5 Reasons the Indians Struck out at the MLB Trade Deadline

The 2013 MLB Trade Deadline has come and gone. The Cleveland Indians made just one move at the deadline, acquiring Marc Rzepczynski from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for infielder Juan Herrera, via ESPN.com.

The Indians needed a left-handed reliever to shore up what has been a mostly shaky bullpen. Prior pitchers to fill that role included David Huff, Scott Barnes, Nick Hagadone and Rich Hill. 

The four pitchers listed above combined for some horrendous numbers including a 6.47 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. 

While Rzepczynski can help to fill the void of a lefty specialist, the move to acquire him hardly addresses the issues the Tribe faced at the deadline and for that reason, they struck out.

Here are five reasons why the 2013 trade deadline is a big swing and a miss for the Indians.

All stats come courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and are current through play on August 1, 2013.

The Starting Rotation Is Still an Issue

The biggest issue on Cleveland's roster was, and still is their starting rotation. By making just the single move for Rzepczynski, the Indians failed to address the biggest area of need.

Indians starters have combined for a 4.14 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP and per-nine inning ratios of 8.0 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 2.33 K/BB and 8.5 H/9. 

Among the aforementioned categories, in the American League, the Indians rank 10th in ERA, ninth in WHIP, fourth in K/9 and ninth in K/BB per ESPN.com. The Indians also rank near the bottom of the league in quality start percentage, clocking in at 12th with a disappointing 46-percent.

Justin Masterson, Corey Kluber and Zach McAllister have all had relatively successful seasons, but the team lacks a true No. 1 starter.

By adding Rzepczynski, GM Chris Antonetti glossed over one of the Indians biggest weaknesses. By passing by the opportunity to shore up the starting rotation, Antonetti may cost his team an opportunity for October baseball.

Rzepczynski Was Not Enough of an Upgrade

As mentioned in the title slide, the Indians' left-handed relief situation was horrible entering the trade deadline.

In case you glossed over that introduction, the Indians have used four different lefties over the course of the season and they've combined for a horrible 6.47 ERA and an equally disturbing 1.48 WHIP. The Indians certainly needed an upgrade in this department, but did they really add enough?

Let's begin with the fact that Marc Rzepczynski was so bad early on in 2013, that the Cardinals demoted him to Triple-A Memphis for an extended period of time. Through his first nine appearances, the 27-year-old worked to a 7.88 ERA while opposing batters slashed .361/.415/.500 slash line against him.

In his time at Triple-A, Rzepczynski was inconsistent, but managed a respectable 3.05 ERA with a 1.40 WHIP and disappointing ratios including 6.3 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, 1.72 K/BB and 8.9 H/9.

Rzepczynski's ratios at Triple-A are hardly inspiring, but if he can continue his pace in the ERA department, he could be a serviceable member of the Tribe's bullpen. However, based on his career numbers and a dismal showing thus far in 2013, don't count on much from the struggling lefty.

They Missed out on Bud Norris

With Matt Garza and Jake Peavy finding their way to the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox respectively, Bud Norris was the next best option on the table for teams in search of starting pitching help.

Norris' overall numbers aren't going to wow anybody. In 119 career starts, Norris owns a 4.32 ERA with a 1.40 WHIP and per-nine ratios of 8.4 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, 2.30 K/BB and 8.9 H/9.

Norris managed a 34-46 record with some horrible Astros teams so it stands to reason that he could be a more effective pitcher with increased run support.

The Orioles sent outfielder L.J. Hoes and lefty starter Josh Hader to Houston in exchange for Norris and a comparable package from the Indians could have easily been assembled, per USAToday.com. To nab Norris, the team could have packaged outfielder Luigi Rodriguez, and starting pitcher Cody Anderson, both of whom could have stepped in for the Astros as soon as 2014.

Norris may not be the No. 1 starter that the Indians coveted, but he could have been the team's second or third best starter.

They Failed to Deal from a Position of Strength

Francisco Lindor was considered virtually untouchable heading into the trade deadline. Lindor ranks as the top prospect in the Indians' system, as well as one of the top shortstops in any system.

With that being said, the Indians didn't need to deal Lindor in order to put together a solid trade package. The team is loaded with depth at middle-infield and their failure to cash in on that depth could prove disastrous.

While Jason Kipnis and Lindor figure to be an outstanding double-play combo for years to come, the Tribe possess three more middle-infielders who rank within the system's top-20 prospects and none of them figure in beyond a utility role, so long as Kipnis and Lindor are around.

Middle infield positions tend to be some of the thinnest in baseball and the Indians could have capitalized on that in order to shore up areas like the starting rotation and the bullpen. Alas, they did not.

They Lost Ground to the Tigers

The Tigers are going to be dealt a major blow when the Biogenesis suspensions are handed down as shortstop Jhonny Peralta figures to be one of a handful of players suspended for their affiliation with the shady anti-aging clinic.

To counteract the impending suspension, Detroit acquired shortstop/third baseman Jose Iglesias from the Red Sox as part of the Jake Peavy trade, per USAToday.

Detroit had another glaring need in their bullpen, so to fulfill that need, the team dealt outfielder Danry Vasquez and a player to be named later for closer Jose Veras per ESPN.com. Veras will serve as a set-up man in Detroit but the team now possesses a solid late-inning trio in Joaquin Benoit and Drew Smyly.

The Indians made just the lone Rzepczynski deal at the deadline which should do little to temper the struggles of the team's left-handed relievers. The Veras move alone is enough to counteract the addition of Rzepczynski by the Indians and the Iglesias deal really pushes them beyond the Tribe in terms of deadline success.

With the Tigers seemingly pacifying all of their needs, and the Indians having glossed over theirs, it looks as though the Tigers could begin to pull away starting with a big four-game series against the Tribe from August 5-8.