Los Angeles Dodgers: Why the Dodgers won’t trade for Francisco Lindor
By Jason Reed
After missing out on the three star free agents of the offseason, the latest speculation around the Los Angeles Dodgers involves a massive trade.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were unable to sign any of the three big free agents this winter, Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg. The team reportedly offered Cole an eight-year, $300 million contract and did not even offer a contract to Rendon.
However, as the front office said leading into this offseason, the is looking at elite-level players that could make the difference for a team that has been on the cusp of winning a World Series for seven years but cannot get over the hump.
Thus, the latest name to be tied to the Los Angeles Dodgers is Cleveland Indians all-star shortstop, Francisco Lindor. Reports of the Dodgers potentially inquiring about Lindor early in the offseason served as the appetizer as now there are reports of the two sides being involved in trade talks.
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The reported asking price from the Indians includes Gavin Lux and Dustin May, which certainly makes sense. They would be parting ways with a franchise player that is young and would want an elite package in return.
Tied alongside Lindor in these reports are Mike Clevinger, which would add another difference-making arm to the rotation to bolster an already great rotation. Fans are having their way with these reports, envisioning the different lineups and rotations with Lindor and Clevinger.
Fans should not get too invested in this Lindor fantasy idea as it won’t come to be. The Los Angeles Dodgers undoubtedly will not trade for Lindor this winter, despite all of the reports of engaged trade talks.
The Indians rightfully have a high asking price for Lindor and as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has alluded, there is nothing forcing the Indians to trade Lindor at this given time. Lindor still has two more seasons of team control and there is no reason to move on from him now when they can let the market develop for a year then trade him before his last season under contract.
That is the path that makes the most sense for the Los Angeles Dodgers as well. By doing this, the Dodgers can remove the Indians’ leverage in the situation and simply have to beat the next best offer next year, which might not take both Lux and May.
We have seen this time and time again with the likes of Yu Darvish and Manny Machado and we see it widespread across the league all the time. The most likely scenario is that he gets traded with one year or half a year left under contract.
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It also gives the Los Angeles Dodgers more time to evaluate Lux and May and determine which one is imperative to the team’s future and which one can be moved, which right now, is not clear.