Dodgers Trading For Star Shortstop?

While MLB is still in the heat of the World Series, one eliminated playoff team may be moving one of its star shortstops for another star shortstop. That would be surprising under Andrew Friedman, given that the Dodgers usually thrive on a homegrown core.

The latest by Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com is reporting that the Dodgers are open to the idea of trading Corey Seager, their star shortstop for many years, for Indians star shortstop Francisco Lindor. The big reason for this may be because the Dodgers had a .303 on-base percentage during this month's NLDS loss to the Nationals. Many believe that this is unacceptable and if true and the trade is pulled, it also proves that Andrew Friedman found that unacceptable as well.

It's unclear as of yet what the plans are for the Dodgers in 2020 but it seems the Dodgers are open-minded to the idea of a shakeup in this offseason. We had thought they shook it up a little bit with the trade of Yasiel Puig and Alex Wood to the Cincinnati Reds last offseason but they still managed to make the playoffs with the additions of AJ Pollock and Joe Kelly. However, getting to the World Series and winning it was the expectation and they fell way short of it.

Lindor is coming off his fourth consecutive All-Star season and would bring an All-Star caliber and some consistency at the shortstop position. Seager, on the other hand, has yet to replicate the kind of offensive production that earned him the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2016. Although most of that lack of production has been due to injuries, the Dodgers are an impatient organization when it comes to winning and winning now. If they believe that Seager is not going to be the type of shortstop they expected in his rookie year, they will get rid of him.

Seager ranked eighth this year in OPS this year among major league shortstops but was a big outlier in a lineup that has high plate discipline. He swung at 51.1 percent of the pitches that he saw, according to a recent stat from FanGraphs.com. That's the highest of any Dodgers hitter with at least 100 plate appearances.

With Lindor, the Dodgers would be a natural suitor for him, given that he's a switch-hitter that would help cover platoon advantages and the Dodgers, with all the rich talent they have in their farm system, would have enough capital to give Cleveland a promising offer.

Despite the Dodgers winning seven consecutive division titles and finishing this decade with the most regular-season wins in the National League, winning the World Series still eludes them. They haven't won one since 1988 and their is a sense of urgency in the Dodgers that it's a now or never deal. While I would like to see Corey Seager win a World Series in LA, I doubt that he'll be around to see that happen. They will most likely get rid of him or trade him if it means getting closer to their goal.

Lindor would be a great fit for them and would accomplish what they need in a star shortstop right now. It's now or never for the Dodgers and the urgency will be too great for them to miss out on this offer. I would make any deal, if I were Friedman, to get a guy who would be a big asset in that lineup.