TRIPLE THREAT CLE: MLB Trade Deadline

Showing posts with label MLB Trade Deadline. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

On Deck Circle 8/1/17: MLB Trade Deadline

By Pat Luhta, @PLuhta

MLB's trade deadline has come and gone, with some big pieces moving to title contenders along with some smaller moves made that could turn out to be just as important to teams.

The big news of the day centered around 2 starting pitchers, with the Yankees acquiring Sonny Gray from the A's and the Dodgers going down to the wire to land Yu Darvish from the Rangers at the last minute. The Yankees were linked to Gray for a few weeks and after the A's tried playing the field a bit, the two teams were able to reach an agreement. Oakland got a boat load in return, both Jorge Mateo and Dustin Fowler are top prospects that will bolster the A's farm system and the Yankees not only get Sonny Gray but didn't have to give up Clint Frazier or Gleyber Torres in the deal.

So this deal works out great for both teams, the Yankees are entrenched in a 3 way division race right now and did not give up either of their top 2 prospects while the A's get quality prospects as they look to reload their farm system during this rebuilding period. The Yankees, now with Sonny Gray and Jaime Garcia (who they got from the Twins earlier) gives them enough pitching to make a run for the World Series this season.

When the clock struck 4pm, no deal for Yu Darvish was announced and many assumed that the Rangers got cold feet and did not trade him. Shortly after, the news broke that Darvish did in fact get traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 3 minor league prospects.

This is similar to the Yankees/Gray deal but even better really, the Dodgers kept their top 3 prospects and only traded 1 (Willie Calhoun) that ranked in their top 10. Alex Verdugo, Walker Buehler and Yadier Alvarez were not in the deal, the Dodgers kept their word that they would not trade them and still found a deal that got this trade complete. The Rangers wanted Verdugo in this deal, but Darvish's no-trade clause and dwindling starting pitching market hindered them greatly in finding a deal similar to what the A's received for Gray. Their hands were tied and it was either trade him to the Dodgers or don't trade him at all, they held out as long as they could but took the Dodgers' best offer as the trade deadline struck. MLB's best team, with a 74-31 record just added Yu Darvish to go along with Clayton Kershaw (once healthy) and Alex Wood, it's clear what the goal is for Los Angeles this season.

And watch out for the Kansas City Royals now, this team has been on a roll as of late and patched up some problem areas before the trading deadline. Their main acquisition was OF Melky Cabrera, who can provide some pop in the lineup and will be an upgrade in the field. A week ago, they also bolstered their pitching staff in a multi-player trade with the San Diego Padres, receiving starter Trevor Cahill and relief pitchers Ryan Buchter and Brandon Mauer. The deals haven't been a big splash but they are adding the necessary bits and pieces for a playoff run, they currently are the 2nd wildcard team with Tampa Bay close behind and they also trail the Indians for the AL Central lead by just 2 games.

Other trades that don't have that "sizzle" but could be a huge benefit to teams down the stretch include the Houston Astros acquiring Francisco Liriano. Liriano will be used out of the bullpen but could also make some spot starts as well which may be needed. The Astros starting pitching is starting to unravel a bit, Lance McCullers has been getting knocked around and is now headed to the DL and Dallas Kuechel was roughed up in his first start back from his DL stint. So Liriano could be in play here big time for the Astros as someone who helps keep the ship afloat while the pitching works itself out.

The Cubs got a little better as well, adding C Alex Avila and reliever Justin Wilson from the Tigers. The Tigers did not find a suitor for Justin Verlander as his contract and no-trade clause were deal breakers, but they did clean house a little bit by trading J,D. Martinez, Alex Avila(who is the son of Tigers' GM Al Avila, so yes he traded his own son) and Justin Wilson.

Jonathon Lucroy was on the move again at the trade deadline as he is headed to Colorado. Last season, he was initially traded to the Cleveland Indians but after not receiving a guarantee that he would be their catcher, he used his no-trade clause to block the deal. He was then later dealt to the Texas Rangers and now that the Rangers aren't contenders, he was once again traded to a contender.

