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July 23, 2015Carlos Carrasco is the latest Cleveland Indian to see his name floated on the trade market, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports is reporting that the Cleveland Indians have been listening to offers for their starting pitchers. He goes on to state that conversations centered around Carlos Carrasco have been had between the Indians and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Sources: Cleveland has been willing to listen on pitching, particularly Carlos Carrasco. May be a match there with Toronto. They've talked.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 23, 2015
Passan went on to further make note of Toronto’s well-regarded farm system and noted several prospects that might be bait for such a trade.
Jays have lots of pieces that could be of interest: Jeff Hoffman, Daniel Norris, Dalton Pompey, Anthony Alford and more. Enough to go big.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 23, 2015
Even if true, it could be a case of the Indians simply picking up the phone to listen. Indians GM Chris Antonetti told NEOMG’s Paul Hoynes earlier this week that the team would be opportunistic on the trade front, but he also hedged his words.
“There is a lot of interest in a lot of our players,” said Antonetti.
For those seeking one of the Tribe’s front-line starting pitchers, the conversation is short.
“We are not motivated at all to do that,” said Antonetti.
The struggles (both inside and outside of the ballpark) that Carlos Carrasco has overcome in the past calendar year to become one of the premier pitchers in MLB have been well-documented. It would seem odd for the Indians to trade away such talent unless they received a Colon-esque bounty in return.
However, with the sheer amount of rumors, it seems as though the Indians have been looking to be more sellers than buyers on the trade market thus far. Trading Carrasco to a team that the Tribe is competing for the final wild card spot in the American League would certainly be a sign of being sellers. At the very least, the Indians seem to be listening more than calling.
Carrasco now joins third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, right fielder Brandon Moss, shortstop Jose Ramirez, and platoon outfielders Ryan Raburn and David Murphy as players being linked to trade rumors heading up to the July 31 deadline.
Update
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports confirms the Jeff Passan report. Rosenthal and Passan have been on top of MLB rumors to this point, so the odds are that some form of conversation has been had at this point.
Sources confirm that #BlueJays have spoken to #Indians about Carrasco, as first reported by @jeffpassan. Would take quite a haul to get him.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 23, 2015
12 Comments
This is the tough part of trying to improve a team in order to get you have to give. Personally I’m leaning towards not breaking up the starting four of Kluber, Carrasco, Bauer and Salazar instead I’d prefer to trade fringe players and just play out the season. I never expected a magic bullet trade but as of July 22, 2015 it’s clear the batting lineup needs help. I would also include Cody Anderson as well as any reliever not named Cody Allen on my list of potential Indians available.
I’d only trade one of them if the return was a proven MLB baseballer who could play tomorrow and was of comparable value (just at the plate rather than on the mound). Do not trade an actual contributing player for prospects.
Certainly not the four starters I listed but just about anyone else I’d listen even if it was a AAA prospect as long as that AAA prospect showed some kind of bat.
Disappointing as this year has been, the Indians believe they have a contention window over the next 2-4 years and there are no blue chip pitching prospects in our system above A ball. I think somebody would have to really blow them away with an offer in order to give up one of our starting pitchers, although Toronto is one of the few teams who may have the resources to do that and the willingness to give them up for a shot right now.
Cookie is on an EXTREMELY team friendly deal. He’s 28 and the team has him locked up for 5 more years on a deal that tops out at <$10M in the second option year.
I don’t think we’re out of it yet so I’d rather not trade anyone on the ML roster unless it was for someone who can help this team now. Ramirez? Pretty much the same thing. I’d be okay with prospects if the return was right. Chisenhall? Sure, fine. I’ll take whatever.
I agree which is why I said I wouldn’t want to trade any of the starting pitchers. Ideally I’d like to see a couple minor leaguers used to help improve the major league club. Even minor deals. Just show us something. Talk is cheap.
“Jays have spoken to” and “discussed” are two completely different things.
Jays GM: Hey Chris, what do you want for Carrasco?
Antonetti: Bautista.
Jays GM: (hangs up) Well, we spoke to them!
Agreed…..
At this point just finish the season. There are to many “holes” to fill that just one player is not going to change. If Dolan buys stock in Sugardale and a fire works company he may come out showing a slight profit.
This makes no sense: 1) Carrasco is fairly young, has electric stuff and for a full year has pitched like the front of rotation guy thy envisioned; 2) He seems to have finally matured here, even shown toughness, like after he was nailed in the face and when he lost the no-hitter; 3) They have him locked up for prime years on a wonderful team-friendly contract.
Carrasco is Antonetti’s wet dream of a player, what he prayed the guy would turn into and now under long-term team control. Why would they now chuck him now for a few promising guys in the hope they’d hit paydirt with one or two of those in a few years? Seems like nonsense.
One good power hitter could make a big difference. Come on try harder to get one.
Other than Kipnis and Brantley, all we have are “fringe” players. Antonetti is the one that should be traded…Hey, maybe Toronto has another “solid defensive” minor league banjo hitter for Carasco…,Seems we’re stock-piling them these days. Maybe as a bonus, even one recovering from potential career-altering surgery? Then we can take all that cash we save from Carrasco’s team-friendly contract and shell it out to another aging free agent bust…. eeeerrrrr, strategic free agent signing like Nick Swisher, Michael Bourne, Brandon Moss or Gavin Floyd. Didn’t Antonetti learn anything from the brief glory days of the mid-90’s? Keep a young core together, lock ’em up for their prime years, and re-stock build from a stable minor league system? Murphy was one of only 3 Indians that could hit over .250 (a .276 career hitter at <$6 mil/yr w/ at least 3 good years left, I might add)… and they fire sale him for who? Nice to see we have another GM from the Frank Lane School of Pathetic Trades.