Dodgers Rumors: NL West battle brewing for Mike Clevinger?

Francisco Lindor is not the only Cleveland Indian that the Dodgers are interested in as the club also has interest in Mike Clevinger.

The Dodgers and Cleveland Indians have been in trade talks seemingly all off-season regarding Francisco Lindor.  That is not the only Indians player that the Dodgers have interest in as Mike Clevinger is also drawing interest from the Dodgers and also the Padres.  The inclusion of the Padres is very interesting as San Diego has also been linked to Lindor.

Whether the Padres are seriously interested in Clevinger and Lindor remains to be seen as their infield is already filled with Fernando Tatis Jr and former shortstop Manny Machado.  This could be an attempt to drive the asking price up for the Dodgers but nevertheless it is still an interesting development.  The NL West doesn’t have any true competitors for the Dodgers but the Padres are emerging.

The Padres have one of the top farm systems in baseball so they certainly have the prospects needed to pull off a major trade.  The Padres have been the most aggressive NL West rival this off-season adding Tommy Pham and Zach Davies in trades this off-season.  Their next move could be for another starting pitcher.

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For the Dodgers, Mike Clevinger would be a significant upgrade and slot in nicely into the number two or three spot in the rotation depending on where the Dodgers stick Kershaw.  A potential playoff rotation of Walker Buehler, Mike Clevinger, Clayton Kershaw, and Julio Urias or Dustin May would be able to match up with any other projected playoff rotation in the league.

The asking price for Clevinger is sky high and for fair reasons.  Not only is Clevinger projected to make just $4.5 million in 2020, but he is also under control through the 2022 season.  The Dodgers would be getting three seasons of Clevinger which warrants an asking price such as Dustin May or another top pitching prospect.

Whether the Dodgers are willing to do that remains to be seen but this is one case where the Indians are doing the right thing asking for a ton.  In 2019, Clevinger was sensational as he pitched to an ERA of 2.71 and his FIP came in even lower at 2.49.  Mike Clevinger also averaged 12 strikeouts per nine innings pitched last season.

The Dodgers have been involved in several big names so far this off-season with Francisco Lindor and Mookie Betts being the primary two.  Now Clevinger can be added to the mix although his asking price will be higher than the prospect price for Betts or Lindor.  The Padres being in the mix will hurt the Dodgers and keep the asking price sky-high.