Another under the radar deal would be the Boston Red Sox added Addison Reed. The Red Sox already have Craig Kimbrel as their closer so adding Reed to be the setup man puts them in a real good position come playoff time, when pitching really takes center stage.

So there's the run down on some of the bigger trades that have happened over the past couple days. A lot of contending teams bolstered their roster in order to make a run for the playoffs and at the World Series. There's still a waiver trade deadline coming up where some pieces will be moved, but this deadline is where teams really position themselves for October. If you are a fan of any of the teams mentioned above as getting better, then you should feel real good about how the trade deadline deals went and should be excited for how the remainder of the season should go.

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Radio Show 8.3.16: MLB Trade Deadline, Browns, Football HoF, Rio Olympics & More

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

This Week In The Show 8.2.16: MLB Trade Deadline Wrap-Up

Now The Race Is On!
By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy

As the clock passed 4pm Monday afternoon, it signaled the end of what turned out to be one of the best trade deadlines in recent history. It was full of blockbusters and a lot of controversy. Unlike previous years deadlines with a lot of anti-climatic movement at the deadline, the rumors that were swirling before the deadline gave us a lot of fun and now it’s time find out who the big winners and losers were. Now let’s be honest in a few years, this could all look different about who won and lost at the deadline. But in terms of right now for quite a few teams, the future looks bright and for some others, lost opportunity.

Winners

New York Yankees- For the 1st time since 1989, the Yankees went into full blown rebuild mode and they came out as huge winners at the deadline. It started with the trade of Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs as the Yankees acquired SS Glyber Torres along with other prospects including OF Billy McKinney. Then in a shocker, the Yankees acquired OF Clint Frazier and SP Justus Sheffield along with 2 other prospects in exchange for RP Andrew Miller. Then before the deadline buzzer Monday traded Carlos Beltran to the Rangers in a deal centered around former Top 5 draft pick SP Dillon Tate. The Yankees made a bold move to rebuild and Brian Cashman did an outstanding job getting great value in every trade he made. More importantly, most of the prospects they got could help the Yankees in the next 2 years to start a quick turnaround in the Bronx.

Texas Rangers- The Rangers really went for it at the deadline, starting by acquiring OF Carlos Beltran from the Yankees, giving up SP Dillon Tate and then following that up with a bombshell, acquiring C Jonathan Lucroy and RP Jeremy Jeffress from the Brewers giving up a package centered around SP Luis Ortiz and OF Lewis Brinson. Immediately the Rangers have fortified their lineup to be a scary one from 1 through 9. Adding Jeffress gives them another strong reliever for a bullpen that needed another arm in there. The only downside was not acquiring a SP, while the Rangers do have Cole Hamels and potentially Yu Darvish leading the rotation in the playoffs, after them, they really are lacking there. That could be a problem down the stretch.

Chicago Cubs- The Cubs looked to make big changes in their bullpen and really did an outstanding job by first acquiring RP Mike Montgomery from the Mariners, an effective lefty reliever for them in the 7th/8th innings. Then the Cubs made their big blockbuster trade by acquiring Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees. While the Cubs have Hector Rendon as their closer, Joe Maddon will have more of a “spot closer” role for both and choose who to close by who is hitting in the 9th. Then to top everything, the Cubs got sidearm specialist Joe Smith from the Angels to give them a completely different look in the bullpen which really makes their bullpen one of the more intriguing bullpen in terms of depth and styles to choose from.

Milwaukee Brewers- For a team that was one of the bigger sellers, they made out pretty well. While their original deal with the Indians had a solid return for Jonathan Lucroy, they made out better with Texas getting Luis Ortiz and Lewis Brinson, who are ranked #2 and #3 in Texas’ farm system respectively. While they probably should’ve gotten Joey Gallo, they still got a good haul for Jeremy Jeffress and Jonathan Lucroy. They also moved RP Will Smith to the Giants and acquired the Giants 2015 1st Round draft pick SP Phil Pickford and C Andrew Susac, a great replacement for losing Jonathan Lucroy. They’re laying a good foundation for the future and the next step will probably be trading Ryan Braun in the offseason.

