All eyes on are Miami and Marlins Park tonight as the 2017 MLB All-Star Game takes center stage tonight. But that isn’t the only reason the city of Miami is at the center of the baseball world these days. The Miami Marlins franchise is in the process of being sold, with different groups bidding on the team. There are rumblings that a sale could happen not too long after the All-Star Break. Once the sale is out of the way, the team can start focusing on trading some of their bigger name players, as reports suggest they have held off on trade talks while the sale is going on.
The club currently sits with a 41-46 record, which places them third in the NL East. The Washington Nationals are running away with the division, holding a 10.5 game lead on the Fish. As for the Wild Card, the Marlins are also nine games back of the Colorado Rockies, and would need to jump over five teams to earn a playoff berth via the Wild Card. As a result, names like Dee Gordon, Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich will see their names bandied about in trade talks the remainder of the month.
Just the other day, Gordon’s name pop up as a potential target for teams like the Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals. But there was a team not mentioned that should be calling about the speedster. That team is none other than the AL champs from a season ago, the Cleveland Indians.
The Indians got off to a slower start than they would have liked to open the 2017 campaign. Their big Winter signing, Edwin Encarnacion, got off to a terrible start. But then he started to heat up, and the team’s performance as a whole followed suit. While the Minnesota Twins sat atop the AL Central for a good portion of the first half, the Indians finished with a 47-40 record, which is good for a 2.5 game lead over the Twinkies. For more on the AL Central, you can read a breakdown of the division headed into the second half here.
Offensively, the team is in need of some help. With a player like Dee Gordon, they would be looking to boost things such as runs scored, on-base percentage and stolen bases, as Gordon would likely slide right into their leadoff spot. Currently, the team ranks 13th in runs, 6th in on-base percentage and 16th in stolen bases.
The 29-year-old Gordon would certainly provide a spark to boost some of those numbers. In 85 games this season, he is batting .295, scored 53 runs, stole 32 bases and getting on base at a .342 clip. His 32 stolen bases is good for third in baseball, only behind Billy Hamilton and Trea Turner.
Rookie Bradley Zimmer has done a fine job leading off for the club since coming up to the big leagues. But with a young guy like Zimmer, that production could begin to fade once opposing pitchers learn to adapt to his approach. Gordon would provide the team with a stable presence on the top of the lineup who they know what they can expect. Zimmer could still stick in the two hole if the club wanted.
Gordon would likely hold his current spot at second base if he were to end up in Cleveland. So some may ask, what happens to Jason Kipnis when he returns from injury? Well given the flexibility some of the team’s players have, like third baseman Jose Ramirez, it is possible Kipnis could shift to third with Ramirez moving to the outfield. Kipnis could also be tried at first base, alongside Carlos Santana.
The bottom line is the Tribe could certainly benefit from a sparkplug leadoff man like Gordon. He would bring an on-base threat to the top of the order that also provides a threat on the basepaths.
What are your thoughts about Gordon to the Indians? Is it a good fit? Tell us what you think in the comments!