Such a deal would be a win for Cleveland (and Cincinnati too, in my opinion), but a package of Tomlin and perhaps Jason Donald would be less than what the Reds are hoping for. Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty is looking for a No. 2 starter in return for the rookie first baseman; defining pitchers in terms of Platonic ideals of rotation slots makes for an extremely subjective analysis, but Tomlin probably better fits the mold of a No. 3 starter.

Given the league-wide concern over Alonso’s poor defense it seems unlikely that any team will meet Jocketty’s demands. How firm he would be in trade negotiations remains to be seen—he Reds are under no obligation to trade Alonso, and if they don’t get an offer that’s to their liking they don’t have to make a deal. It’s not as though he has demanded a trade or Cincinnati is desperate to move his contract.

But forgetting about negotiations and the Reds’ leverage, how much would Alonso be worth to the Indians, or wherever else he might end up? (more…)

But, as is usually the case with rumors like these, that’s not necessarily a safe assumption to make. Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown reported last week that Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty wanted either a No. 2 starter or a closer in any deal for Alonso. It’s not clear exactly what that would mean—there is no single Platonic ideal of what a No. 2 starter is (other than just the second guy in the rotation), and the Reds already refused to trade Alonso to Oakland for Andrew Bailey. But whatever the case, it’s clear that it would take an impact arm to bring Alonso to Cleveland.

Still, I think the Indians and Reds would match up quite well, and there’s one player the Tribe could give up who would make this deal work for both teams: Josh Tomlin. (more…)

We already know that Matt LaPorta is likely to lose his spot as the Indians’ starting first baseman, but with apologies to Shelley Duncan there isn’t a clear in-house alternative. Chris Antonetti said earlier this month that the front office had “some creative ideas” for upgrading the Tribe’s offense. A trade for Alonso would certainly fit the bill.

There’s no doubt that Alonso’s long-term ceiling is higher than LaPorta’s (or any other realistic candidates for Cleveland’s first base job): he’s appeared on Baseball America‘s Top 100 Prospects list three years in a row, and at just 24 years old he has plenty of time to develop into a star. But if the Indians were to trade for him and plug him in at first base, would he be a significant improvement over LaPorta in 2012? And if so, how much of a difference would he actually make? (more…)