Even as the likes of Josh Donaldson, Dallas Keuchel and Hyun-Jin Ryu remain available in free agency, the Los Angeles Dodgers appear much more keen on adding to their roster via trade.
The club has again been linked to Cleveland Indians All-Star Francisco Lindor, and they are also said to have started trade talks with the Boston Red Sox for Mookie Betts. Both players are seemingly available to some extent because of financial implications.
Lindor remains under team control through the 2021 season, while Betts is in the final year of salary arbitration.
Like in their reported negotiations with the Indians, the Dodgers have made Corey Seager available to the Red Sox but not Gavin Lux, per Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports:
Los Angeles has included shortstop Corey Seager in trade talks with Boston and Cleveland, but are much more reluctant to part with prized prospect Gavin Lux, their shortstop of the future.
It’s unclear how receptive Boston is to acquiring Seager, but indications to this point are Cleveland is not interested in the two-time All-Star. Like Lindor, Seager is under team control for two more seasons.
He’s coming off an uneven campaign that can be explained with trying to knock off rust after essentially missing all of 2018 because of Tommy John surgery and a subsequent hip operation. When Seager did begin to find a rhythm this past season, it was halted by a hamstring strain.
The 25-year-old nonetheless is one of baseball’s top shortstops when healthy. Seager was a unanimous Rookie of the Year selection in 2016, and an All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner in each of his first two full seasons.
The Dodgers’ apparent willingness to trade Seager likely stems from his forthcoming free agency and having Lux waiting in the wings. Of course, they could just as well elect to keep Seager heading into the 2020 season and bank on a productive year as he’s further removed from surgery.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in our live shows, and more!
