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Could the Atlanta Braves be a player for Cleveland’s Mike Clevinger?

By Alan Carpenter

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 24: Starting pitcher Mike Clevinger #52 of the Cleveland Indians delivers the ball against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on September 24, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 24: Starting pitcher Mike Clevinger #52 of the Cleveland Indians delivers the ball against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on September 24, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 29: Mike Clevinger #52 of the Cleveland Indians walks to the dugout after being taken out of the game in the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals on September 29, 2019. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 29: Mike Clevinger #52 of the Cleveland Indians walks to the dugout after being taken out of the game in the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals on September 29, 2019. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /

If the Angels are being asked for Jo Adell plus one more player for Mike Clevinger, shouldn’t the Atlanta Braves at least be kicking these tires?

The Atlanta Braves’ pursuit of a frontline starter this offseason has only resulted in the free agent signing of veteran horse Cole Hamels – a significant addition, to be sure – but one who is only committed for the single season coming up.

The original idea of getting an ace-like arm with multiple years of control fell by the wayside quickly as pitchers like Zack Wheeler were bid up to crazy levels and we found that Madison Bumgarner really wanted to be in Arizona.

So is a pitcher like Mike Clevinger – who still has 3 years of worth of team control – worth a pursuit… even as the Spring Training season is rapidly approaching?

Seems like the Angels think so. They actually originally had Clevinger until they sent him to Cleveland (while still an A-ball starter) for reliever Vinnie Pestano in 2014.  After 21 more major league innings, Pestano never played in the majors again.  Gee, I wonder who won that trade?

This time around, LA is evidently reluctant to give up outfielder Jo Adell – their (lone) prized prospect… but duh, who else did they think Cleveland would ask for? After all, they only have one Top 100 player in their system.

So could the Atlanta Braves pick up where the Angels have dropped the ball?

The Report

Before we get too far along here, let’s see what Jon Morosi is reporting about Clevinger and the Angels:

"Sources say the Angels and Indians have discussed a trade this offseason that would send back Clevinger to his original organization, although there has not been active dialogue in recent days. Talks failed to gain momentum when the Indians’ initial asking price included Angels outfield prospect Jo Adell (No. 5 overall on MLB Pipeline) and an additional player, sources say."

Now this paragraph is very interesting on a couple of levels…

"The fact that the Indians asked for a player along with Adell suggests the price tag on Clevinger may be even higher than that of All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor. Sources say the Indians have asked for middle infielder Gavin Lux (MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 overall prospect) in their conversations with the Dodgers about Lindor."

You might think that it’s nuts to have a higher price on Clevinger than Lindor, but the difference is (a) 3 years of control vs. 2 for Lindor; and (b) premium pitching is valued more highly around the league.

While this discussion is more focused on Clevinger, that note from Morosi suggests that Lindor might be quite gettable… though admittedly the matchup for the Braves might not be quite right.

But while reading through this, one possible takeaway is … is that all they want?

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