Dodgers: Mookie Betts makes more sense for LA than Francisco Lindor

The Dodgers are continuing to pursue a trade for either Mookie Betts or Francisco Lindor.  While both players are stars, only one of them fits perfectly in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers have been involved in plenty of rumors this off-season ranging from Gerrit Cole to Josh Donaldson.  Lately, the rumors have been trade related with Mookie Betts and Francisco Lindor being the primary trade targets.  Lindor rumors are nothing new as those first surfaced back in October before the World Series came to an end.  The rumors involving Betts were always an idea but this week more concrete rumors came out.

While either addition would be huge for the Dodgers and increase their World Series odds, there is only one move that is perfect for the 2020 team and that is trading for Mookie Betts.  Whether a potential trade would bring back David Price or just be for Betts alone, he makes far more sense for next year’s team.  Here are three reasons why Mookie Betts makes more sense for the Dodgers to acquire.

Mookie Betts fits the Dodger lineup better

If the Dodgers were to acquire Mookie Betts, he would slide into his regular position of right field without shifting around the rest of the Dodger lineup.  The Dodgers can either trade away an outfielder like Joc Pederson while letting Alex Verdugo get the bulk of the starts in left field.  A.J. Pollock could be the fourth outfielder getting some starts against left-handed pitching where he excelled in 2019.

The Dodger outfield would be dynamic both offensively and defensively with an alignment of Verdugo, Bellinger, and Mookie Betts.  That would be one of the best defensive outfields in baseball and help a starting rotation that is suddenly looking a lot younger for 2020.  If the blue were to acquire Francisco Lindor, the roster would go through a shakeup of sorts.

If the Dodgers did not include Corey Seager in a deal for Lindor, the Dodgers would need to shift Seager over to third base with Justin Turner shifting across the diamond to first base.  Then Max Muncy would slide over from first base to second base and Gavin Lux would be out of a regular position.  Lux could be tried in the outfield although that could affect his offensive performance by shifting around positions.

Corey Seager could be included in a deal that would free up shortstop for Lindor but that brings up the next issue.

Betts is a big upgrade, Lindor is not

While Mike Trout is the best player in baseball, the next best player just might be Mookie Betts.  Over the last three seasons, Betts has produced an OPS of .977 against southpaws and .907 against right-handed pitching.   In addition to his gold glove defense, Betts would provide the Dodgers with another potential thirty plus home run hitter and a new speed threat.  Mookie has averaged 21 stolen bases a season during his career.

The upgrade of Mookie Betts over Joc Pederson or A.J. Pollock would be substantial.  The case isn’t the same for Francisco Lindor.  While Lindor is a star in his own right, he has not been a huge upgrade over Corey Seager.  Since Corey Seager missed most of the 2018 season, let’s take a look at the 2016, 2017, and 2019 seasons of Seager and Francisco Lindor.

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Corey Seager has posted a wRC+ of 136, 127, and 113 for his last three full seasons.  In those same seasons of 2016, 2017, and 2019, Lindor has posted a wRC+ of 109, 116, and 114.  Lindor’s best wRC+ was 130 in 2018 but that still trails Seager’s best wRC+ of 136.  Corey came back from two major surgeries in 2019 as well but he still had an identical 2019 wRC+ rating to Lindor.

While there is some risk that Corey Seager never reaches his pre-surgery potential, he is still young and there is still hope he has a massive rebound season in 2020.  The only areas where Lindor is a clear upgrade over Seager come on defense and on the base paths.  Lindor averages close to 20 stolen bases a season and his defense is better than Seager but overall he is not that big of an upgrade.

Mookie Betts is the best fit for the Dodgers and he would be the biggest upgrade for the team both offensively and defensively.  If David Price comes along in a trade too then he can help the Dodgers cover innings lost by Hyun-Jin Ryu since youngsters such as Julio Urias and Dustin May could be on another innings limit in 2020.

Dodger fans should be happy if the club acquires either Betts or Lindor, but Mookie Betts makes way more sense.