Honorable Mention- Washington Nationals, Oakland A’s

Losers

Miami Marlins- You talk about the most dysfunctional franchise in all of sports, the Marlins gotta rank up there with another disastrous trade deadline. Their big move was acquiring from San Diego centered around SPs Andrew Cashner and Collin Rea, but Rea hurt himself in his first start with the Marlins and before Monday’s deadline, was traded back to San Diego for one of the prospects the Marlins originally dealt. Once again the Marlins showing their continued dysfunction and why they are a joke of an organization. Cashier was a solid upgrade, but not one worth trading multiple top prospects for, including their 2015 1st Round pick 1B Josh Naylor. Marlins better make the playoffs or else changes in player personnel might be needed in the offseason.

Boston Red Sox- Quite possibly the biggest loser at the deadline, the Red Sox made numerous small moves to help fortify the team, then traded Anderson Espinoza to San Diego for Drew Pomeranz, who is struggling with his new team. The Red Sox continued to scour the pitching market, then centered in on White Sox ace Chris Sale. The White Sox asking price was way too high and the Red Sox seemingly continued to try to land him until the end of the deadline. That backfired on them as they walked away with no other trades after the Pomeranz one. The Red Sox seemingly valued their top prospects very highly and wouldn’t budge on them to blow away the White Sox to make a deal. Their consistent activity on Chris Sale cost them big down the stretch at the deadline and might be a big difference on where they end up at the end of the year.

Detroit Tigers- Only 4.5 GB of the Indians and 1 GB of the Wild Card, I’m stunned the Tigers did nothing. While the Tigers have an offense that’s coming alive and JD Martinez returning just around the corner, I thought the Tigers would go after a SP. Nothing really materialized and the Tigers didn’t make any deal. While the Tigers have Michael Fulmer and Justin Verlander, they really needed to find an upgrade for the middle/back end of the rotation. I felt that Phillies SP Jeremy Hellickson made perfect sense, but obviously a deal couldn’t be reached. Not making a deal for another starter might come back to bite them.

Los Angeles Angels/Minnesota Twins- I’m talking about in this area the confusing trade made at the last moments before the deadline. The Angels traded struggling SP Hector Santiago, who actually was drawing interest from multiple teams including Texas and instead flipped him to Minnesota for SPs Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer. What were these teams thinking? I mean it’s great for Twins to get rid of Nolasco’s contract, but Meyer is an intriguing arm who just hasn’t figured it out yet. The Twins might be looking towards 2017 with this move but the trade for both teams is extremely confusing and is an F for both teams.

Honorable Mention- Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros

Hard to Grade

Cleveland Indians- Yes, the Cleveland Indians vastly improved their back end of the bullpen by adding Andrew Miller. But let’s remind ourselves the Indians traded OF Clint Frazier to get him. Frazier will be a star in NYY and fans will one day complain about this deal, but the Indians decided to contend right now so to a degree, I understand it. But the Jonathan Lucroy debacle makes their deadline hard to grade. Honestly I have no idea how this went down and maybe we won’t ever know, but to lose him and watch him go to Texas while not upgrading the Catcher is a bit of a question mark. Indians could’ve used another bat and were in on Carlos Beltran and losing out to the Rangers.

The Indians eventually settled on Rays OF Brandon Guyer, who mashes lefty pitching. The Indians used this opportunity to finally DFA Juan Uribe and move Jose Ramirez to 3B for what looks to be an every day role. The Indians do have Brantley returning, but he’s an unknown still coming back from his shoulder injury. I expect Indians to be active in August Waiver Trade Deadline to find another bat and probably then I’ll feel much better with the Indians activity.

