Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is nothing if not stealthy, which means we can assume that many of his trade deadline targets are players whose identities we will not guess. But if we’re trying to hone in on where the Yanks could go for a big, sexy, moonshot trade -- well, we should train our gaze on the city of Cleveland.
With a week to go before the trade deadline, Cashman is looking for pitching, according to league sources (and per his usual M.O. in recent years). He has already been in touch with the Indians, per sources -- which is hardly a surprise given the strong relationship between the clubs.
The Indians are contenders, but that doesn’t mean they won’t trade top-shelf pitcher Mike Clevinger. First of all, Clevinger has two years of team control after 2020, and is becoming more expensive in salary arbitration. The Indians tend to develop an embarrassment of pitching riches and flip guys once they draw closer to free agency.
Second of all, the Indians aren’t even using Clevinger at the moment. Both he and rotation mate Zach Plesac remain in alternative site purgatory after violating health and safety protocols. The Athletic reported on Monday that the Indians are more likely to move Clevinger than the younger Plesac, which fits their business model.
Clevinger, 29, has achieved high-end results by inducing weak contact and swings and misses, despite below-average spin on his pitches. As with the currently sidelined James Paxton, who Clevinger could essentially replace next year, injuries are at least a recurring theme, if not a concern. His most recent issue came in the offseason, when he underwent knee surgery.
The Indians also, of course, have an all-world shortstop in Francisco Lindor. For several years we’ve talked about Lindor as a future Yankee target, whether via trade or free agency. At the moment, industry sources don’t expect Lindor to be available until the offseason.
Two truths about Gleyber Torres have helped to revive speculation about Lindor and the Yankees: One, he hasn’t looked like a long-term solution at shortstop, and two, he’s currently on the injured list with two separate leg injuries. The latter makes you wonder if the Yanks will look for deadline middle infield help with higher ceilings than Tyler Wade and Thairo Estrada.
More broadly, the Yankees still need to figure out the future of the shortstop position. They had hoped that positioning would help make up for Torres’ lack of range, but other issues have emerged, including throwing. When Torres went on the IL, he led all shortstops with five errors.
Other more subtle issues have emerged, too. Whether it’s a matter of instincts or focus, Torres has shown a lack of communication at times with second baseman DJ LeMahieu, not always covering the bag when he should.
Torres remains a core player for the Yankees, but probably at another infield position before too many more years pass. That was the longtime projection anyway, even when he played shortstop in the minor leagues.
Despite all that, it’s more likely that Cashman will address pitching at the deadline. He enjoys a strong relationship with Seattle Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto, who is selling rental Taijuan Walker, and might be convinced to part with controllable lefty Marco Gonzales. Boston might yet move reliever Matt Barnes (though almost certainly not shortstop Xander Bogaerts).
There are plenty of possibilities to mention, and some that we’ll later wish we had thought of. And we’re keeping one eye trained on the Cleveland Indians.