It wasn’t a splashy trade deadline for the Cleveland Indians, but since play resumed after the All Star Game, there is no question the front office tried to address the Tribe’s weaknesses.
Getting Brad Hand and Adam Cimber helped the bullpen for sure, and in fact, with Cody Allen struggling a bit, it seems like Terry Francona is reshuffling the deck with how he uses his relief corps.
Yesterday, the Tribe improved their centerfield spot by trading for Leonys Martin, getting him from Detroit for SS Willi Castro, who was playing at AA Akron.
Martin replaces Tyler Naquin, who isn’t really a centerfielder, and Greg Allen, who was being rushed to the majors. Since Naquin was getting the bulk of the playing time, the defense also gets a boost.
A left-handed hitter, Martin was batting .251 with 9 HR and 29 RBI (731 OPS) with the Tigers, but vs. right-handed pitching, he’s hitting .275 with a 783 OPS.
We say center isn’t totally improved because Martin is a platoon piece, and against lefties, Rajai Davis, with an OPS under 600 against southpaws, will still be out there.
While Martin isn’t a “big name”, he definitely improves the Cleveland roster. The acquisition reminds me of getting Brandon Guyer at the deadline in 2016. That move wasn’t greeted with enthusiasm either, but Guyer was a big factor in the Tribe’s march to game seven of the World Series.
The front office made a rare trade of minor leaguers too, getting OF Oscar Mercado from the St. Louis Cardinals for Connor Capel, who was at Lynchburg, and Jhan Torres, who is in rookie ball.
Mercado was ranked the Cardinals’ 8th best prospect by Baseball America in their mid-season prospect ratings, and the report is he has developed a short quick stroke with power. He is regarded as a very good defensive outfielder and top flight speed.
At 23 years old, he is playing at AAA Memphis, hitting .285 with 8 HR and 42 RBI (759 OPS) and 31 stolen bases.
If he doesn’t get called up before this season ends (he likely will be after September 1st), he could be a candidate for a starting job next season, particularly with Bradley Zimmer possibility out until the all star break next season with a shoulder issue.
We would have liked to see another bullpen arm, especially with Neil Ramirez leaking oil just a bit, but Andrew Miller could be back as soon as next week, and as we all know, that could be a gigantic piece if the big lefty is back to form.
And while Martin does help, it would have been nice to have an everyday guy in centerfield instead of a platoon piece. Terry Francona is a master at using the platoon advantage, but we are sure he would like to do that on a limited basis.
Right now, we still think the batting order is one hitter short of being elite. There are too many games where the bottom of the order is contributing only a couple hits. That puts a lot of pressure on the top of the order, and with Michael Brantley struggling since the break, the offense isn’t clicking.
Leonys Martin isn’t a flashy name, but he’s a solid defensive centerfielder and can be a good bat against righties.
The Indians roster is better today than they were yesterday morning. That means the front office did their job.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 