This can happen for different reasons- trying to make an aging team a little younger in order to contend for a longer period of time,
trying to add pieces to the puzzle to shore up a weak spot with the best opportunity to win in hand and sometimes it is a financial issue as the team needs to save some money and attempts to do so before falling to the league floor.
Just in the little home, we have here, we've seen the Devils try it under Lou Lamoriello for years, just saw the Cavaliers attempt before realizing stripping down to the chassis was a better idea and even last season, the Giants spent money on aging stars Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria that saw an improvement for the team, but didn't see the team reach true contention.
None of them managed to pull it off with great success, but the Indians have a chance with their starting pitching whether they keep them all intact or swap one or two to try to fill an existing hole for a longer term.
The Indians returned Carlos Santana, who left the team for Philadelphia via free agency after the 2017 season to Northeast Ohio from Seattle (who recently acquired him from those Phillies) and added young first baseman Jake Bauers from Tampa Bay, who struggled in his rookie season but is regarded as still a viable prospect.
Cleveland sent Edwin Encarnacion to Seattle along with one of their competitive balance draft picks, while shipping Yandy Diaz and a player to be named later to Tampa in return for the pair.
Santana struggled in his only season in the National League as he hit only .224, although he did hit 24 homers.
Still, Santana's major drop was in batting average as his other numbers stayed relatively in line for his standard stats and he walked 110 times, which narrowly missed (by three) his career high in that category.
The Indians did attempt to keep Santana in Cleveland following 2017, but the well-heeled Phillies were able to outbid the Indians to land the switch-hitting veteran.
Santana is under contract for the next two years (25 million) and there is a 2021 team option.
Santana will see time at both first base and designated hitter in a position share with Yonder Alonso, should Alonso return as he also has been a name floated in trade rumors as the Indians continue to try to become cheaper, younger, faster etc.
The other name in this deal with some clout is Jake Bauers, who split the 2018 campaign between Tampa and their AAA affiliate in Durham. hitting .201 with 11 homers in 323 at bats.
The 23-year-old Bauers moved through the Padres (Tampa acquired him in a trade) and Rays organization as a first baseman but began to occasionally spend time in left field in Durham last season.
Bauers also knows how to work a walk (54), but struck out more than his share as he whiffed 104 times which is close to once every three at-bats, so there are a few questions about his ability to make contact at the big league level.
At his age though, there have been plenty of players to struggle early and solve the riddle and Bauers is highly thought of, so I'm not overly concerned-Yet.
Bauers might be the eventual first baseman, but for 2019 is more likely to try his hand at left field with the Indians currently question filled outfield.
Leaving Cleveland will be veteran power hitter Edwin Encarnacion, who despite hitting 32 homers last season, seems to be in the process of losing bat speed.
Encarnacion will thump his share of homers in Seattle, but his stats in the major categories have dropped in each of the last three years and he seems to be (with the exception of power) a player in some decline.
At soon to be 36, the Indians are gambling that two years of Carlos Santana is superior to one of Edwin Encarnacion.
Indians fans seem to be far more upset about trading 26-year-old Yandy Diaz than the immediate help of Encarnacion.
Diaz impressed observers by hitting .312 in a 39 game stint in Cleveland, but it seems like fans and those observers were more impressed than the Indians, who returned him to Columbus.
Diaz has ripped up AAA pitching for two seasons, but in his entire minor league career has never hit double digits in homers and one wonders if he will develop power at all.
I'm not sure that I see Diaz as an everyday player at one spot and he might be best used as a Jeff Keppinger type as in a player that can be used at a few different positions but is a hit for average tool player.
In closing, there is little not to like about this deal.
Yes, Carlos Santana may be in the beginnings of a slowdown, but for only an additional four million (a pittance in baseball dollars), Cleveland will have Santana for two seasons rather than Encarnacion for one.
Santana can be used in the field far more often and more effectively than Encarnacion and I think he'll be happy to be back in Cleveland where he never sold his home even after leaving for the Phillies.
Jake Bauers is somewhat of a risk, but most young power hitters are when they first show up in the majors.
One would wish that Bauers would have hit for a higher average or had more of a proven track record, but if that were the case, teams would not be trading for him for a singles hitting third baseman that was not proven beyond AAA.
Bauers (Imagine the fun for announcers who will now have Trevor Bauer and Jake Bauers on the same team) is the type of high risk/high reward prospect that every team wants to acquire and some even feel were a success- Remember Matt LaPorta who was the main part of the CC Sabathia trade?
It was LaPorta that was thought to be the future star, but it was the other outfielder in the deal that the Indians received the value, Michael Brantley.
