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July 21, 2015Next Up: Indians vs. Brewers at Miller Park
July 21, 2015It would appear that the rest of the baseball world is considering the Cleveland Indians’ front office sellers as the league’s trade deadline nears. On Monday, it was a FOX Sports speculating about Brandon Moss; today, it’s Joel Sherman of the NY Post who thinks that the New York Mets could be targeting the other two Tribe right fielders.
A name to keep in mind with the Mets is Ryan Raburn.
When Raburn was last a free agent – after the 2012 season – the Mets finished as the runners-up to the Indians to sign the righty swinger, who received a minor league deal that paid him $1 million in the majors. The Indians then extended Raburn in August 2013 for two years at $4.85 million that includes a $3 million option for 2016.
Cleveland could move two supplementary bats that could tempt the Mets – Raburn and lefty-swinging outfielder David Murphy – and is looking to get young bats in return. The Mets probably wouldn’t give up Brandon Nimmo for complementary hitters, but perhaps minor league infielders Gavin Cecchini or Matt Reynolds (only the disabled list at Triple-A with an elbow strain) could be alluring.
Now, much like the FOX Sports piece, this sounds an awful lot like speculation from an otherwise national columnist. This said, the pieces line up—Mets history of interest, their need for veteran bats—and New York is desperate for some power against left-handed pitching. If the Tribe were to green light this deal, Cecchini, a shortstop, started the season as New York’s No. 10 prospect and is currently hitting .301/.364/.435 in Double-A Binghamton. A bonus for New York: Both Raburn and Murphy have taken the bump this season and could provide some relief innings behind their young starting rotation.
Reports out of Cleveland state that the Indians have no plans on trading any of their starting pitchers (considered to be a position of strength), but GM Chris Antonetti stated that there is plenty of league-wide interest in several members of the Indians. With the team struggling at a frustrating level, other teams are hoping to be opportunistic in prying one or more of them away. The team appears to feel that they’re still in contention to make the postseason despite their current fourth-place standing in the AL Central, trailing Kansas City Royals by 11 games. What they do at the deadline, however, will show just how confident they are.
1 Comment
Maybe if Indians trade them both they can get AA prospect instead of just a A prospect!!!