Dodgers Rumor Round Up: Corey Kluber, Free Agent, Outfield

If you asked me a month ago what I thought about the prospect of having Corey Kluber on the Dodgers I would have told you I am all for the idea. An ace pitcher with two highly effective pitches and an arsenal of great ones behind them, Kluber would have been as good a compliment to Clayton Kershaw as you can get.

Ask me the same question today and the answer is different. I’m on the fence. I’m on the fence not because Kluber has changed or because his financial status has changed but because of new teams now in the mix for the Indians’ All-Star.

The Padres have jumped in the race. Originally when they hopped on this ship it was speculated that they were using their elite farm system to up the Dodgers price in a potential trade. But, as time went on it became more and more clear the Padres had a real interest in Kluber and the ultimate desire would be to flip him to the Reds for Nick Senzel.

Back to my point.

If the Padres are involved the Dodgers will quickly lose the ability to comfortably compete with the Padres’ offer. The Padres have the combination of young major league talent an amazing prospects to outbid the Dodgers and that is not a battle I think the Dodgers are interested in fighting.

Is a trade for Kluber still possible? Yes. But the Dodgers should tread with caution at this point.