3 trade packages that can help Dodgers land Francisco Lindor

1. No. 2 Prospect Keibert Ruiz, No. 21 Omar Estevez and No. 27 Brett de Geus to Cleveland for Lindor

The Dodgers can send a group of prospects if that’s what the Indians prefer.

At the end of the day, the Indians might prefer a package of two or more prospects to work their magic and perhaps one day have three contributing major league players. The Dodgers can provide that, too! What do ya know!

If Cleveland wants more than two prospects, then they’re definitely not getting two top-10 guys, so what about a package centered around Keibert Ruiz (No. 2 in Dodgers system), Omar Estevez (No. 21) and Brett de Geus (No. 27)? This hardly hurts LA because they already have Will Smith and Austin Barnes as catchers at the MLB level and have good middle infield/pitching depth in both the MLB and minor league ranks.

Dodgers fans are familiar with Ruiz by now, and at this point it’s likely best he’s used as a trade chip. Estevez is a versatile defender, having logged a lot of time at second base, shortstop and third while improving his hitting every year in the minors. The 22-year-old Cuban still has room to grow, so don’t let his .268 average and .728 OPS serve as a poor selling point. And then we have the 23-year-old de Geus, who converted from a starter to a reliever and was lights out in 2019, logging a 1.75 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 72 strikeouts in 61.2 innings of work in the lower levels of the Dodgers system.

These three players could fill crucial needs for the Indians. Cleveland has lacked a competent catcher for a while; versatile help in the infield is always valuable for teams with smaller budgets; and pitching coach Carl Willis will have a field day further developing de Geus.

Pick one of these deals. They all work.

Andrew Friedman’s comments on free agency indicate Joc Pederson, Justin Turner could be gone

Los Angeles Dodgers president Andrew Friedman talked about the team's needs in free agency, and it's possible Joc Pederson and Justin Turner are let go.