Dodgers: Speculating on front office’s 12 ‘elite’ Winter Meetings targets

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 19: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs rounds the bases after hitting a home run after hitting a home run off Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth inning during game five of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field on October 19, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 19: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs rounds the bases after hitting a home run after hitting a home run off Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth inning during game five of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field on October 19, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – AUGUST 30: Kevin Pillar #1 of the San Francisco Giants hits a sacrifice fly scoring Evan Longoria against the San Diego Padres in the bottom of the seventh inning at Oracle Park on August 30, 2019 in San Francisco, California. The Giants won the game 8-3. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Available Elite Infielders/Outfielders

Francisco Lindor is the first name that should pop into everyone’s head, and since I’ve already talked about his merits plenty, I’ll keep things brief. Lindor is a franchise player with a personality that seems like it could be built for the LA spotlight. If the Dodgers opt-out of adding Lindor, or if the Indians go ahead and make him unavailable, then there are still plenty of elite infield options.

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Kris Bryant is one of the major options, especially because MLBTR reports that the Cubs are very motivated to make a trade. Bryant is a three-time All-Star with an MVP award and World Series title under his belt. The young stud is a career .241/.308/.434 postseason hitter with 15 extra-base hits and 16 RBI across nine postseason series.

As a right-handed hitter with 30+ home run power, Bryant would slot in nicely into the Dodgers lineup, especially because he played all four corner outfield and corner infield slots in 2019 with the Chicago Cubs. Plus, the soon-to-be 28-year-old will be a free agent in 2022, meaning he’ll be under contract for the rest of the roster’s prime.

Other potential options include Josh DonaldsonKevin Pillar, and Nicholas Castellanos, all right-handed hitters with 20+ homer power. Donaldson and Pillar both play premier defense, while Castellanos showed his offensive prowess applies in both the AL and NL after joining the Cubs and dominating last summer.

Winter Meetings rumors from Day 2. dark. Next

With the Winter Meetings continuing through the rest of the week, the Dodgers become more and more likely to make a move with each coming day, and with Friedman’s recent comments, that move could be one that brings in a big-time player to one of the best teams in baseball.