According to Bruce Levine of CBS Sports Chicago, the Cubs and Indians have “had trade talk conversations,” and right-hander Danny Salazar’s name has come up. The Indians are reportedly asking for left-handed hitting in exchange. Levine adds that there is “nothing close at this time.”
That the Indians are willing to entertain trade scenarios involving Salazar is a bit unexpected, but makes some sense considering the depth of the team’s rotation and the 2017 emergence of Mike Clevinger as a solid starter. With Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer also in the fold, the Indians are one of very few MLB teams who have an abundance of viable major league starters.
Perhaps the bigger surprise is that the Indians are asking for lefty hitters in exchange. Based on a quick glance at the Tribe’s roster, one might guess that the Tribe would want players who hit from the right side of the plate. Their projected Opening Day lineup for 2018 (via Roster Resource) includes six players capable of hitting left-handed (switch-hitters Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez among them), while their righty options beyond Edwin Encarnacion haven’t proven themselves to be above-average hitters. If the Indians are indeed looking for a left-handed hitter, perhaps it’s an indication that trade talks for Jason Kipnis are in the more advanced stages, though that’s purely my own speculation.
It’s unclear whether the talks for Salazar came before or after the recent signing of Drew Smyly, who carries both similar upside and similar injury risk. If they came (or continued) after the Smyly signing, one might wonder whether the Cubs intend to use one of Salazar or Smyly as a bullpen arm; four rotation spots would already seem to be filled by Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana and the newly-signed Tyler Chatwood. Of course, Chicago might simply be taking a page out of the 2017 Dodgers’ book; L.A. patched together a rotation of oft-injured, high-upside starters who bounced between the rotation and the DL over the course of the season.
As for Salazar, he carries tremendous upside. The right-handed fireballer has been known to hit the high nineties on the radar gun, even touching 100 on some occasions throughout his career. He mixes in a split change which ESPN’s Mark Simon once rated as the best pitch in MLB. Salazar also routinely carries one of the best strikeout rates in baseball, and though his career 3.82 ERA doesn’t jump off the page, his 3.42 career xFIP suggests he’s been quite a bit better than that number would indicate.
Consistency and health are what hold Salazar back the most. Although he’s shown flashes of utter dominance (his first five starts back from the DL this past season come to mind), he’s never proven he can sustain his success over extended stretched of the season. As for his health, the righty has only topped 140 innings once during his major league career. He’s been through Tommy John surgery in the past, and has experienced a variety of elbow and shoulder issues in recent years.
That being said, his upside is tremendous, and if Salazar is truly available, I’d expect the Indians will field a lot of calls on him. In particular, it seems likely that the clubs interested in Matt Harvey would want to reach out to Cleveland’s front office.
zachattack
He is not that good but he is a good fit for the Cubs
LaFlamaBlanca
You should maybe actually watch the guy pitch before you open your mouth. Danny Salazar is probably one of the most devastating pitchers to face in the majors, he can consistently run it up to 97mph and has a dirty changeup. The kid is the real deal, if he could just work on having better control, he could be an ace.
Phillies7459
^^^for real, this dude could be an incredible pitcher once he reigns in his control issues. Hope he does, would love to see him reach his potential
fs54
I saw him strike out Miggy 3 times in a game when Miggy was winning MVPs. Miggy did homer off of him in 4th at bat but still striking out MVP 3 times is nothing to sneeze at.
sufferforsnakes
I remember that game!
fs54
He used to be one of favorite fantasy preseason picks but I was never able to draft him. There would always be someone who would draft him just one pick before me. I know he hasn’t had best of luck with injuries and stuff but I wish him the best and hope to see him become better and stay on the field often.
KB R.
Just because a guy has velocity doesn’t make him “great.” The dude is ALWAYS battling some nagging injury. In the 4 seasons after his debut season he has pitched in 30 games just once…. and even those 30 games still means he missed at least 2-3 starts that year. Most IP in a single season….. 185. HARDLY top end stuff. Career ERA…… 3.82. Meh. Career FIP….. 3.56….. better. Walks a decent amount of guys, but not an insane amount with his career 3.2 BB/9 rate…… but has owned a 4.1 and 3.8 BB/9 rate in each of the last two seasons….. pretty bad. BUt hey…… he strikes out a bunch of dudes and throws fast, amiright. Who cares if there are red flags everywhere around this guy. (sarcasm…. for those not following along….. bottom line Salazar is nothing special. At least nothing so special to give up one of the valuable trade chips the Cubs possess…. DEFINITELY not worth coughing up Schwarber. If they do this has been an awful off-season so far in terms of acquisitions IMO).
ray_derek
As Norm MacDonald would say, “Wait, what!???!!”
pro4pro32goathletics
Kyle Schwarber might be involved, this could be interesting.
