Los Angeles Dodgers: The trade to make if LA signs Bryce Harper

The Los Angeles Dodgers have emerged front and center in the Bryce Harper sweepstakes, which could cause some dominoes to fall.

The start of Spring Training has not stopped the Los Angeles Dodgers from making noise on the MLB’s hot stove. It appeared as if the Dodgers were done making moves for the 2019 season and had the finished version of the team that fans would see at Dodger Stadium.

That was until Sunday, when a Dodgers contingent led by Andrew Friedman and Dave Roberts met with Bryce Harper in Las Vegas.

The Philadelphia Phillies seem to be the perfect team for Harper. They have the cap space to sign the megastar and have a young and talented roster that will contend for the next several years. The fact that it has taken this long, especially after Manny Machado signed, makes it seem like Harper has cold feet about playing in Philadelphia.

As for the Dodgers, he gets the benefits of the massive Los Angeles market and gets to play as close to home (Las Vegas) as he could. The Dodgers are undoubtedly contenders and are a short hour flight, at most, to Vegas.

The Dodgers are not even backing down from the meeting, as Dave Roberts made public comments about it. This could be a sign that the team is just trying to drive up the price but why would a contingent leave Phoenix just to drive the price up?

This has many people thinking that the Dodgers might snag Harper on a five or six-year deal with a high approximate annual value. Personally, I doubt the Dodgers make this signing but it is a discussion that is worth happening.

If the Dodgers do indeed sign Harper to a contract then there is a trade the team should make or at least attempt making.

Yes, the ‘ol Corey Kluber trade that was speculated at the beginning of the season and has since died down.

There is a reason that the Kluber talk has decreased at the same time as the Harper talk fizzled out. Adding Kluber was a luxury the team could have had by adding another outfielder. If Harper signs, trading Alex Verdugo suddenly becomes much easier.

The Indians want a talented outfielder that can play every day and does not cost an arm and leg. Verdugo has been big league ready for over a year and hasn’t even hit his rookie minimum. He will instantly have an impact with his bat and elite defense.

Trading Rich Hill is necessary for salary reasons. Hill is owed $18.67 million this season, which is the final year of his deal. The Dodgers would already be biting the bullet and going over the luxury tax this season but trading Hill would allow the team to stay under the draft pick penalty.

The Indians would take on a bit more money but would get an arm that can help a playoff run this year without and long-term repercussions.

The Los Angeles Dodgers would get an elite arm that would help cushion the blow of potentially having a 60 percent version of Clayton Kershaw. Some may refute this trade because of pitching depth but the pitching staff is not as deep as you think.

Both Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu are free agents after this year and will likely walk. Kluber is under contract through the 2021 season and helps maintain that depth.

I don’t know about you but I would rather have a staff of Kershaw, Kluber, Walker Buehler, Julio Urias and whoever emerges as the fifth starter in 2020. The alternative would be Kershaw, Buehler, Urias, maybe Ross Stripling and maybe Kenta Maeda, if they do well starting this season.

The outfield would still be deep with Harper, Cody Bellinger and A.J. Pollock as the starters. Sure, Harper’s fielding is significantly worse than Verdugo’s but the elite fielding of Pollock and Bellinger would make up the difference.

As I said, I doubt the Los Angeles Dodgers open the pocketbook and pay Bryce Harper the $30+ million that he wants per year. However, if the team does, expect an Alex Verdugo trade sometime after.