Indians On The Move

The Cleveland Indians are on the move and I definitely don’t mean in the standings. The trade of Mark DeRosa has solidified that the Indians are the first official sellers in this years trade market. Yes, the Pittsburgh Pirates have made a few trades but we knew they’d sell players five years ago. So what other players can be dealt?

One popular name since Spring Training has been Cliff Lee. Last years Cy Young Award winner is still a couple years from free agency but all along we’ve known the Indians would not want to pay up when the times comes. If they were willing to dump a true ace in CC Sabathia because of money, you know Lee would follow. The question is will a move come this year?

The Indians have a club option for 2010 for only $8 million, so that’s VERY affordable for a player of that caliber. So with that being said the Indians have a little leverage should they think they can contend next season. If they feel they can then hold off till next year, although at the risk of getting lesser propspects.

I’ll say this now, no matter when they deal him they will NEVER get close to what they got for CC. Even in a contract season a team would pay for him he’s a true ace and worth every penny. Lee has proven he’s a superb pitcher but not quite as good as his numbers in 2008 would indicate.

Other players currently being shopped are Kerry Wood and Carl Pavano. Neither of these come as a surprise.

Pavano is 7-7 even with a bloated ERA of 5.36 but could still provide value to a contender. His ERA would actually be a nice 3.95 if you subtract the two starts where he gave up nine runs, one of which was his first start of the season. For any contender looking for a four or five man could easily come calling and get a player who has proven he’s still got the talent. He’d probably be even more valuable to a National League team like the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. Or maybe the Milwaukee Brewers come calling again.

Wood could provide valuable bullpen depth to one of the many teams that need it. His season hasn’t been that great, actually not that good at all. He’s got a 5.08 ERA in 32 appearances. Even so he’s a talented pitcher and for a team looking for a solid 7th or 8th inning guy he could probably help, especially if he got his act together being in a playoff race.

Victor Martinez would probably get a nice haul as well if the Indians trade him, but I truly doubt they’d let him go. I think he’d be tougher to acquire then Cliff Lee. He’s also got a club option for next season, at an affordable $7 million. Seven mil for a .300+ and 20 home run hitter is pretty damn good so why would they let that go? Another thing, he’s a fan favorite in Cleveland and I’m sure their fans wouldn’t take a trade kindly. Am I right there Paneech??

There’s one other player that could be moved this July, Jhonny Peralta. This is the guy I’d think is the most likely to be moved. He’s only an average hitter but could be very valuable for a contender, either starting or off the bench. Any team who needs a short stop would definitely have to consider him. Can someone say the Boston Red Sox?

Yea they’ve got Nick Green starting, but do you really think he’ll hold up over the course of a season? He’s out-hitting Jhonny now, but once again do you think that will carry on? He’s been good so far but there is a reason he is a career bench player. For a team like the Sox, Peralta could bring even more veteran leadership to a perennial contender.

So yea for the Indians and their fans there isn’t much to look forward to. The rest of this year is a wash and possibly even 2010. But all of these guys mentioned could definitely help get this team ready for a future run. A few solid prospects for Lee and Victor, added on to the ones acquired for CC would be pretty sweet.

Unfortunately for the Indians such is life in the American League Central. You get a two or three year window and then its time to retool again.

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Tags: Carl Pavano, Cleveland Indians, Cliff Lee, Kerry Wood, MLB, Victor Martinez