Returnthegame
He is a sell low and a one way player… they’d have to most likely give up happ.
acarneglia
I’m waiting for my old buddy kyleschwarbersmom to comment
ABCD
You do know the Tribe will win the World Series in 2018 if the Cubs trade Kyle there? You do know if Kyle is traded that they’ll have to close off a section of the Internet to hose down my remains after I explode into bits of platelet-rich plasma.
acarneglia
I’m so glad you made it mama schwarbs
Chris Sale Amateur Tailor
it’s a sell low on both Salazar and schwarber both have tremendous upside but both have tremendous risk that’s said I don’t think that High upside high risk is what Cleveland’s looking for
howiehandles
Sell who low? They’re not going to deal Happ and Schwarber for a pitcher who has high potential but is often injured. One + others would most likely go.
Aren’t pitchers essentially one-way players too?
ckgjr30
I don’t think anyone is suggesting the Cubs would give up Happ AND Schwarber for Salazar.
I don’t understand why so many people are quick to want to try to trade Schwarber, 2017 was his first full season (due to the injury in 16′) and he’s only 24 years old!
I know he’s definitely built for a DH position, but he’s a good enough athlete, and I’ve heard he’s been working his ass off to get in shape this off-season, where he can become at least a serviceable corner outfielder. His bat will come back and he’s going to hit his prime and be a MONSTER in Wrigley.
The Cubs would be wise to hold on to him, although I get having Happ and Schwarber might be too similar of players that could be a liability, which makes me think Schwarber has the better long term future, and I’d consider giving up Happ for a top notch starter (not sure Salazar is that guy though).
KB R.
Salazar is no prize himself…… unless you really value pitchers constantly on the DL and have control issues when healthy.
anthony1-13
He is definitely not involved
simschifan
Cue the they can have Jason Heyward comments
Sheep8
They can have Jason Heyward!
Caseys Partner
The report said Cleveland was looking for LH __hitters__.
joparx
Heyward is left handed, I don’t really consider him a hitter though, more like a left handed out
Caseys Partner
Duhhhhhh!
jose carlos
This should be more of a necessity for the Red Sox now that they need more of a good right-hand pitcher to confront the Yankees power righthand batters. Could they consider a straight-up Salazar for JBJ?
Mattimeo09
Indians don’t need a great fielder with a weak bat. They’ve already got Bradley Zimmer
Michael Chaney
Weak bat?
CubsRebsSaints
The arm just seems riskier than the bat. But I dunno
desertbull
Maybe his long term future is as closer?
50-60 innings per season might allow him to stay healthy.
fs54
Instead of a closer, he would be better served as a Miller type reliever. But he has immense potential as a starter. Whoever gets him will try him as starter and they should.
Vizquel13
JBJ is a good player but the fact is pitching is more valuable than hitting right now, classic supply and demand problem. The Indians will want more than JBJ for Salazar even though Bradley would be a perfect fit in Cleveland.
prich
Anyone know how many years of control Salazar has? Wonder why Cleveland wants to get rid of such a good young arm, when they can just trade minor leaguers.
majorflaw
He is 28 and has a career WHIP >1.2. That is neither young nor good.
Ry.the.Stunner
He’s 27. I would consider that young. Not young young like “fresh out of the draft”, young, but it’s approaching prime territory.
He’s not a free agent until 2021, so so he has four more years of control.
fs54
Isn’t it 3 years? 18, 19, 20 and free agent after 2020?
Wainofan
Cubs should give up schwarber, Russell, Baez, happ, almora and caratini for Salazar
simschifan
The Indians hang up if it doesn’t start with Bryant
JKB 2
Good luck getting Bryant genius
walterfranciswhite
Oh boy
simschifan
You’re not great with sarcasm are you?
Cubsfan0331
It’s clearly a joke
tylerall5
It’s obvious sarcasm.
Cubbie75
seriously, people say such dumb things it’s hard to tell what’s sarcasm and what’s real anymore.
simschifan
Yes like they should trade half the team and close to 100 Home runs for a mediocre pitcher.
Jake Tillinghast
Right over your head
anthony1-13
I hope stupid isn’t contagious
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
Theo hangs up at any combo of those players.
Varangian
Theo trades all those players plus himself to Cleveland for Salazar. Then he can break the Indians World Series jinx.
fantasyworkball
“It’s unclear whether the talks for Salazar came before or after the recent signing of Drew Smyly, who carries both similar upside and similar injury risk.”
i don’t want to get pedantic but are you absolutely SURE the risk level is similar?
ray_derek
different scenarios, but i get what he’s saying. IMO Smyly is more of a risk but also is more affordable or cheaper considering it won’t be a free agent acquisition.
riffraff
I wonder whether this came from cubs camp or indians camp. Perhaps cubs let slip Indians looking for left handed bat so as to squeeze a little bit more out of teams asking about Schwarber ( Redsox maybe?). I would much rather trade Russell to SD for bullpen help and move Montgomery to the rotation than get Salazar, unless cubs plan on using Salazar out of the pen
Caseys Partner
Ya think it might be from Chicago? Oh look, yeah it is a Chicago outlet reporting this.
