Cleveland Indians reportedly in trade talks with the Chicago Cubs

Reports of the Cleveland Indians shopping Danny Salazar with the Chicago Cubs continue to make waves on Day 3 of the Winter Meetings.

Early Wednesday morning, reports came out that the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs were in the middle of trade talks. The primary topic in these talks was Tribe pitcher Danny Salazar.

The Cubs are in need of a starting pitching after last year’s ace Jake Arrieta hit free agency. Jason Kipnis has also been brought up in trade talks of his own but we don’t know if it involves the Cubs.

The Indians are reportedly asking for left-handed hitters in return for Salazar. That narrows their options down to Tommy La Stella, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and Jason Heyward. Rizzo is likely off the table but the other three aren’t out of the question.

La Stella doesn’t seem like the kind of player the Indians would look at. His .288 BA and 1.1 oWAR  just doesn’t bring the offensive power the team needs. More importantly his career -8 runs saved average is disastrously low for someone who would be fighting for a spot in the lineup. It is hard to see how he is traded unless he is part of a larger package deal.

Heyward has remained a consistent hitter in recent years. His numbers don’t jump off the page at the plate but he is a strong body to have in the outfield. Heyward is a four-time Gold Glove winner and can play center and right field. Right field is a spot the Indians could be looking to fill from the outside after possibly losing Jay Bruce.

Kyle Schwarber seems to be the most intriguing move. Should he come over to the AL he would fit in at the DH spot instantly. For the Indians; however, DH is not a need as they have Edwin Encarnacion there.

Schwarber has a great bat that any team would love to utilize. The biggest area he needs to improve in is his team-high 150 strikeouts. Tribe fans remember just what Schwarber is capable of after his 2016 World Series performance.

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This is all speculation but it is worth looking at who the Indians could get from the Cubbies. More teams could call asking about Salazar, however. Especially if New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey is on the market as well. Salazar has a lot of upside, but the Indians have a packed rotation and holes to fill elsewhere.