By now, Cleveland Indians fans have grown accustomed to watching their favorite players being shipped out of town around the trade deadline.
Casey Blake, Paul Byrd, Mark DeRosa, Ben Francisco, Ryan Garko, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, Carl Pavano, and C.C. Sabathia have all been shipped off between late June and early August the last couple years—and that doesn’t count winter exports Franklin Gutierrez and Kelly Shoppach.
In a move eerily reminiscent of the Eduardo Perez deal four years ago, the Indians kicked off their annual fire sale by sending Russell Branyan to the Mariners last month. It’s a pretty safe bet that the sell-off won’t stop there.
Over the last couple months, I’ve been writing a sort of weekly series called the Cleveland Indians Trading Post to help prepare my fellow Tribe fans for the inevitable. Each installment looked at why a potential trading chip might be dealt and where he would conceivably go.
Now, with the deadline just eight days away, I decided to give an update on the five most likely trade candidates we have left because—well, that’s just the kind of guy I am.
For each listed player, I’ve included quick sound bites about his contract and draft compensation status (if applicable), why he might interest other teams, why we could afford to trade him, and a few possible destinations.
To my fellow Clevelanders, remember: Thanks to a certain egomaniacal basketball player, no matter what the Indians do, the worst of our hometown heroes’ departing is already over.