Slipped right out of the Chicago guys rear while he was on the toilet and he grabbed it and shared it with us via this site.
scuba17
What is the Cub’s obsession with trading for a controllable starter? Any of those guys are going to require Schwarber/Happ and others. You already got Quintana last year, but I guess that isn’t enough. I would rather have controllable hitters rather than pitchers, especially since you can acquire pitching every year through free agency at reasonable prices if you want. Go get Cobb and call it good with the rotation for the next 3 years and let Schwarber and Happ continue to grow and become good players.
Caseys Partner
A better question is: What is Epstein’s obsession with depleting the Cubs farm system?
15 months ago people were using the word “Dynasty”to describe the Cubs. You don’t see that anymore.
ray_derek
controllable quality pitching is harder to come by than hitting. this is why they have drafted hitting over pitching early in drafts, to flip for proven pitching.
vvadnala
or they could, you know, just draft pitchers
ray_derek
it’s more of a risk, there is more of a learning curve. How did Mark Appel pan out going #1? Kris Bryant panned out, how about Jon Grey going 3? Kohl Stewart #4. There is more of a sure thing with hitting, there always has been. it’s really not that hard to figure out.
Caseys Partner
As soon as the Dodgers got a substantial lead Cubs fans headed for the exits.
When the Astros were behind five runs the Astros fans stayed in their seats because they knew they could come back and win and they did so, over and over again against ACE starters and shut down relievers.
That’s how you win the trophy, with bats from top to bottom of the lineup.
brucewayne
You win with pitching and defense ! It’s been like that since the game was invented . Of course you have to have good hitters
brucewayne
and score runs. But pitching and defense is how you win in the long run!
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
They easily can still be a dynasty. They aren’t even 2 years removed from winning the world series. Their biggest change was losing Fowler. That’s it. They will be the favorite for the NL Central for the next 6-8 or more years. With only st louis giving them trouble.
JKB 2
Thank you Scuba17. I do not get it either
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
If the Indians want Schwarber they’ll need to offer more than just salazar
JKB 2
I agree with Wrek
Mattimeo09
They don’t want Schwarber. And a .170 hitting, defensively disastrous player isn’t worth Salazar
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
Schwaber is better than most people give him credit for. Only 5 errors in limited time. Better than marcell Ozuna. Who is obviously on steroids. He tripled his home runs in a year time.
brucewayne
If anybody was gonna be accused of being on steroids , it would be Scwharber ! Look how fast he came back from that horrible injury
brucewayne
and had all that muscle
brucewayne
and a ton of power ! See how that works both ways?
Mattimeo09
As soon as you accused a modern player without a history of PEDs of being on PEDs, you lost all of your credibility.
Bring hard evidence or keep your ridiculous accusations to yourself.
Btw that goes for all players no matter what team they’re on. Cubs, Marlins, Indians, etc.
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
You wouldnt recover faster from steroids. That’s how you get hurt more. He started rehab like 12 hours after surgery. Not a chance he used anything. It’s nothing short of a miracle he came back 6 months early.
You sound like a salty cleveland bandwagon fan.
Varangian
As soon as you called Schwarber a .170 hitter you lost all your credibility.
brucewayne
That’s a joke! I think it’s the other way around! LoL
Solaris601
As the article pointed out it is puzzling that CLE is seeking a lefty bat when they have such an over abundance of that on the roster already. I think the Tribe would seek Schwarber in exchange for Salazar and make Schwarber the everyday 1B only if they can’t bring back Santana. Worst case scenario for CLE is they keep Salazar, can’t sign Santana, find no takers for Kipnis, and have to convert Kipnis into a first baseman.
sufferforsnakes
Tribe is not seeking LH bats. This is what’s called a nothing-burger story.
kenly0
No, I don’t want the Cubs to trade Shwarber or Happ for Salazar. Now, if they can get Carrasco. That’s who they should be going after. Happ and De la Cruz for Carrasco?
kenly0
Or, if they can acquire Salazar without giving anyone from their major league roster. I’d be ok with it. But, Cleveland is looking for someone to help now. I’d imagine their targets would be Baez, Happ, or Shwarber.
Mattimeo09
The Indians aren’t looking to trade away their #2 starter with 3 years of affordable control.
The only way that could happen is if the Cubs make a huge offer. It’s not an offer you would like
Varangian
Your #2 starter had 5 wins and 103 IP? The Indians must be hurting.
Polish Hammer
He’s the #3 behind Kluber and Carrasco and he’s an All Star that’s lights out when he’s dialed in. He’s not being shopped, but teams are calling and kicking the tires.
cubsfan25
I would try to move Happ instead of Schwarbs in a trade, I like his upside a lot more than Happ; and considering Salazar’s injury history, I don’t think it would be worth it to move Schwarber.unless the Cubs get Salazar and a couple more pieces
wrigleywannabe
I don’t see this on either side.
Vizquel13
Salazar may be headed for the bullpen. 98 mph fastball with movement could be devastating for an inning a game.