If you heard (or believe) the most recent chatter on the Francisco Lindor trade saga, then it appears we could be in the 11th hour of the Cleveland Indians’ decision on the All-Star’s future. On Friday Ken Rosenthal reported that the club would be accepting final offers for Lindor and reviewing them over the weekend.
Of course, the Dodgers have reportedly been heavily involved in trade conversations with Cleveland seemingly all off-season. It is also pretty well known that Los Angeles has a strong preference to hold on to its number one prospect Gavin Lux.
?”Are the Dodgers actually/finally going to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade?! Will it be for Francisco Lindor or Mookie Betts?”
?Watch Full Clip: https://t.co/uS8rtAxg4o#dodgers #lindor #clevinger #mlb #mlbhotstove #lableedsblue #mlbtwitter pic.twitter.com/lCC2jXqqz5
— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) December 23, 2019
As the Dodgers look to potentially add not only Francisco Lindor but also starting pitcher Mike Clevinger, the understanding is that Cleveland would undoubtedly ask for a big haul in return. Now Pedro Moura — Dodgers reporter for The Athletic — adds his 2 cents while holding a recent Q&A on the site.
Moura was asked his thoughts on a good trade package from Los Angeles in a trade where Lux is “untouchable.”
It would probably include Dustin May and another top-10 organizational prospect. Alternatively, the clubs could try to construct a deal that included Corey Seager.
In a world where Gavin Lux is “1a” untouchable, Dustin May is “1b” right beside him. “Big Red” is a live-arm righty much like Cleveland’s Clevinger. If the Dodgers’ chief need this off-season is pitching — their play on free agent Gerrit Cole says as much — it would be tough to imagine the club moving May in a deal for Lindor alone.
Moreover, on the Corey Seager front, if Cleveland’s chief off-season goal is to trim its payroll and maintain sustainability, swapping Lindor for Seager saves roughly $10M on the books for 2020, but it may be a tough sell to a fan base that just saw their two-time AL Cy Young award winner traded earlier this month.
While crazier things have happened, it seems highly unlikely that the Indians move the face of their franchise and another elite-level arm fully coming into his own without one or both of Lux and May in return.
NEXT: SportsLine Has Dodgers as Favorites to Land Lindor
