From former Indians.com beat guy Anthony Castrovince
http://www.sportsonearth.com/articl...-offseason-edition-chapman-gray?tcid=tw_share
Carlos Carrasco to the D-Backs, A.J. Pollock to the Indians
Pollock is a true two-way player who just finished up an All-Star/Gold Glove season in which he posted a .315/.367/.498 slash line with 65 extra-base hits, 35 steals and was worth 14 Defensive Runs Saved.
Carrasco is the Indians' co-ace to 2014 Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber. The flame-throwing Carrasco just finished his first 30-start season, posting a 2.84 FIP for the year, with a 0.90 WHIP and 11.2 strikeouts-per-nine rate after the All-Star break. He is a legitimate No. 2 with real potential to serve as a club's ace.
This is a deal that would likely rile up both fan bases. But the D-backs have legit outfield depth in David Peralta, Ender Inciarte and Yasmany Tomas, plus a glaring need for a top-flight starter, with legit questions about whether they have the budget to go after an A-list free agent. The Indians, meanwhile, have the ability to patch together a workable rotation with Kluber, Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer, Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin (perhaps using their limited free-agent budget to reel in a back-end arm in a deep market), but a ginormous hole in center field.
The other day, I pitched a Yasiel Puig-to-Cleveland scenario in which Puig could man an outfield spot. But in light of the news that Michael Brantley is out for at least the first month of the season following shoulder surgery, the Indians need to target a more natural center fielder. If that center fielder bats right-handed, a la Pollock, all the better. The Brantley development has the Indians in a real bind, because as of now their Opening Day outfield would consist of Abraham Almonte, Lonnie Chisenhall and … um … well, we'll have to get back to you on that last one.
Point is, the Indians have to consider parting with Carrasco, whose value, four years after Tommy John surgery, might never be higher. And while the D-backs might loathe the idea of dealing Pollock, there is the distinct possibility that as a 28-year-old coming off around a 7-WAR season, his value might never be higher, too.
Pollock is a first-time arbitration-eligible player who won't be a free agent until after the 2018 season. Carrasco is signed to ridiculously team-friendly terms ($19 million guaranteed through 2018, with a $9 million team option for '19 and a $9.5 million option for '20). Pollock is the more valuable player in the present tense. Perhaps the extended control and lighter salaries of Carrasco help even things out, though I'd imagine the Indians would have to kick in a young body to get this deal done.
Whatever the case, even though this trade would rob each of these teams of one of their most marketable talents, it would be hard not to feel both of them improved on the whole.