CLEVELAND -- Francisco Lindor sat at a podium inside the lower level of the Huntington Convention Center, his purple and pink New Balance 997S shoes dangling off a stool.
As a 25-year-old preparing to play in what will be his fourth Midsummer Classic, Monday's All-Star Game media day was business as usual, with the location of this year's exhibition only adding to his comfortability.
What's less familiar for the All-Star shortstop, however, is the position his team currently finds itself in. Although the Cleveland Indians are in the midst of a six-game winning streak, they still find themselves 5.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central. And for a ballclub that's won division titles in each of the last three years, that's led to some questions as to whether the Indians will be buyers or sellers in the weeks leading up to the July 31 trade deadline.
On Monday, Lindor made his opinion on the matter known.
"I believe in my team and what we have in our clubhouse and what we have is good. What we have in the clubhouse is really good," Lindor answered when asked a question about chasing the first-place Twins. "And we're going to be adding pieces. I think we should be adding pieces to help us continue the run."
As for what the left-handed-heavy hitting Indians could use, it isn't exactly hard to figure out.
"We all hit lefty -- we have left-handed hitters, so probably maybe a right-handed hitter," Lindor said when asked specifically what Cleveland needs.
The 2-time Silver Slugger isn't wrong.
Through their first 85 games of the season, the Indians are hitting .232 vs. left-handed pitching compared to .250 against righties. A big part of that has been the composition of Cleveland's roster, which has typically been left-hand heavy when it comes to position players.
While the Indians' top two hitters -- Lindor and fellow All-Star Carlos Santana -- are switch-hitters, left-handers Jason Kipnis, Tyler Naquin, Jake Bauers and Bobby Bradley have each become regulars in Cleveland's lineup. That leaves Jordan Luplow, Roberto Perez and Oscar Mercado as the team's lone right-handers, which has proven to be a disadvantage against left-handed pitching.
Potentially complicating matters for the Indians could be what has thus far been an unwillingness to spend this season, although the prorated nature of the salaries they would potentially be taking on could prove more palatable. Detroit Tigers outfielder Nicholas Castellanos -- who is right-handed -- for example, makes $10 million, but would only be owed roughly two months of that should Cleveland acquire him on or around July 31.
And in addition to finding a player who fits skill-set and salary-wise, Lindor also noted the need for any player the Indians might acquire to fit into the team's established culture.
"The front office, they always do a great job. They always do a great job adding [not just] what we need, but the right person," he said. "At the end of the day, what kind of person you bring to the clubhouse, it goes a lot further than just bringing a really good player that doesn't fit in our group."
To this point, trade rumors involving the Indians as buyers have been scarce, although some have suggested the team might deal starting pitcher Trevor Bauer or All-Star closer Brad Hand with an eye on 2020 and 2021. That, however, was before Cleveland trimmed its division deficit to 5.5 games, with a three-game series vs. Minnesota waiting on the other side of the All-Star break.
How the Indians fare in that series could very well determine its trade deadline approach. And while Lindor has made his feelings on the matter known, he also insists he's not overstepping his role.
"I leave that to the front office," he said. "I just play the game and have fun."