Once again, Cleveland Indians president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff have proven there are many ways for a mid-market team to survive in the large-market world of Major League Baseball.
Thursday's deal with the San Diego Padres that netted All-Star reliever Brad Hand and rookie reliever Adam Cimber, in exchange for prized prospect Francisco Mejia, shows that the Tribe's braintrust isn't just thinking about the rest of this season and October.
They're also thinking about the next few years.
Make no mistake, parting with Mejia isn't easy. In 79 games in Triple-A Columbus this season, the 22-year-old Mejia hit for a .279 average, .328 on-base percentage and .755 OPS to go along with 7 home runs and 45 RBIs. He once had a 50-game hitting streak at Class A.
The issue for Mejia was space. There's no room in Cleveland for a catcher with All-Star Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez firmly in place. The Indians had worked him at other positions while in the minors, but even manager Terry Francona admitted that Mejia's heart was behind the plate.
Now think about what the Indians are getting in return.
Hand is a two-time All-Star with 24 saves this season. He'll join Cody Allen and Andrew Miller (when he returns from the disabled list) to form an elite corps of relief pitchers at the back end of the bullpen.
Think about what made the 2016 Indians so formidable in the postseason. All a starting pitcher had to do was keep the game under control for five innings before giving way to Allen, Miller, and Bryan Shaw, who completely shut down the opposition. This new trio could be just as effective if Miller gets back to 100 percent.
Hand is also durable, which is something Francona loves. Since joining the Padres in April 2016, Hand has thrown more innings (213) than any other reliever. He also has more strikeouts (280) than everyone but the Yankees’ Dellin Betances (298).
Even better, the Indians have Hand under contract now through 2021, meaning if Allen and/or Miller depart in free agency after this season, the closer's role will still be secure.
Meanwhile, the Indians also got a second reliever from the Padres in Adam Cimber. In his first year in a big league bullpen, the 27-year-old has posted a 3.17 ERA, 51 strikeouts and a 1.08 WHIP in 48 1/3 innings. If his career blossoms, the Tribe would have him under control for five seasons. It's a win-win.
Think about the biggest non-waiver trades that Antonetti has pulled off since becoming GM (now team president)
1. Ubaldo Jimenez for Drew Pomeranz, Alex White, Matt McBride and Joe Gardner
This 2011 trade took two years to finally work out in the Tribe's favor. Antonetti took a lot of heat for parting with his two top pitching prospects for Jimenez, who had won 19 games the year before, but had struggled with injuries and inconsistency.
But the Indians had him under control for two and a half years.
Once Terry Francona and Mickey Calloway got a hold of Jimenez in 2013, things turned around. For the season, Jimenez finished 13-9 with a a 3.30 ERA. He got better as the year went on, posting a 1.82 ERA in the season's second half, while striking out 10.7 hitters per nine innings. With the Tribe in a tight Wild Card race, Jimenez went 4-0 with a 1.09 ERA in six September outings to help propel the Indians to their first playoff berth in six years.
2. Andrew Miller for Clint Frazier, Justus Sheffield, Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen
Arguably, no player was more important in the Indians improbable run to Game 7 of the 2016 World Series than Miller, who was named the MVP of the American League Championship Series. Sure, it was painful to give up Frazier, who might be playing every day now for the Tribe, but it was worth it to get an elite reliever.
An elite reliever that was signed for two more years.
Thursday's trade could prove to be just as important for the Indians as those other two deals. Maybe this fall, maybe sometime in the future.
And make no mistake: Any other moves made by the Tribe between now and the July 31st non-waiver deadline will follow a similar pattern. You will not see the Indians deal away any high-value prospects for players who will not be in Cleveland after this fall.
It's the way they've done it in the past, and it's the way Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff will continue to operate.