Padres and Indians Make Likely Trade Partners
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On Wednesday, Jon Morosi reported that the Padres and Indians are once again talking trade. The two sides are an excellent match for a potential deal, so let’s explore a little more about the possibility of a transaction in the coming weeks.
It is no secret that the San Diego Padres are in need of starting pitching.
Rumors of Noah Syndergaard have died down, as the Mets seem content on going for it all in 2019. The asking price clearly is not what the Padres are willing to pay or the two sides would have certainly completed a trade a few weeks back when the teams were face to face at the winter meetings.
With that, it is time for the Padres to change gears.
In recent weeks and days, the Padres have reportedly turned their focus to Marcus Stroman of the Blue Jays and the group of Cleveland Indians’ starting pitchers that could be made available by the Tribe. Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber seem to be the best fit for the youthful Padres in their search for front-end starters. There were some whispers of the Padres interest in Bauer, but the Kluber talk has picked up steam in the last week.
Corey Kluber would be an amazing acquisition by the Padres, as he is a true ace. There are only a handful of pitchers who can be confidently categorized as an ace, and the two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher is clearly one of them. At 33 years of age, Kluber is in his prime right now. He would give the Padres instant credibility and do wonders for the fan base and their cries for ownership to go the extra mile.
Jon Morosi is reporting that the two sides have talked and he even mentioned a package of players that could be involved.
Sources: #Padres, #Indians having discussions about possible Corey Kluber trade. MLB-level players (one or more of Margot, Renfroe, Hedges) could be key to deal. Story: https://t.co/GDEoYIkEfh @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 26, 2018
What the Padres want
Pitching, pitching, pitching. The San Diego Padres need starting pitching, and that is exactly what the Indians have an excess of. Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, Shane Bieber, Mike Clevinger, Adam Plutko, and Danny Salazar all are capable of being serviceable major league pitchers. That’s seven hurlers for five spots, and that is not counting spring training invites or young prospects in their system.
Kluber is the main interest currently to the Padres as he is under control for the next three seasons at a reasonable rate ($52.5 million). His age is a bit of a concern, but the right-handed pitcher has been extremely durable and should have no issues continuing that trend. The Indians are only considering dealing him as they are under a certain financial crunch. They also have plenty of young pitchers who could potentially step in. Kluber could be attained. But a team MUST meet the lofty asking price.
What the Indians want
The Indians need outfield help, and the Padres have several options for the Tribe, depending on what they are looking for. Cleveland needs a center fielder badly, and Manuel Margot has been mentioned as a possible player that could be of interest to the Indians. That would be a tough loss for the Padres, but when you talk about the possibility of bringing in an ace pitcher, you will need to trade players that are painful to lose.
Hunter Renfroe and Franmil Reyes would also be of great interest to the Indians. Cleveland really does need outfielders and would probably only deal Kluber for at least a few players that are major league-ready and not due a ton of money. That rules out Wil Myers as he is still due $74 million for the next four years. The Padres could also upgrade the Indians with bullpen help as the Friars have one of the best groups in all of baseball. Then there are the pitching prospects that would most certainly be a part of a potential deal. San Diego has several players that could easily entice the Indians to look toward the future while upgrading the offense presently.
The verdict
These two teams match up extremely well in a potential deal. The Padres and Indians worked together recently on a deal (Brad Hand trade) so you know both general managers are comfortable with one another. The Padres need pitching, the Indians need outfield help, and could also be upgraded multiple ways by San Diego. All this adds up, but that does not guarantee a deal is consummated.
If Cleveland really wants to part with Kluber and acquire multiple players in return, then the Padres could be their perfect trade partner. A.J. Preller is at a point where some prospects should probably be flipped for proven talent. The Padres’ front office has had ample time to evaluate some of these young men, and the next step in the process is coming. There should be some trades coming as the Padres structure their team for 2019 and beyond.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.
This is interesting news of course.
On one hand it’s always good to acquire actual, above average MLers, especially if the cost is players who don’t seem to be part of the future.
On the other hand, I don’t trust this front office to make that judgment. Hedges already seems useful, and Margot is still only 24. Not to say he has hasn’t failed to meet expectations, because he has, but players at 24 still have potential to improve. Whereas Renfroe, 27 in January, is not in the same category.
That would be a horribly stupid trade on the Padres part. You don’t trade for a 33 year old ace, even if he is one of the ten best pitchers in the game, when you’re still at least two years away from legitimately contending for a WS championship.
It’s a good article, thank you.
I really like the thought of Kluber in the Padres rotation.
My issue, he is 33 in the coming season and he has pitched 200+ innings each of the past 5 seasons.
In today’s “max effort each pitch” era, how many more seasons can he really pitch at an elite level?
Will that number of seasons line up with Padres contention window?
Also, ask yourself, an ace pitcher like Kluber who is signed to a reasonable contract, why would the Indians give him up at all if they’ve already freed up sufficient payroll (such as the Indians earlier trades).
Do they have the same thoughts and are thinking sell now while the trade price is at a premium (most likely yes)??
Even if he puts up a couple Cy Young seasons for the Friars, is that enough for 2019 or 2020 to put the Padres in the playoffs??
If (and its a big IF) the Padres can fill the void of those departing to Cleveland sufficiently, then maybe its ok and we just absorb those losses. Just think at this point it could be a mistake to give up on Renfroe and Hedges this early in there careers.
Id love this trade for the simple fact we’re relieving some clutter. Trade margot+OF and hopefully not a top 10 prospect with them lol