Cleveland Indians: Outfielders for the Tribe to potentially target

We draw closer to the trade deadline and the Cleveland Indians still have a need to fill. Which outfielders look the most enticing for the Tribe to move on.

It’s quite the conundrum for the Cleveland Indians. Now that they’ve seemingly resolved their bullpen issue for the time being, they still have to deal with their outfield. Lonnie Chisenhall will remain on the DL for quite some time and Bradley Zimmer is out until next year.

Short-term the Indians can find help for the outfield this year. But there is still the impending free-agency of All-Star Michael Brantley after this year. He will undoubtedly ask for more money after a fully healthy and impressive season.

The Indians still have Tyler Naquin, Brandon Guyer, Rajai Davis, among others circling Triple-A Columbus. But they need depth. Wether that depth will help them temporarily or for a few more years to come remains to be seen. But the Indians are likely to make a move before all is said and done. We take a look at who they might make a move for.

Avisail Garcia

Avisail Garcia is an interesting prospect to look at. He has played under 20 games since his first DL stint in April, but he is still an attractive name. Garcia has had an extremely impressive season when healthy.

In just 36 games he has 10 homers and 20 RBIs. Garcia also has a .281 batting average and a .783 slugging percentage since his last DL stint. The injury history means that Garcia may come at a discounted price. He had an All-Star season last year and his recent play shows that he is capable of that again.

Garcia is eligible for arbitration next season and is a free agent in 2020. The question is, do the Indians want a short-term solution with some concern for injury risk. The whole reason they would make a trade is to solve those two issues with their current roster.

Adam Jones

Adam Jones is one of the more popular names on the trade market. He would be a short-term rental piece for the Tribe given his impending free-agency. Still the Indians are no strangers to signing veterans for a short-term stint. Most recently the Indians traded for Jay Bruce to give their offense a boost last season.

Jones’ production is slightly down from last season but he is still a threat that can be places in the middle to the bottom of the order. He has a .277/.303/.425 slash line. It’s not something that will blow you away but it’s an improvement over some of the Indians current centerfield alternatives.

Given his age, production, and contract situation; the Tribe may not have to give up much for Adam Jones. Fans seem to think he would be the most viable solution, but there are still better options out there.

Nicholas Castellanos

It would be a pipe dream for the Cleveland Indians to acquire Nicholas Castellanos but it’s not too farfetched. Castellanos is in the middle of a career year. The problem is, he is stuck on a rebuilding Detroit Tigers club.

This Tigers rebuild is set to last a few more years. Castellanos’ contract is up after the 2019 season, meaning they really won’t have much use for him as they still rebuild. Why not take advantage of his huge season and try to net a larger return?

If you’re Detroit, the prospect of sending him to Cleveland may not be the most attractive move, but the Indians just traded away their top prospect. They’ve shown they’re willing to go all-in to keep themselves in contention for the next few seasons.

His .304 batting average and ..869 OPS would be a huge boost for this Tribe lineup. The idea of being able to keep him until 2020 must also be attractive for the Indians.

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There are several other suitors out there for the Indians. The Tribe front office undoubtedly has their eyes peeled already. When will they make their move? And more importantly, who will it be?