Arizona Diamondbacks- So the most active team at the Winter Meetings goes quiet at the deadline, especially a team that has played not up to expectations. They sent down SP Shelby Miller, didn’t move him and also couldn’t move Daniel Hudson even though there was plenty of interest. They moved Tyler Clippard to the Yankees for a minor leaguer which that even confused me. They’ve continued to struggle this year in almost every aspect with the exception of Paul Goldschmidt. There really seems to be no direction with this franchise and it leaves a lot of questions to be answered down the line.

Los Angeles Dodgers- Ok I love the fact that they added Rich Hill, although he’s injured and they didn’t trade their top prospects. But what I didn’t understand is adding Josh Reddick to create a serious log jam in the OF, leaving Yasiel Puig as the odd man out. Reddick may be an upgrade compared to Puig, but the presence of Puig and his unpredictable attitude could be toxic to the clubhouse. The Dodgers at the same time to create this log jam paid a pretty good price to get Hill and Reddick, again this is an upgrade that on the field is great, but off the field could be a disaster. Don’t be stunned if Puig is put up on August Waivers.

Honorable Mention- San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves

Now remember these are initial reactions and all of these will probably change in time. There were some very good trades that under the radar will be steals of the future and I’ll go over those here in the coming days. While the Trade Deadline has passed, we now look toward the August Waiver Trading Deadline. In a simplified explanation, teams must put a player through waivers, then they must clear waivers in order for them to be traded. We’ve seen trades like the monster trade of Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers and for Indians fans, the trade that brought back Jim Thome. I would expect with some teams not as active at the deadline, there will be activity before that deadline passes as well. But for now, we’re now into the last 2 months of this 6 month marathon. It’s not time for the teams that made the investment to win now, to take the next step and start to position themselves as a team for a long postseason run. Races are far from over and because of the deadline, some division races could either change in the coming weeks or a team can start to run away. Only time will tell, but as for the trading deadline that now has passed, for the first time in a few years, it didn’t disappoint.

Monday, July 25, 2016

This Week In The Show 7.25.16: Top 5 Trades MLB Fans Want To See

By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy

We’re only a week away from the Trade Deadline and things over the weekend have heated with new teams emerging as potential buyers and sellers. Now with the Trade Deadline a week away, I thought I’d finish up my 3-part series about the trading deadline with 5 deals the fans should be rooting for. With this article I’m going to throw away my Indians bias and put on my MLB fan cap to find deals that will make the ride into October much more interesting. I’ll admit most of these trades probably won’t happen, but in my opinion would make other Divisional and potential Pennant races that much more interesting. So let’s get crazy with this shall we?

Jay Bruce to the Mets- The Mets need offensive help…FAST. But trivia time! Who leads the Mets in Avg., HRs, RBIs, Hits, SLG %, and On Base %? Well there’s one answer…Yoenis Cespedes. The Mets offense has been so pitiful that they’re relying on James Loney and Jose Reyes to fill the void for them. That isn’t going to work. Jay Bruce offers the kind of bat they need in the lineup to protect Cespedes. Bruce is having a career year and most certainly could be the bat the Mets are looking for. We know the Mets have the pitching to get the job done, but they need another big bat in this lineup, Jay Bruce offers that. The Mets could offer up rehabbing SP Zach Wheeler who is young with big league experience that maybe in a year or two could become the pitcher most scouts thought he could become, a potential front of the rotation starter.

Trade Proposal- Mets acquire OF Jay Bruce in exchange Reds acquire SP Zach Wheeler

Chris Archer to the Dodgers- With Clayton Kershaw potentially out for a long time, the Dodgers are left to look at potential options on the market. While Chris Sale would be a great fit in LA, the Dodgers have enough lefty starters. Now remember, current LA Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman was the GM of Tampa Bay when they acquired Chris Archer from the Cubs. We all know the Dodgers have an extremely talented and deep farm system that could easily make a move to get Archer. Without Kershaw, Archer fits perfectly in LA and if Kershaw comes back this year, Kershaw and Archer will be nightmares for teams. With Archer being locked up after signing a long term deal with Tampa Bay in 2015, the price will be steep, but the Dodgers can easily afford it. I could also see Tampa Bay throw in a player to get rid of that might offer Dodgers depth to make another move.

