The time has officially come. For Indians fans such as myself, this has been a nightmare that has been brewing for years. Francisco Lindor has played his last game for the Cleveland Indians. The Indians will trade Lindor before opening day (whenever that may be).
Lindor is under his final year of club control with the Indians and the team would rather get something for him rather than have him walk in free agency for nothing. The only problem is, Cleveland will get lowball offers because, one, Lindor only has one year of club control and he would most likely want to test the market, and two, teams know how desperate the Indians are to move him, so the Indians have no leverage.
It was rumored that the Indians and Dodgers were in talks last winter about a Lindor deal that included Dustin May, Gavin Lux (sort of), and Corey Seager. As an Indians fan who is looking to the future, they should have jumped on this deal. But the Indians need to play this smart. They need an MLB-ready player and a top prospect.
Indians trade: Lindor
Los Angeles Dodgers trade: Keibert Ruiz, Edwin Rios, and Michael Busch
The Indians just picked up Roberto Perez‘s option for the 2021 season but he is not the catcher for the future. Even with Bo Naylor waiting for his call to the show, adding Ruiz allows the team to flip Naylor for more prospects or for a trade deadline player should they find themselves in playoff contention. Busch is in the Dodgers top-five prospect list but he is sitting behind Lux, who he will not beat out. Rios allows more depth at first base, which they need as they transition to the post-Lindor era.
Indians trade: Lindor
New York Yankees trade: Clint Frazier and Oswald Peraza
Frazier was originally drafted by the Indians in the first round of the 2013 draft. He was traded to the Yankees in 2016 for Andrew Miller and he had his first breakout year in 2020. He was a gold-glove finalist and really displayed the pop in his bat. Peraza allows the Indians to grab one of the top shortstop prospects to replace Lindor in the future. While the Indians have Tyler Freeman and Brayan Rocchio waiting to replace Lindor, this allows the Indians to build up a top farm system and a shot at flipping some of these players for an impact player down the line. The Indians will always play the long game when it comes to building their team. Most of the time it works, but they have never been able to finish in the World Series.
Indians trade: Lindor, Carlos Carrasco
New York Mets trade: Amed Rosario, Brett Baty, Dominic Smith, and Franklyn Kilome
There are rumors flying around that the Indians will move on from Carrasco this offseason. He is 33 years old and is owed $12 million this season. The Mets were just bought by Steve Cohen, who will not be afraid to spend money to make this team great. What better way than to add a good starter and one of the top players in the game? The Mets get the face of their franchise and the Indians get an immediate replacement and insurance for the future.
Indians trade: Lindor, Adam Plutko
Los Angeles Angels trade: Jo Adell, Aaron Hernandez
The Indians would get less in this package because of the expectation behind Adell, but the Indians are desperate for a young, talented outfielder. The Indians would be able to bring up one of their young shortstops in their farm system and grab a potential all-star outfielder. The Angels would get another mega-star in Lindor and a starting pitcher that they are desperate for. While Plutko’s career has been wildly up-and-down, the Angels could use any help in their rotation that they could get.
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