The Cleveland Indians have been looking hard for help prior to the MLB trade deadline, but there hasn't been many opportunities to add the pieces they need. Now, it looks like the Indians could be interested in becoming sellers at the deadline as opposed to buyers. According to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports on Twitter, the San Francisco Giants are interested in reliever Chris Perez, though it's unclear just how much interest they have.
Ken Rosenthal notes the Giants' interest and sheds some light on why the Indians might be interested in moving Perez at this point:
The San Francisco Giants, seeking late-inning help, are interested in Perez, according to major-league sources. The Indians could entertain moving Perez for two reasons - they are deep in relievers, and Perez likely will earn about $7 million next season in his second year of arbitration.
It would be interesting to see what the Indians could get for someone like Perez. They certainly have no outright need to trade him immediately - he's a productive member of the pitching staff - but that contract next season will likely be prohibitive to them holding onto him for much longer.
The Giants, on the other hand, really could use Perez. Brian Wilson is injured and Guillermo Mota is serving a suspension due to banned substances. On top of that, Santiago Casilla has been less-than stellar of late, making Sergio Romo the only really solid reliever/closer on the roster right now. The team could be willing to pay a little bit more to get Perez as they make a push for another strong postseason run.
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