Dodgers: Possible trade packages for Francisco Lindor

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ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 02: Francisco Lindor #12 of the Cleveland Indians dives for a ball hit by Jefry Marte #19 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim during the ninth inning of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim home opening game at Angel Stadium on April 2, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Andrew Friedman said he wanted to change the complexion of the team. If the Dodgers add Francisco Lindor, they’d be doing just that.

As reported by John Paul Morosi for MLB.com, the Dodgers are rumored to be pursuing Lindor this offseason in what would become arguably the biggest blockbuster of the 2010s decade for the Dodgers (if of course the trade was completed before January 1, 2020).

Lindor’s merits do not need to be stated, as his stardom largely speaks for itself, but in case you doubt his talents or track record, I’ll list off some of his statistics here.

The shortstop known as “Mr. Smile” will turn 26 years old in three weeks. In each of his five seasons with the Cleveland Indians, Lindor has been a 4.0 fWAR player or better, including his rookie year in 2015 which was only 99 games long.

After looking like a batting average and defensive-minded player after his first two seasons, Lindor sacrificed some batting average for power over his last three seasons. In that span, he’s averaged 34 home runs, 20 steals, and a .278 AVG per season, good for an average fWAR of 5.9. He walks nearly as much as he strikes out (and he strikes out less than 100 times a season) and along with his three-season 30-home run streak, he has a three-season 40-doubles streak as well.

To put that in a Dodgers context, Cody Bellinger put up a 7.8 fWAR season in 2019 while only one other Dodger (Max Muncy 4.8 fWAR) eclipsed 4.0 fWAR. Bellinger hit 47 home runs and 34 doubles with a .305 AVG and his strikeouts and walks both hovered around 100.

Basically, Lindor has been able to put up numbers similar to Bellinger’s career year for three years running, while playing a Gold Glove level defense at a premium position in shortstop. He’s got two years left before free agency, which barring an extension, will come at the end of the 2021 season.

In this article, I’ll go through a few different options the Dodgers have as to how they can approach a trade for Lindor. Let’s get into it.

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