The day that all Tribe fans have dreaded for a long time finally occurred last week.
The Cleveland Indians traded the franchise’s best player, Francisco Lindor, and one of the team’s best pitchers, Carlos Carrasco, to the New York Mets a few days ago on January 7.
The mood in “C-Town” is a somber one as Indians fans cope with the reality of officially being in “rebuilding mode”.
Nevertheless, Cleveland did receive four decent prospects from New York in the trade.
Who will replace Francisco Lindor at Shortstop for the Tribe?
Here are 3 possibilities.
1. Amed Rosario
Thank you to Amed Rosario. Best of luck in Cleveland. Hope you become an all-star there. #MetsTwitter pic.twitter.com/qHcdnu2nVI
— Manny S. (@MMS0272) January 8, 2021
Readers here at tribedaily.com are probably familiar with this name.
We wrote about Amed Rosario a few weeks ago here: 2 Prospects The Indians Must Get From Mets In Lindor Trade
Thankfully the Tribe acquired Rosario as part of the Lindor trade last week.
Rosario has the rare combination of speed and power that may even remind some Indians fans of the dearly departed Lindor.
The 6-2 Shortstop had a breakout year for the Mets back in 2018 by hitting 9 homers and stealing 24 bases.
The 25-year old had an even better season at the plate in 2019 by hitting 15 dingers and raising his batting average by 31 points.
Rosario would arguably be the most natural fit to take over for the Tribe at the Shortstop position.
2. Andres Gimenez
We also mentioned Gimenez in our above article as a decent plan B option if Rosario could not be acquired from the Mets.
Surprisingly, New York parted ways with both Rosario and Gimenez so this leaves Cleveland with more options for middle infielders.
Check out the below video to see Gimenez’s stellar defensive play on display.
#Mets fans gotta be excited by Andrés Giménez on both sides of the ball .. sparkling defensive play vs #Phillies pic.twitter.com/NEw6Gkxca5
— Sports ②④x⑦ (@B_R_R_D) September 7, 2020
The 22-year old is a very versatile middle infielder and can play Shortstop, Second Base, or Third Base.
The 5-11 161 pounder may not have the power of Rosario but the youngster from Venezuela boasts plenty of speed and loads of potential.
3. Yu Chang
Yu Chang Clan ain't nothin' to mess with.#RallyTogether pic.twitter.com/P3rterwE83
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) September 10, 2019
Chang is probably the least likely to take over for the Tribe at Shortstop, but not because of a lack of overall talent.
The 25-year old from Taiwan definitely has the most power potential of all 3 of these middle infielder prospects.
In the Minor Leagues, Chang hit 24 homers in 2017 and 17 bombs in 2018.
However, the Indians seem to prefer him as a Second Baseman instead of as a Shortstop.
Bringing it Home
Though last week’s trade between the Cleveland Indians and New York Mets was painful for Tribe fans, the future appears to be bright.
The Indians did well in acquiring Rosario, Gimenez, pitching prospect Josh Wolf, and young outfielder Isaiah Greene.
Rosario and Gimenez have both proven to be ready for full-time Big League roster spots.
Both Greene and Wolf are longer term projects for Cleveland, and will both start out in the Minor League system.
Will either of the former Mets (Rosario or Gimenez) replace Francisco Lindor?
Will Utilityman Yu Chang break into the starting lineup at either Shortstop or Second Base?
So much depends upon how each player performs during the upcoming Spring Training.
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