The Indians are already drawing trade calls on Shin-Soo Choo, Justin Masterson, Chris Perez, and Asdrubal Cabrera according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. GM Chris Antonetti acknowledged that they will listen to offers for those four and others.
"I'm not looking to move those guys,'' said the GM. "But we have to be open-minded.''
The 30-year-old Choo will be a free agent after next season, but he needs to play for his new team all season for them to be eligible to receive draft pick compensation next winter. Heyman speculates that outfield-needy teams like the Yankees, Pirates, Red Sox, Tigers, and Phillies could be in the mix. The 26-year-old Cabrera should be a hot commodity given the dearth of quality free agent middle infielders.
Masterson, 27, figures to draw a ton of interest as a workhorse starter who is one year removed from a 3.21 ERA in over 210 innings. It's been speculated that his former team, the Red Sox, could have interest in bringing him back. The 27-year-old Perez might have talked his way out of Cleveland with some late-season comments. Mark Polishuk analyzed his trade stock in September.
Matt Swartz projects Choo to earn $7.9MM through arbitration next season before becoming a free agent. Masterson and Perez are under team control through 2014 and project to earn $5.7MM and $7.2MM through arbitration next season, respectively. Cabrera is under contract through 2014 and will earn $6.5MM next year and $10MM the year after.
Too bad were in the same division. Choo would really fit nicely into the Tigers rf and batting 2nd
Give us back V-Mart and a couple of major league ready prospects and we’ll talk
for a Boras client with one year remaining on his deal? surely you jest…
eh, I really liked Victor when he was in Cleveland, but Detroit can keep him. He has become quite fragile over the years, and his offensive production at 1B/DH wouldn’t be hard to find elsewhere.
That’s a bit steep I think on an expiring contract. Granted, I’d expect it’d be a bit more expensive being in the division
Who wants Masterson the most.. His former pitching coach or his manager? Going to be very interesting to see if Farrell can convince Cherrington to give up the pieces to acquire one of his favorites and if Francona will have a hissy if Cleveland does actually give him up.
I don’t think the Indians are going to trade Masterson. His value is pretty low right now, with several more years of team control. Unless the proposal is amazing, I would hang on to him.
Agree. He had a pretty bad year, which ended up being very similiar to most of his previous seasons except 2011. If they still believe in him they should keep him, and let him rebuild value. No point trading a guy coming off a 4.90 era year unless you get what you really believe is true value for him.
Choo, Masterson, and Perez for Lutz, Mejia and Tapia
maybe just Lutz and Tapia not Mejia
Yankees should replace Swisher with Choo
Red sox go after asdrubel and masterson. They trade iglesias bard sweeny and a prospect not named bradley or bogarts
You beleive in Miracles???
I can dream right…. iean the indians have given away better talent for less. Maybe one more time a lapse in judgement. Id really like tge middle infield of pedy and asdrubel.
Do you want to expand on this? given better talent for less? The Shapiro and Antonetti years have been pretty good as far as trades.
They got what brantley for cc and marson and knapp for cliff lee? The vmart deal was solid. But come on not a stellar return for cy young winners. Also look at ubaldo deal. Gave up alot for a 5 era guy
C.C. deal was solid at the time. Laporta didn’t pan out. Lee was a so-so deal. However, those 2 guys were 3 months away from FA.
As for Ubaldo, they did give up a lot, but Ubaldo just finished a 2.88ERA at Coors with very peripheral. Also, Ubaldo was not even close to FA.
Pomeranz and White did’t do much this year either…. Thats why it is a wash so far.
Shapiro has basically rode his whole career on the Bartolo Colon for Sizemore, Lee, and Brandon Phillips trade. It was a brilliant trade, but he was trading with a team that was looking to contend in the face of contraction (Expos). His followup trades have turned out less than good overall. The CC trade didn’t look bad at the time because LaPorta was so highly touted, but once he went down in flames, the trade looked really bad really quick. The Cliff Lee trade was a waste from the day it was made. Antonetti’s first big trade so far has been a wash. Ubaldo, Pomeranz, and White are all still pretty young so it could still go either way.
Great, now I’m going to have that Hot Chocolate song in my head all day.
Wonder what will be the price for Choo. Any team has to view him as a 1-year player. Boras will not negotiate a new contract before he hit FA.
I wonder what it would take for the Brewers to get Masterson? We need the rotation help if re-signing Greinke is a long shot.
IDK that the Brewers really covet Masterson. There is a pretty decent fit from the standpoint of prospects and ML young vets that could be part of a trade between the two teams. Who might the Brewers view as expendable?..
Materson for webster? Sox get there #3
No thanks. I think most Sox fans will agree we would rather see what he turns in to rather than trade for a middle of the rotation guy.
The Sox HOPE Webster is as good as Masterson in the near future. Their pitching profiles are strikingly similar……
Masterson is better now. Webster in the future? It all depends on the vision of the FO.
Try Webster plus much more. Masterson may not have had a stellar season last year but the Indians are not going to give him away.
