Best Pitching Options the Cleveland Indians Could Trade For

The Indians are a few weeks away from fielding a very above-average roster.

Once Franmil Reyes and Roberto Perez return from injury, the Indians will finally have a lineup that doesn’t have any black holes. Not only will Perez’s return help the bats out, but he will also make a huge impact on a depleted rotation.

His amazing framing capabilities and way of keeping a pitcher’s tempo up are something we’ve severely missed over the past month; however, even with Perez behind the plate, there is only so much he can do to help some of these pitchers out.

With the All-Star break right around the corner, it feels like the perfect time for the Indians to be trade deadline buyers. They obviously need help anywhere that’s not third base, but today I want to talk about their most vital need, and that’s starting pitching.

Shane Bieber and Zach Plesac won’t be gone forever, but I don’t think anyone trusts the combination of Cal Quantrill, J.C. Mejia, Eli Morgan, and Sam Hentges to hold down the final two spots in the rotation.

Here’s my list of potential pitchers that will most likely be on the market when the end of July rolls around.

Never Happening Options

Max Scherzer: It’s not happening. With Scherzer on the last year of his deal, I do think he will be on the move, but the Tribe do not have the funds for this transaction. The Cubs would be the best fit for Scherzer, but I’m not sure they have the prospects to even go for him. Hopefully, he doesn’t suit up in pinstripes.

Adam Wainwright: The Cardinals should be sellers at the deadline. They don’t have too many options on players they can move, and they most likely won’t trade Wainwright, but they could get a lot for him. It’s not that I don’t think the Indians could afford Wainwright, I just think the Cardinals will be reluctant to move a pillar stone of their franchise in what could be the last year of his career.

Possible Options

Kyle Gibson: There is no better option on the market than Kyle Gibson. That’s the biggest problem for Cleveland. Every pitcher needy team would love to trade for an elite level starter like Gibson. His 4-0 record, with a 2.09 ERA, and 1.03 WHIP are all quite phenomenal. The Indians have one of the best farm systems in baseball, and if they’re going to unload some prospects, this is the by far best option to fire away on. My only concern is that the Indians will be too afraid to go all-in on Gibson when the rest of their team isn’t a true contender come October.

Matthew Boyd: Bolstering a career-best 3.44 ERA, Matthew Boyd is starting to become a surprise trade chip for Detroit. With his short track record for success, he might not be the easiest flip on the market. However, the Tigers would be insane to not move him before the trade deadline. The real question for Detroit is how willing they’d be to move a great pitcher to a division rival?

Realistic Options

Jon Gray and German Marquez: The Colorado Rockies have the two most average pitchers created sitting on the trade block. That’s why the Tribe could get them. The Rockies will most likely blow everything up at the deadline, so it shouldn’t be too hard to acquire either one of these guys. Both are somewhat similar pitchers, and I think I’d be okay with either one starting on the bump here in Cleveland. They’ve been very solid pitchers at home, but oddly enough terrible away from Coors Field. Will they throw well in a much more pitcher-friendly park? I’m not sure, but it’s definitely a risk I’d be willing to take.

Andrew Heaney: The Angels are better than everyone expected without Mike Trout. The problem with the Angels is that they’re in the middle of no man’s land. They’re in fourth place in the AL West, and it doesn’t feel like they’re catching the A’s, Astros, or any other wild card team. Not only that, but they’re very prospect needy. We could send them some low ceiling prospects and they could send us a low ceiling pitcher. Heaney’s 4.45 ERA is nothing to write home about, but he also has a 2.50 ERA in the month of June, and hopefully, he’s someone the Indians pitching coaches can mold into a solid fourth starter.

Maybe the Indians won’t be buyers at the deadline, but if they chose to, there are a few options out there that might be able to push them to the top of the AL Central.