Miller being No. 11.

Run to the Playoffs

The Indians are in first place in the AL Central with a 21-13 record, so they will need players like Naylor, Quantrill, and Hedges to produce immediately. They set themselves up for the future, with prospects Arias, Cantillo, and Miller. The addition of Miller and Arias could make room for a Francisco Lindor trade, which has been rumored since last year’s trade deadline.

The Padres are all-in on making a deep run in the playoffs, This trade gives them a reliable starter who can pitch deeper into games than their young core can. This will help alleviate some of the bullpen struggles as they will be pitching less.