Here’s a good 3-way trade idea
Indians get:
Randall Delgado – RHP
Tyler Pastornicky – SS
Joey Terdoslavich – 1B
Zeke Spruill – RHP
Diamondbacks get:
Asdrubal Cabrera – SS
Eric O’Flaherty – LHP
Braves get:
Justin Upton
That’s an interesting proposal. I could see ATL and Cleveland matching up well without the third team. Interesting proposal nonetheless.
Usually it is very hard to come up with decent 3-way trade proposals but yours comes close. Just replace hitting prospects with someone better.
Pastornicky could be a really good utility guy and Terdo would make a good DH/1B.
FWIW… Pastornicky is not going to be a good anything. He’s a guy that the Indians have about four of (Cord Phelps, Jason Donald, Mike Aviles, and Brett Lillibridge….all who are better now and will remain better than Pastornicky). Pastor could be replaced with a prospect from the Dbax with the Braves sending Pastor there instead. Someone like Matt Davidson or Ryan Wheeler. Joey the Terd is interesting and could be included. w/r to Zeke Spruill, I would prefer to see him replaced in this trade with Gilmartin
In this scenario, the Indians don’t get enough high-end pitching for Cabrera; that’s what this organization needs most. The price for Asdrubal has to include two high-end pitching prospects (one that’s nearly ML ready), and that HAS to be just the starting point. He’s just 26 years old, a two -time All Star, plays a premium position, AND he’s under team control for (i think) another three years.
The return needs to be pretty massive for the Indians to deal him…..
Dan Uggla was an all-star so that’s not saying much and Randall Delgado is a very good pitching prospect and Zeke Spruill is a B type prospect so I really don’t think you’ll get two premium prospects for him but you never know.
I say Braves also get Kipnis put Aviles at SS and Pastornicky at 2B
Just no…
No way. Kipnis HAS to be part of Cleveland’s future. Unless he gets a MASSIVE return, it would be a terrible idea to get rid of him while his upside is still so high.
the Indians dont need another SS in the minors, they already have the 2nd best prospect in all of baseball, behind Profar. Also, 1B/DH guys are a dime a dozen. Indians are giving up quite a bit in Cabrera for a guy they dont need, and the kind of guy you can find anywhere else.
Not trying to short change Lindor but I’d say Bundy and Myers are ahead of him especially cuz they’re practically big league ready while Lindor is atleast a year or 2 away. But you’re somewhat right saying they don’t need Pastornicky because he’s still a work in progress at the Major League as well so can’t even be viewed as a stop gap option. Terdo is just a meh minor leaguer who doesnt project to be anything special with some offensive upside but, as you stated, at a position that already has a lot of depth. So while I initially thought this was a good trade in terms of value, you’ve correctly pointed out it does not necessarily meet many of the Indians needs.
You are correct, Bundy and Myers (I’m really looking forward to seeing him roam the OF at Kauffman Stadium this year) are definitely ahead of Lindor. What I meant and what I wrote were two different things. I meant that Lindor was the 2nd best SS prospect behind Profar.
No way the Dbacks do this…Cabrera only has 2 years left at $16.5 million and E OF is in his last year of control and will get about $4 million via arbitration.
No way do they trade 3 years of Upton for 2 yeas of Cabrera and 1 year of E OF
Masterson/Choo or Masterson/Cabrera to Boston, what’s the price? Cleveland has some good SS prospects and have just acquired Aviles who could do well in holding the position down for a year or two. Anyways, let me know who you guys think would be headed to Cleveland in such a proposal.
The Sox might, emphasis on might, have the juice to get one of those 3 without giving up one of our top 3 prospects, especially if the Indians are a fan of Aceves. However getting 2 of them, I don’t see how the package wouldn’t start with Barmes or Bradley.
Good point. Trades would be the ideal way to help improve this team, but at Barnes or Bradley for anyone, no thanks. Cherington is really going to have to really dig deep and find some trade gems this offseason. Maybe Morneau if Minnesota makes him available? As for pitching, unless there is an ace, I don’t see anyone worth giving up prospects for.
Cherrington picked up Webster from LA that I think should be moved while his selling point is still high and Boston has depth at 3b with Cecchini. That is 2 BA Top 100 prospects that would be considered “depth” and expendable, while hanging onto Barnes, Bradley and Bogaerts.
Then they still could move Workman and Britton as well if they chose. BOTH of those would easily be top 3-5 in many systems around the league.
They have depth that *could* be moved, just hope not more than 2, maybe 3 at the very most are moved.
I think Choo could be had without a top 3 prospect and Masterson too. Of course Cabrera has the most value and would probally require a top 3 prospect in return. Getting all three would put the red sox farm system back big time so i doubt they would do that. I would assume Cleveland would want Bradley, Barnes, and anohter low level prospect for all 3 but maybe im wrong.
” I would assume Cleveland would want Bradley, Barnes, and anohter low level prospect for all 3 but maybe im wrong.”
