The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Indians hit another HR with deal for Mercado
Chances are good that if you were listening to the radio on July 31, 2018, or read the transactions the next day to learn the Indians traded minor-league outfielders Conner Capel and John Torres to the Cardinals for minorleague outfielder Oscar Mercado, your reaction was:
“Who and who for whom?” Fans of the Cardinals are still saying, “Tell me again. We got who and who?”
Indians fans now know: The Tribe got their starting center fielder for years to come.
It was a typical trade engineered by Indians president Chris Antonetti and General Manager Mike Chernoff. They should be arrested for swindling when they trade minor leaguers for minor leaguers.
Capel had a successful season in Double-A for the Cardinals in 2019. But it wasn’t enough to get him added to the 40-man roster or an invitation to the Cardinals spring training as a non-roster invitee.
Torres played with the Johnson City Cardinals in the Appalachian Rookie League last year.
Mercado, meanwhile, played in 115 games for the Indians in 2019. He hit .269, scored 70 runs, homered 15 times and drove in 54 runs.
Mercado, 25, was a little shaky defensively when he played right field, but he found a home in center last season.
The Indians have 10 outfielders in spring training on the 40-man roster. Maybe another player, perhaps Delino DeShields Jr., will end up in center field on opening day. But the one sure thing is Mercado will be patrolling one of the outfield positions.
“What’s next is he’s going to play somewhere,” Indians manager Terry Francona said at Tribe Fest. “You can bet on that. Is that every day in center field? Is it sometimes in center field? That’s what we have to figure out. But we know we have an everyday player, and we’re excited.
“His better baseball is ahead of him. He’s a strong kid, as you can see. He was learning the league last year, and there were times that you could tell the league was learning him. But he always made an adjustment, and he always kind of came back with a vengeance.”
There are many reasons for fans to like Mercado. He has an easy-going smile, and he fits in well in the Indians’ clubhouse. He won’t be a free agent until 2026.
More importantly, Mercado isn’t content with what he did last season.
Fatigue was a factor late in the season. He was hitless in 16 at-bats over his last five games and just one for five in each of the two games before that. Otherwise his impressive rookie numbers would have been even better than they were.
“I know I’m still hungry to get better,” Mercado said. “I treated the offseason that way and going into the season it’s going to be the same thing.
“I want to prove myself every year. It could be seven years down the road and I could have a good year after good year after good year, but I’m still going to want to get better. I want the changes that happen in my career to always be positive.”
So the next time Antonetti and Chernoff swing a trade for a player you know nothing about, have faith it will turn out well for the Indians. Mercado has gone 3-for-5 in Cactus League games this spring.