After missing out on signing Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon at the Winter Meetings, the Los Angeles Dodgers have pivoted to the trade market in their effort to acquire another impact player.
The club has most prominently been connected to Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, who is set to become a free agent after the 2021 season. Multiple scenarios have been floated around, including one in which Mike Clevinger could be packaged to L.A. as well.
A high asking price has been placed on the switch-hitting shortstop, as the Indians are reportedly seeking Gavin Lux as the headliner in a potential trade with the Dodgers.
To this point, L.A. has held firm in their stance of not trading Lux under any circumstances. It hasn’t deterred teams from trying to acquire him, however, as the 21-year-old is reportedly the Dodgers’ most sought after player in discussions, via Jon Heyman of MLB Network:
Gavin Lux is the most coveted Dodgers player in trade talks. Don’t you think the Brewers, with their unsettled infield, would want the Kenosha, Wis. product in a potential Hader deal? However, belief so far of many is that the Dodgers wouldn’t trade Lux “in any scenario.”
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 17, 2019
Interest in Lux shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering his rise in multiple prospect rankings after tearing the cover off the ball with Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City during the 2019 season.
He earned his first big league promotion in September and promptly hit .240/.305/.400 with four doubles, one triple, two home runs and nine RBI across 82 plate appearances (23 games).
The Dodgers have rebuffed teams’ interest in Lux over the last year and a half, refusing to deal him for the likes of Manny Machado, J.T. Realmuto and Felipe Vazquez.
Part of their reluctance to trade Lux is L.A.’s belief that he may develop into a player just as talented as Lindor.
Should talks with the Indians fail to progress, the Dodgers have identified Mookie Betts as a fallback option. In exploratory talks with the Boston Red Sox, L.A. has reportedly dangled Corey Seager due to their preference of keeping Lux.
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