Yankees: 3 Francisco Lindor trades Indians should say yes to
By Adam Weinrib
2. Yankees Overwhelm Indians With Prospect Wave
Our *best* prospects? Nah, you’re not getting those. Please accept a few lower-tier Yankees prospects.
Unless the Indians intend to break rank and absolve the Yankees of a salary impediment for 2021 (Adam Ottavino?), then they’re going to have to adjust to the relative impressiveness of these trade packages decreasing.
That whole “salary match” thing isn’t happening. The Tribe refused to pay even $10 million for one of the top closers in the game in Brad Hand. They already tipped their hand on this one.
And so, with no financial incentive lingering on the other side, why would anyone attempt to deal with the Indians in good faith? They’re going to have to wade through a few packages at first that include less impressive names, hoping they’ll eventually get to the meat that might never come.
What about righty Luis Medina (No. 11), righty Miguel Yajure (No. 15) and infielder Ezequiel Duran (No. 27)? This falls right in the meaty “Your Trade Proposal Sucks” zone (Why, on the surface, would Cleveland say yes to this?) until you realize that this might be among the best they get. Yajure is high floor, Medina is high ceiling, and Duran is a middle-infield wild card.
Want to upgrade it a little bit? Swap in Luis Gil (No. 5) for Medina if you need to, but don’t go much higher. Perhaps shortstop Oswaldo Peraza (No. 4) joins the package, and Duran gets replaced with a non-top-30 pitcher. The Indians have backed themselves into a corner here; either embrace the Yankees’ wave, or embrace someone else’s. Nobody’s going to bend much.