With a handful of quality position players and a starting rotation in shambles, the Cleveland Indians could find themselves at the center of trade talks during the off-season general manager meetings.
CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that the Indians, represented by Chris Antonetti, have already begun receiving phone calls on four key players: Justin Masterson, Shin-Soo Choo, Asdrubal Cabrera and Chris Perez. In response, Antonetti far from slammed the door on any potential firesale:
“I’m not looking to move those guys,” Antonetti said. “But we have to be open-minded.”
Heyman lists the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the big-market New York Yankess among potential suitors for Choo; the Los Angeles Angels would “make sense” for Perez; the Red Sox and Tigers being among the teams interested in Cabrera, though Heyman does state that the shortstop would be tough to trade due to the drop-off to the recently acquired Mike Aviles.
The Indians, needing an outfielder, a starting pitcher and a first baseman, were also the subject of a recent piece by ESPN’s Buster Olney stating that the offloading of these key players would be a recommended move for the future.
[Related: Face Transplants, Rebuilds, and the Case for Trading Asdrubal Cabrera]
