As I wrote last week, the Indians are in the need for a bat at the trade deadline. If possible, it would be most beneficial to pick up a right-handed hitter that can play on the left-side of the infield. With Francisco Lindor called up and presumed to be the new everyday shortstop, the Indians only need a third baseman to completely revamp that side, something that was desperately needed.
While Giovanny Urshela is capable of manning the position for the time being, I believe the club should aggressively pursue a power-hitting, established third baseman to play the position the rest of the season to get them back into the division hunt.
My first option, Todd Frazier, would garner a high price to bring north on interstate 71 because he is one of the most high profiled trade chips on the market. If the club does not want to trade one or more of its top prospects, another option could be a 3B that plays in Oakland, that, if they continue to stay out of the A.L. West race, will probably sell off most of it’s talent.
That player is Brett Lawrie, the former Blue Jay who was acquired this past off-season by the A’s. Lawrie is Josh Donaldson’s replacement at third base after the two teams swapped respective third basemen . The A’s hoped that Lawrie, 25, was still going to reach his full potential after a disappointing couple of years in Toronto. After a slow start in Oakland, GM Billy Beane might be impatient enough to listen to trade offers for the high-energy player. The 6′ 0”, 210 pound right-handed infielder would be a good fit in the current Indians lineup that is in need of power from the right-side.
Through June 15th, the Canada native is “only” hitting .272/.307/.399 but has a .308 wOBP in 243 PA’s. Although these numbers can be a bit concerning, it is important to note that he plays his home games in the Oakland Coliseum which is traditionally a pitchers park because of it’s vast foul territory and deep gaps in the outfield. According to ESPN’s park factor statistic, the Coliseum is the 16th worst ballpark to hit in 2015 with a Park Factor of 1.024. In contrast, Progressive field is the 3rd best ballpark to hit in with a 1.300 Park Factor. This would indicate that his batting statistics would most likely see an uptick as he would play in the more favorable hitters park.
ZIP’s rest of the season projection system pegs Lawrie to hit .259/.312/.396 the rest of ’15 with 8 more HR’s and 32 RBI’s while playing in an inferior lineup. Part of the reason ZIPS has his numbers regressing slightly stems from an already inflated BABIP of .354 which ranks him as 15th highest in MLB.
He has posted a positive WAR in every season he has played beginning with his rookie campaign in 2011. Most importantly in relation to the current Indians roster, was a solid defensive 3B with excellent range as a member of the Blue Jays. Although he split time at both second and third in 2014, he earned a 14.9 UZR/150 in 403 innings in the field, making him the 3rd best defensive 3B in the league according to that metric. His -7.7 UZR/150 in 2015 has been indicative to back issues he continues to deal with this season.
The Indians will have to do it’s due diligence on his injury history. In the past two seasons, Lawrie has played 177 games. In 2014, he played in just 70 because of a fractured finger and an oblique strain.
Since he has an injury history and his stats have been repressed, Lawrie would not require as large a package as Frazier would. The Indians could acquire him for a third-tier prospect such as Bobby Ison of Lake County or Carlos Moncrief of Columbus.
Lawrie will be arbitration eligible for the next two seasons until he becomes a free agent in 2018.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