Not gonna’ happen.
i dont think it would happen either. I would imagine that bradley,bogartes, and barnes are off limits for anyone but a top 5 starting pitcher like King Felix
Really, you think it’s going to take two top prospects, and a low level one for 3 Major Leaguers, one of which is an AS, the other a 5 tool outfielder and the last a workhorse pitcher that is hard to come by in the league and is in very high demand… Back to the drawing board.
I would should have said multiple low level prospects and clarify by low level i mean guys in A ball such as recent draft picks. However I think you are overestimating the value of the three guys. Cabrera on two years is little value for the Indians as they will not be contending those two years, choo on one year is even less value and he is not a 5 tool outfielder, and masterson is coming off a year with an era plus 5. the indians are not going to get 5 top level prospects for those 3 guys.
You’ve definitely improved the trade scenario with multiple low level prospects, probably just 1 or 2 but you’re going to have to include some Major leaguers in the return as well. The Indians aren’t going to decimate their entire team without a product to even put on the field next year. They will have holes in the OF, so maybe whoever is your 4th OF, and Bard could be added into the trade. That seems better to me. And I’m not overestimating the value of them, its just the Tribe need to put butts in the seats over at Progressive field so that’s what I was mainly concerned with, and that wouldnt be possible if they had such a shell of team compared to last year.
Some of these salaries are ridiculous.
Man, the Jays could really use Cabrera and Choo…
I love all the Jays fans on here!!! Shows there really is a deep seeded interest building for this team although as things stand right now, its not lookin to good for them next year, but still… Eventually we will compete and will be a force to reckon with!
The only way it won’t be good is if Jays don’t acquire good pitching. I am not saying Greinke and Anibal. But if Anibal and Dempter (big IF), rotation would be in decent shape. I think the offence is good. Could use an upgrade at LF, but its good as it is.
Jays and Indians would match up well. The Jays have a pretty good group of young and talent players and would be able to provide some “stop gap” insurance (read: Yunel Escobar) if they were to send Asdrubal north of the border.
Wouldn’t Aviles be a stopgap player until Lindor is close? I wouldn’t be looking to trade Cabrera in a package that includes a stopgap player until Lindor arrives. I’m not sure who is in the Jays farm system, so what would be reasonable?
Jays need pitching and more pitching. Then worry about other positions…
Thats for sure but that can be acquired through FA, these guys would be nice to get in a trade to fill the other holes in our lineup
Man, the could really use Cabrera and Choo.
Of all these guys, Masterson is the one I feel like we should hold on to. I really think the addition of Terry Francona will help Masterson, enough to keep him in at least. Choo is gone after this year anyway, Perez hates the city and organization, and Lindor is going to be replace Cabrera in a few years anyway. Use Aviles as the stopgap this year and try to get some good pieces for these guys while we still can.
I would love for the Pirates to get Cabrera or Choo, especially Choo. I think they could come up with an interesting prospect package for either of them.
If they throw Taillon in a deal, they may be able to get it done and I think I’d be fine with that. I know Choo is a Boras client but I’d love for him to sign a new contract upon the trade so he’s not just a rental. Maybe something like 4/60 will get it done.
If the Red Sox make any trades right now I think it should be ones they can make either with current major leaguers or without any of their top prospects. I think this team’s long term success depends on their prospects, and trading them for short term success will hurt them significantly in the long run.
The few possible exceptions to this would be trades for young major leaguers – specifically ones with several years of control left.
Right now the Indians need at least 1-2 starting pitchers (before possibly trading masterson), Another OF even before Choo is dealt and a 1b/DH type. I really see them trading Perez, Cabrera and Choo. Cabrera and Perez will probably bring the most back in return due to team control, recent play, etc. With Choo being a Boras client, may not be able to bring a major league ready prospect in return unless a team feels that he would be the piece to make them a series contender this year. I am thinking 2 AA prospects and an A prospect at best for him. Then maybe the Indians can trade Perez for a SP/OF and Cabrera for the same. The DH type can come from free
agency. Also, I’d love if the Indians actually spent some money this offseason since they have over 20 million coming off the books with Grady, Hafner, and Carmona (whatever he calls himself now). Plus Hanahan may not be back so theres another 2 mil plus. Factor in the savings from trading the others and one can hope for some actual, decent spending…
I’d love to see the M’s get Choo. He should be worth $5-8 million more in win value than he’ll be paid, so that’s a decent but not great prospect. Since there’s no guarantee he signs he has to be viewed as a one year player — but if he performs as expected he’ll probably get a qualifying offer and be worth draft compensation.
I bet someone overpays for him and puts him out of the range of how much talent the M’s would want to give up. The M’s have holes everywhere and shouldn’t give up talent for short-term rentals at this point. I might let Wilhelmsen go for Choo since relievers are so unpredictable.
I know they’d never trade him in the division, but Asdrubal would look great playing SS and batting 2nd for the Tigers. Of course, it would probably take Castellanos, Rondon, and at least one ML ready starter.