MLB Trade Rumors: Angels, Indians Have Made No Progress in Mike Clevinger Talks

The Los Angeles Angels have discussed a possible trade with the Cleveland Indians involving right-hander Mike Clevinger, according to MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi.

Morosi reported no deal appears to be close since "there has not been active dialogue in recent days." The Angels were put off by Cleveland's asking price of top prospect Jo Adell and another player.

The Indians traded two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber to the Texas Rangers for what amounted to salary relief. Delino DeShields and Emmanuel Clase was a minimal return for a player with Kluber's resume, even factoring in his injury problems from 2019.

Cleveland is in a position to get a lot more for Clevinger. The 29-year-old went 13-4 with a 2.71 ERA and 2.49 FIP, per FanGraphs. His 4.5 WAR ranked 16th among starting pitchers despite the fact that he only logged 126 innings.

He comes with an added level of cost control as well, a valuable asset as teams focus increasingly more on their bottom line. He doesn't hit free agency until 2023, and Spotrac estimates he'll earn $4.5 million in arbitration in 2020.

Acquiring Clevinger would make up for the fact that the Angels struck out in their pursuit of Gerrit Cole, who signed a nine-year, $324 million deal with the New York Yankees.

Los Angeles responded by going after Anthony Rendon and giving him a seven-year, $245 million contract to provide some offensive support for Mike Trout.

The Angels' problem is that Adell would almost certainly have to be part of any trade package for Clevinger. MLB.com ranks him as the fifth-best prospect in baseball and he's the only Angels player in the top 100. The 20-year-old batted .289 and slugged .475 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI in 76 games across High-A, Double-A and Triple-A in 2019.

Los Angeles has an obvious desire to surround Trout with a supporting cast that can get the team into the playoffs, but that might not outweigh the value Adell should provide for years to come.