Trade Proposal- Dodgers acquire SP Chris Archer and OF Desmond Jennings in exchange Rays acquire SP Jose De Leon, SP Grant Holmes, OF Starling Heredia

Wade Davis to the Nationals- And just like that…the Nationals get arguably the best closer in baseball. With a good starting rotation and a solid lineup led by Bryce Harper, the Nationals are sitting pretty at the top of the NL East, only really lacking an elite closer. While Jonathan Papelbon has done a good job, Wade Davis puts that bullpen over the top. If the Nationals really want to bring a World Series back to Washington DC for the first time since Walter Johnson pitched them to one in the 1920s, they gotta get that elite closer. Kansas City is being wise to shop him to replenish a farm system that was sold off last year to get Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist for their World Series run. Nationals would really need to give a lot up for a rental, but Washington has to realize, to really have a chance to keep Bryce Harper, you gotta go for it to prove to him he should stay.

Trade Proposal- Nationals acquire CP Wade Davis in exchange Royals acquire SP Erick Fedde, OF Andrew Stevenson, and RP Koda Glover

Carlos Beltran to the Indians- While this isn’t the biggest splash in the world, the Indians could really use another bat to bolster their lineup and Beltran fits the mold perfectly. Having a great season at only 39 years young, Beltran is an experienced veteran who brings a middle of the order presence to the Indians. More importantly Beltran has a great history performing in big spots in the playoffs. With the uncertainty of Michael Brantley’s return, Beltran can provide a more stable option offensively playing in the OF. While he is a downgrade defensively, the Indians need to find another bat as evidenced by the Indians struggles with RISP against the Orioles. While the Indians need to find a reliever, they must find another bat for the middle of the lineup.

Trade Proposal- Indians acquire OF Carlos Beltran in exchange Yankees acquire SP Mike Clevinger and SS Yu-Cheng Chang

Chris Sale to the Astros- First off, how is no National reporter putting Houston in the mix? Only 2.5 games back from the Rangers and starting to catch fire, the Astros are a perfect match for Chris Sale. With 2015 Cy Young winner Dallas Kuechel struggling, they need an ace and Sale gives them that. The Astros were my Preseason World Series pick and with Chris Sale supported by that Astros lineup…good luck everyone. Reports have said that teams might have to pay 5 Top prospects, but after Chris Sale’s jersey fiasco Saturday night, the price might come down if the team doesn’t want to handle him anymore. It will take a lot to get one of the best pitchers in the game and trust me, the Astros have the firepower to get him.

Trade Proposal- Astros acquire SP Chris Sale in exchange White Sox acquire SS Alex Bregman, OF Daz Cameron, SP Francis Martes, OF Derek Fisher, 2B/OF Tony Kemp

Now these trades aren’t predictions, but these are trades every fan should be rooting for to happen. All of these trades would make the next few months of the baseball season very interesting. While I don’t expect half of these to even happen, all I know is that these are very realistic scenarios for these players. That will do it for my Trade Deadline Preview articles, you can bet I’ll have a Post-Trade Deadline article here next week. We’re already seeing the madness of the Trade Deadline pick up and you can bet as teams finally figure out where they stand as buyers and sellers that the trade market will only intensify with trades we might not see coming. Trust me we’ve seen trades come out of nowhere before and you can bet with this trade deadline, one thing is for sure, anything can and will happen at this Trade Deadline.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Tribe Talk 7.21.16: Indians Trade Deadline Preview #Indians #TradeDeadline

By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy

For the Cleveland Indians, the time has arrived for them to decide whether or not the Indians need to go, “all-in” for the 2016 season. While the Indians have had a lot of bright spots and no really big concerns going into the Trade Deadline. But there is no such thing as a perfect team. The Indians can always find ways to improve and it’s time to take a look at what the Indians could look to do in the next week.

