The Indians are going to make a move before the July 31 trading deadline.

Team president Mark Shapiro all but guaranteed as much during a radio interview Friday and it’s no secret the club has been actively searching for offensive assistance on the trade market.

But who are they going to get and is it going to be enough?

One thing is clear, with Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore on the shelf with injuries, the Indians need a big bat to stay afloat in the Central Division race — pulling into Saturday trailing the first-place Tigers by 1 1/2 games after leading the division for much of the opening half.

They could use a starting pitcher as well — can’t we all? — but offensive help is the primary focus here.

Unfortunately for the Indians, the pickings are slim in this department — at least from an impact player standpoint, where really, the Mets’ Carlos Beltran and Houston’s Hunter Pence, are the only players reportedly available that fit the bill.

Cleveland has also been tied to interest in outfielders B.J. Upton (Tampa Bay), Josh Willingham (Oakland) and Ryan Ludwick (San Diego), but none of them has the ability to carry an offense like Beltran and Pence, which is the type of player the Indians need for the trade to make a real difference.

Sure, Upton and Ludwick improve the offense, but not enough to part with one of their four prized prospects — pitchers Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall and second baseman Jason Kipnis.

That’s the dilemma that confronts the Indians in any trade. Because they have little to offer in terms of established veteran players, teams are going to want one or two of their top prospects.

That might be worth it to land someone such as Pence, who is still young, but can be signed long-term, albeit to a projected big money deal that the low-budget Indians normally avoid with players outside the organization.

But Beltran, probably the most talented outfielder available and a middle-of-the-order hitter manager Manny Acta covets, isn’t worth the effort or the price. He’s a 10-5 guy (at least 10 years of experience with the last five on the same team) and has the right to veto any trade, something that’s pretty likely should the Mets try shipping him to Cleveland.

Even if he would accept the trade, how long before his inflated ego would start causing problems in the clubhouse and how long before he would start quitting on the Indians, knowing he was a free agent at the end of the year?

That’s not worth losing part of your projected future, is it?

Normally, I would say go for it. Playoff opportunities don’t come along often, especially for small-market teams such as the Indians, and you can rarely predict when they do — as evidenced by the Tribe’s already surprising run this season.

But dealing one or two from Cleveland’s talented prospect pool doesn’t make much sense, unless it’s for Pence or someone else of his mold — and the Indians don’t appear likely to be in the running for anyone like that.

If it’s not a top-shelf offensive weapon that can hold down the tepee until Choo and Sizemore return, then what the Indians acquire in a trade isn’t going to be enough to turn them back into a contender anyway. Remember, Sizemore and Choo weren’t exactly tearing things up before injuries struck.

Unless there’s a big bopper that surfaces over the next week or so, hold onto your prospects and go get em next year.

Nick of time

Speaking of offense, don’t be surprised to see the arrival of veteran first baseman Nick Johnson, who has been playing in rehab games for Triple-A Columbus after offseason surgery on a problematic wrist.

Cleveland’s starting first baseman, Matt LaPorta, is struggling again — shocker — and it might be worth taking a look at Johnson, an oft-injured player but a career .270 hitter in nine big league seasons, most notably with the Yankees.

In an effort to provide an offensive lift, the Indians have promoted plenty of inexperienced players from the minors — i.e. Cord Phelps, Chisenhall and Kipnis. Why not see what a proven one can do, especially when LaPorta has proven he’s still not ready to fill expectations stemming from the CC Sabathia trade with Milwaukee in 2008?

If Johnson doesn’t hit, but him loose. It’s as easy as that.

Power Poll

1. Philadelphia Phillies: Roy Halladay couldn’t take the heat, but the Phillies are still top chef in this kitchen.

2. Boston Red Sox: Boston looks like it’s brewing up a run at a world title showdown with Philly.

3. New York Yankees: Though always dangerous, Yanks are being forced to overcome a wealth of injuries.

4. Texas Rangers: Defending AL champs are getting hot again and still resemble the only other team in the league that can challenge the Big 2 in the East.

5. Atlanta Braves: Building a nice lead in the NL wild card race, which figures to be their only avenue into the postseason.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

CLEVELAND — The Indians’ season-long parade of top prospects marched on Friday at Progressive Field.

Jason Kipnis started at second base and batted eighth in his first big league game, going 0-for-2 and being hit by a pitch as the Tribe dropped a 3-0 decision to the Chicago White Sox. Cleveland’s 2010 Minor League Player of the Year had been promoted from Triple-A Columbus a day earlier.

“We brought Jason up because we feel he can help us win games,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “He’s not a finished product, and neither is Lonnie (Chisenhall), but we still feel like he can help us win.

“In an ideal situation, you’d let them finish developing in the minor leagues, but we do feel like some of these guys can finish their development here.”

Kipnis failed to record a hit on the very humid evening, but made two strong defensive plays in front of a crowd that included his parents, Mark and Kay.

