MLB Trade Rumors: Top Reports Following 2020 Deadline

Monday marked MLB trade deadline day, and it started with a bang.

Cleveland Indians right-hander Mike Clevinger was involved in a slew of rumors on Sunday, though no deal was made. That changed on Monday morning, when the San Diego Padres offered the Indians a six-player haul to land both the pitcher and Indians outfielder Greg Allen. 

However, San Diego's blockbuster with Cleveland might otherwise have been a blockbuster with the Texas Rangers.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the Friars had "explored separate trades" for Rangers right-hander Lance Lynn and outfielder Joey Gallo. A potential deal for either might have been just as costly as San Diego's offer for Clevinger.

Lynn has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year, going 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA in his first eight starts and also leading the bigs with 51.1 innings pitched. The 33-year-old ranks second in fWAR since the start of last season, per FanGraphs. He is also under contract for just $8 million in 2021, per Spotrac.

Gallo has been Texas' best full-time position player, though that isn't saying much for the lowest-scoring team in the American League.

The 26-year-old is hitting just .183, though he still has a respectable .759 OPS and seven homers. He also had a .986 OPS and 22 homers in just 70 games last year, after hitting at least 40 homers in each of the previous two seasons.

Given Lynn is under control for an extremely cheap salary next year and Gallo is under team control through 2022, it seemed likely a massive haul would be required to pry either player away from the Rangers. It is also possible some teams might have hoped to package the two, though such a deal would have come with an even higher asking price.

Instead, Texas elected to keep both players past the deadline, unable to find a team to meet their demands.

The Padres remained aggressive in their pursuit of a potential ace and will hope Clevinger can hold it down at the top of the rotation. 

Executives 'Love' Cleveland's Return

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

While San Diego got the ace it needed for the playoff push, the Indians are also receiving praise for the volume of players they received.

One National League executive told Zack Meisel of The Athletic "Cleveland crushed this," while an American League executive told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand "I love the return for Cleveland."

The Indians desperately needed more outfield production and will hope to get it from the newly acquired Josh Naylor, who has a .720 OPS in 317 career plate appearances. 

Meanwhile, Cleveland also got a defensive standout in catcher Austin Hedges, who led all catchers in framing in 2019, per Baseball Savant. Cal Quantrill should also be another valuable bullpen arm in the staff.

The primary take, however, relates to the prospects obtained in the deal.

Shortstop Gabriel Arias has already been listed the Indians' No. 5 prospect, per MLB.com, and might eventually be seen as Francisco Lindor's successor.

Meisel noted Joey Cantillo is "said to possess a highly effective changeup," which is an excellent sign for a 20-year-old who still has plenty of time to develop. A separate executive told Feinsand infielder Owen Miller is a "Zobrist-like player," referring to former MLB super-utility star Ben Zobrist.

The Indians might not have received a star prospect, but they did acquire a number of young players whom rival executives seem to hold in high esteem.

All stats obtained via Basketball Reference, unless otherwise noted.