Now before I jump into this, let me be clear on my stance, there is a such thing as an untouchable prospect. In no way shape or form should the Indians move OFs Clint Frazier or Bradley Zimmer. The only time you move one of them is for a bonafide superstar player that are locked up (ex. Mike Trout, Giancarlo Stanton), so the fact everyone wants to just trade these prospects is ludicrous and simply uneducated as a fan. So for the record none of my proposed deals for my Top 5 targets will involve either Bradley Zimmer or Clint Frazier because of the fact that there is no bonafide superstar to trade them for.

So with that said, let’s jump into what positions the Indians should be targeting come the Trade Deadline.

Indians 3 Biggest Needs (in descending order)

3. Third Base- While I love the spark that Jose Ramirez has given to the Indians offense this year. Also, Juan Uribe has provided solid defense and leadership in the clubhouse, but his offense isn’t what it used to be. While it probably isn’t ideal to target a 3B, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to look into. The Indians don’t really have a 3B for the future and looking beyond this year, unless the Indians permanently move Ramirez to 3B, they will need to find an option there. They do have Giovany Urshela and Yandy Diaz at AAA, but Urshela has taken a step back this year offensive and Diaz is completely unproven. If the Indians can find an option for the present and future, they need to at the very least explore it.

Potential Targets- Rays: Evan Longoria, Athletics: Danny Valencia, Padres: Yangervis Solarte

2. Catcher- The struggles of Yan Gomes have been sad and disappointing and leave a major question with Yan going forward as the Indians Catcher. After injuring his shoulder in Minnesota and projected to be out 1-2 months, the Indians will probably have to look at options on the market. While I believe Roberto Perez can do the job and Chris Jimenez can be a solid backup, the Indians do have plenty of options on the market surprisingly and the Indians could find an upgrade for the present and future. I personally would test the waters myself to see if I can find a solid deal I feel comfortable with, but the Indians must be aware of the side effect it could have with the pitching staff.

Potential Target- Brewers: Jonathan Lucroy, Padres: Derek Norris, Athletics: Stephen Vogt, Twins: Kurt Suzuki

1. Setup Man/Closer- We all know if there was one glaring need for the Indians is help in the bullpen. While the Indians have a solid duo of Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen, outside of them they don’t have much else. They really need to look at potential shut down options on the market and there are quite a few available. While some are only rentals, there are a few options out there that are young and under control for a few years. The Indians will probably look more at lefty relievers, but I expect them to look at righty relievers as well to see maybe if there’s a cheap reliever worth grabbing.

Potential Targets- Braves: Aroydis Vizcaino, Brewers: Jeremy Jeffress and Will Smith, Athletics: Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle, Yankees: Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman.

My Top 5 Indians Targets

5. Aroldis Chapman, Yankees- I think a lot like the Indians in the manner of for a Franchise like Cleveland, we can’t really afford “rental” players. I think Chapman could be a big exception to the rule. Supposedly the Yankees don’t have as high of a price tag on him for the reason of he’s most likely a “rental” for a team. Chapman would give the Indians one of the best closers in baseball and if they wanted to, they could move Cody Allen into the 8th and Shaw into the 7th. Whether Chapman would set up or close is irrelevant, he brings a major intimidating presence against lefties and righties. I think the cost for Chapman would be a decent pitching prospect (Clevinger, Sheffield, Hillman) plus a solid position prospect as well. Steep price for about 10 weeks of Chapman, but it gives the Indians a real top end closer.

