White Sox in trade talks for Indians pitcher Mike Clevinger

Indians pitcher Mike Clevinger is reportedly a trade target of the White Sox.

The Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox are rivals in the AL Central, but that’s not stopping them from engaging in trade talks that could benefit both sides.

The two teams are hammering out the details of a trade that would send starting pitcher Mike Clevinger to Chicago for outfield help for Cleveland, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Nightengale speculated that White Sox outfielder Adam Engel could be included in the trade along with injured pitching prospect Michael Kopech.

Rival White Sox and Indians are looking to make each other stronger.

The White Sox are on the verge of making the playoffs for the first time in a decade, but their pitching rotation could use an extra arm. After Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel and Dylan Cease, they don’t have another viable starter to turn to for a playoff run.

Clevinger has maintained an ERA of 3.18 in 2020. By comparison, Chicago starter Gio Gonzalez has an ERA of 5.11 in six appearances.

Last year, Clevinger’s ERA was 2.71 with 13 wins in 21 starts.

The Indians are in the opposite position. The incentive for trading Clevinger comes from their loaded rotation.

Here’s how Jon Heyman of MLB Network put it: “Indians have 6 very good or better starters, all on cost-efficient deals. Price is appropriately high.”

Heyman highlighted the Braves, Padres, Yankees and Dodgers among potential trade partners. MLB Insider Robert Murray confirmed the Yankees and Padres as teams in talks with Cleveland, with an asking price of “four quality prospects.”

It’s clear the White Sox have some competition to get the deal done while the Indians have plenty of leverage to get what they need.

Cleveland leads the AL Central by one game over Chicago with Minnesota in the hunt but a game and a half behind.