Breaking Down the Trades of the 2021 Indians

The Indians were active at the trade deadline in 2021, selling off a number of players trying to prepare for the future as well as staying competitive for 2020 and hopefully into next year and beyond. Here's a breakdown of the moves that the Indians made and how they rate when it comes to making the team better.

The Cleveland Indians made a few trades before the 2021 deadline of July 30, 4 p.m. Frankly, none of these moves are going to make this team an instant contender or anything of that nature. However, some new faces are coming to Cleveland.

Let’s take a look at the moves.

The Indians traded second baseman Cesar Hernandez to the Chicago White Sox for left handed pitcher Konnor Pilkington. For the Indians this season, Hernandez hit .231 with 18 home runs and 47 runs batted in. In the minor leagues, Pilkington went 4-4 with a 3.48 earned run average and 71 strikeouts.

Additionally, the team traded left fielder Eddie Rosario to the Atlanta Braves for cash and third baseman Pablo Sandoval. Rosario hit .254 with seven home runs and 46 runs batted in. Note: the team released Sandoval.

Right handed pitcher Phil Maton and catcher Yainier Diaz were sent to the Houston Astros for right fielder Myles Straw. Maton had a 4.57 earned run average and 61 strikeouts in Cleveland this season with 41.1 innings pitched while giving up 36 hits and 21 earned runs. In the minor leagues, Diaz hit .327 with five home runs and 55 runs batted in. Straw batted .262 in Houston with two home runs and 34 runs batted in.

The Indians traded left fielder Jordan Luplow and right handed pitcher DJ Johnson to the Rays for right handed pitcher Peyton Battenfield. Luplow hit .173 with seven home runs and 20 runs batted in. Johnson only pitched in one game for the major league club this year. Battenfield pitched for two minor league clubs this year in Montgomery and Bowling Green.

Let’s give an analogy in how to grade these trades. This is like a student playing Call of Duty on Xbox late in the night instead of studying for a test that is the next day. It is expected that the final grade will not be good and ultimately it isn't.

With the Indians, fans were not ready for any mind-blowing moves and that was exactly the case. The team is around a .500 club and the playoffs are becoming more and more of a long-shot for this year. These moves did not do anything to help the cause