My offer- CLE acquires Aroldis Chapman in exchange NYY acquires SP Mike Clevinger and 3B Yandy Diaz

4. Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers- As much as I don’t like making the Indians rotation get used to a new catcher, Lucroy looks to be an exception to the rule. We all know that Lucroy can offer the Indians another good bat presence in the middle of the lineup, but what I think a lot of people don’t realize is how good of a catcher he really is. He’s a good fielding catcher with a cannon for an arm behind the plate. While Yan Gomes offensively has been…well…terrible, his defense and relationships with pitchers make him an asset going forward. If the price is right though, I would strongly considering adding Lucroy as he has one more year of eligibility after this year. Now if there was only a reliever we could add to the deal…

My offer- CLE acquires C Jonathan Lucroy and RP Will Smith in exchange MIL acquires SP Justus Sheffield, C Francisco Mejia, SP Mike Clevinger

3. Will Smith/Jeremy Jeffress, Brewers- After my, “in a perfect world trade” I’ll admit I like the Brewers bullpen arms here. Now I’m not asking for one or the other in this scenario…I’m asking for BOTH. The Indians could use both guys to bolster the bullpen and both are very good relievers that give the Indians great depth for the playoff run. While you probably could package one of them in a deal with Jonathan Lucroy, if you end up not going after Lucroy, the Indians should explore the cost for adding both. Will Smith is an extremely effective and underrated lefty in the league and could really provide what the Indians need in the 8th. Jeffress has been the Brewers closer and has shown with his powerful arm, he could be another power right arm that the Indians could use in the later part of the game and allow to take a lot of pressure off Bryan Shaw which would be a great luxury to have going forward.

My offer- CLE acquires RPs Will Smith and Jeremy Jeffress in exchange MIL acquires SP Juan Hillman, SP Shawn Morrimando, RP Kyle Crockett

2. Danny Valencia, Athletics- Valencia is my top position player to get because of the fact that Oakland somehow is willing to give up Valencia for very little. As much as you gotta love what Uribe has brought to the team in the clubhouse, he seems best as a guy who for his play is a great option off the bench. While Valencia is a downgrade defensively, he provides a little bit more to the lineup that could use maybe one more presence in it. Also, Valencia would potentially be a guy that although he’ll be a FA this offseason, you could resign him.

My offer- CLE acquires 3B Danny Valencia in exchange OAK acquires 1B Nellie Rodriguez

1. Andrew Miller, Yankees- Let me start off with this…NO SETUP MAN IS WORTH YOUR #1 PROSPECT. The fact that any person or radio personality (shots fired!) would even vouch that a setup man is worth the top prospect is either on drugs or uneducated. The closest trade the Indians could look at to compare in the Craig Kimbrel trade, but remember, Kimbrel was going to be the Red Sox’s closer, Miller won’t. Besides, I think the Yankees are far more interested in getting pitching prospects back in any potential deal. The cost would be pretty steep, but with Miller under contract for the next few years, it’s worth strongly considering.

My offer- CLE acquires RP Andrew Miller in exchange NYY acquires 1B Bobby Bradley, SP Shawn Morrimando, SP Juan Hillman

The MLB Trade Deadline is still a week a way and a lot of things can still change. If the Yankees continue to win and climb back in this, the Indians options for lefty relievers could get thinner and the latest trade of Mariners LRP Mike Montgomery to the Cubs could be signaling that either the Yankees are asking too much, or they’re still going to try to win. The Indians either the Yankees relievers are in or out shouldn’t be discouraged to make a deal. There are plenty of options out there for them. I’m fairly certain that the Indians will find a way to make some sort of move at the deadline, now whether it’s a blockbuster move or not, we’ll find out. That’s what you gotta love at the Trade Deadline, unlike the NBA Trade Deadline, blockbuster moves can either happen or not happen at any moment. I’m excited for what the next week brings us as an Indians fan because let’s think about it. If I told you Michael Brantley would be out for most of the season, Tyler Naquin emerges as a potential star and not only would you be in 1st Place, but on the minds of many National media analysts a World Series contender, would you believe me? Let’s be honest… no you wouldn’t. Enjoy this ride and get out to the ballpark when the Indians come back home!