The Tribe’s second-round draft choice in 2009 sprinted down the right-field line to grab a Carlos Quentin fly ball in the first inning, then gunned down Mark Teahen on a hard-hit ball up the middle in the sixth.

“I really liked the plays he made defensively,” Acta said. “He showed some athleticism going to his right against Teahen, and really got over there to make a play on that ball by Quentin.”

The 24-year-old Kipnis became the seventh Cleveland player to make his MLB debut this season, joining third baseman Chisenhall, outfielder Ezequiel Carrera, second baseman Cord Phelps, starting pitchers Alex White and Zach McAllister and relief pitcher Josh Judy.

Kipnis was called up during his worst stretch of the season, batting just .103 over his last 10 games for the Clippers.

“I was a little surprised because it’s not like I’m playing at the top of my game right now,” he admitted. “But it’s always exciting. I think everybody dreams of that moment.”

On the season, Kipnis was hitting .289 with 12 home runs, 55 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 91 games with Columbus. He participated in the MLB All-Star Weekend Futures Game in Phoenix and was named an International League All-Star.

More impressive, the
5-foot-11, 185-pounder earned those honors in his first season at the Triple-A level. He split last year between Single-A Kinston and Double-A Akron while making the transition from the outfield to second base.

“We project this kid to be an everyday player, just like with Chisenhall,” Acta said. “But the fact is none of us honestly know what these guys are going to do until they get here.

“May I point out that (the now-demoted Luis) Valbuena had the best numbers of those guys in Triple-A and last year?”

Kipnis, though, seems like a pretty solid bet to stay with the Indians for the rest of the season.

The Illinois native was recently named the best prospect in the organization by Baseball Prospectus. That award came one year after he was chosen as a Baseball America All-Star.

Kipnis said the success he has had as a pro made him ready for this opportunity, which comes with the Tribe in the thick of a pennant race.

“This situation actually puts less pressure on myself,” said Kipnis, who bats left and throws right. “I just want to come in and help the team keep doing what it’s doing, which is winning games.”

CLEVELAND — A pivotal homestand began on a sour note for the Indians on Friday night.

With their offense flailing once again, Cleveland dropped the first of nine consecutive games at Progressive Field, losing the series opener to the White Sox, 3-0.

It was the third straight loss for the Indians, who were hoping to pick up some steam at home after squandering first place in the Central Division during their recent road trip. They trail the Tigers by 1 1/2 games in the standings.

“There’s not much you can do when you don’t score any runs,” said Cleveland manager Manny Acta, whose club was shut out for the 10th time this season, losing for the fifth time in six games against Chicago. “It is what it is. We’ve had to battle all year with our offense. We’re going to get shut out once in a while.”

Indians hitters, with that term used loosely, generated little off White Sox starter Gavin Floyd, who entered the night at 7-9 with a 4.37 ERA.

Cleveland didn’t muster a hit over the first three innings, and just four in 7 2/3 innings off the unheralded right-hander, who struck out five.

“He was just two-seamer and cutter,” right fielder Austin Kearns said of Floyd, who allowed just one runner to advance to second base on Lonnie Chisenhall’s two-out double in the fifth. “His velocity wasn’t what it usually is. He was just getting guys off the barrel.

“It’s just one of those things. We just didn’t have that many opportunities.”

Chisenhall, one of only two baserunners to advance to third on the night, had two of Cleveland’s five hits.

With Floyd in the dugout, the Indians got leadoff hits in each of the final two innings but left them both stranded, Carlos Santana grounding out before Orlando Cabrera drove a ball to the wall with runners on second and third in the eighth.

Michael Brantley’s leadoff single in the ninth was followed by three straight outs — two of them on strikeouts (Asdrubal Cabrera and Matt LaPorta).

With no offensive support, Indians starter Carlos Carrasco was forced to go it alone. Though the right-hander offered up a positive outing, he wasn’t nearly enough, losing for the fourth straight time by allowing three runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings.

It appeared it would be a brief night for Carrasco, who walked the first two batters he faced and stranded seven Sox on base over first three innings.

“Carlos gave us a chance, despite having a lot of traffic out there early,” Acta said. “We just couldn’t get anything going against Floyd.”

Carrasco got himself in one jam he wasn’t able to get out of, with all three of his runs coming in the fifth.

He retired the first batter of the inning before allowing three straight hits, the final one a three-run home run from Carlos Quentin.

“You can’t get out of every jam,” Acta said. “Carlos got him.”

Jason Kipnis was promoted prior to the game, with one of Cleveland’s top prospects making his major league debut, starting at second base in place of veteran Orlando Cabrera.

Kipnis went 0-for-2, grounding to second in his first at-bat, flying to right with runners on first and third and two out in the fifth and getting hit by a pitch in the eighth.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.