3 trade packages that can help Dodgers land Francisco Lindor

The Dodgers are apparently going to explore trading for Francisco Lindor.

Any time a potential trade scenario presents itself, you can count Los Angeles Dodgers president Andrew Friedman in. The man is always looking to at least discuss deals, and now with one of the best shortstops in the league reportedly being placed on the trade block, you can bet the World Series champs will be involved in some capacity.

Do the Dodgers need Francisco Lindor? Not at all. They already have Corey Seager at shortstop and would probably like to extend him if given the chance. But what if Scott Boras (Seager’s agent) plays hardball and either wants a ton of money or opts to wait for free agency? That’s one potential roadblock for LA.

Another? What if the Dodgers don’t retain Justin Turner? That certainly seems like a realistic occurrence, and if they can bring in Lindor, perhaps they move Seager to third for 2021 (and potentially beyond, if he wants to stay with the franchise) to sport an All-World infield? That’s a true Dodgers move if you ask us.

Additionally, the Dodgers easily have the prospect capital to make this happen. They boast arguably the best farm system in the league and even have some major league talent they can part with to provide the best package possible for the Indians, in the event this becomes a bidding war of sorts.

But it might not even have to get that far because of what the Dodgers potentially have to offer. Here are three trade packages that could help the Dodgers land Lindor in a blockbuster trade this offseason.

3. Gavin Lux to Cleveland for Lindor

The Dodgers can pretty much end these discussions before they begin with this offer.

In 2019, Gavin Lux was named Baseball America’s Minor League Baseball Player of the Year and was considered by many the top prospect in the sport heading into the 2020 season (before he exceeded his rookie limits). We understand this might not be a preferred move because there’s a glaring need at second base with Enrique Hernandez hitting free agency and Chris Taylor entering the final year of his deal.

However, shortstop is Lux’s primary position and he’s made five errors in 40 games at second base so far in his MLB career. The Dodgers might not necessarily need him if he’s going to be a defensive liability during his early years.

The Indians would be able to cope with that, because if they’re trading Lindor then they’re certainly expecting to take a step back in the short-term as they re-tool and build around their promising pitching staff.

Los Angeles has an embarrassment of riches, so moving on from Lux would hardly hurt them here, especially with stud Michael Busch in the farm system. He’s expect to rise through the ranks fairly quickly, which would solve the void at second in a couple years. For now, they can use stopgap options if it means adding Lindor.

2. Tony Gonsolin and No. 11 Prospect DJ Peters to Cleveland for Lindor

The Dodgers can help the Indians bolster their pitching and outfield with this move.

While Tony Gonsolin’s flaws were as clear as day in the playoffs, he was Baseball America’s Rookie of the Year during the regular season. The 26-year-old owns a 2.60 ERA in 20 games (14 starts) and maintained a 2.31 mark with a 0.84 WHIP in nine games (eight starts). But the crazy part is that the Dodgers don’t need him.

They have Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias and Dustin May to lead the way for the foreseeable future and have the luxury of dealing from this excess. Plus, LA has Josiah Gray (No. 1 in farm system), Bobby Miller (No. 7), Clayton Beeter (No. 8) and Mitch White (No. 9) as pitchers that could be knocking on the MLB door soon.

Throwing in DJ Peters should coax the Indians as well considering they’ve been unable to get reliable offensive production from their outfield for what feels like years. Peters, 24, split time between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019 and slashed .249/.358/.453 with 71 runs scored, 23 home runs and 81 RBI.

The former fourth-round pick in 2016 should’ve gotten MLB action this year assuming there was a minor league season and he continued on that trajectory. Nonetheless, the Indians will have to deal with acquiring prospects that have missed a full year of playing time.

This deal will give Cleveland two promising controllable pieces that could help them in a big way over the next five or six years.