Los Angeles Dodgers: 2019 Christmas Wish List
The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the middle of numerous trade talks and free agency rumors so here’s their wish list this Christmas.
The Los Angeles Dodgers missed out on Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, and Anthony Rendon (to the team in Anaheim). So you could say they don’t want to strike out anymore, so without further ado let’s get to their wish list.
Trade for Francisco Lindor and/or Mike Clevinger
This is the biggest question of the Dodgers offseason–Will they get Lindor? There have been so many rumors flying around about the aggressiveness of the Dodgers when it comes to getting Lindor, but the Indians have reportedly asked teams for their final offers before the weekend.
So, all Dodgers fans can do is wait to see if the Dodgers offered enough. I would think that a Lindor deal does not get done based on the certainty the Indians front office has had in interviews over the last couple of weeks.
But if the Dodgers were to get Lindor, they would be the overwhelming favorites in the National League. Their infield would consist of Justin Turner, Lindor, Max Muncy, and either Corey Seager or Gavin Lux. I say that because I just don’t envision the Dodgers being able to get Lindor without sending Cleveland either Seager or prized infielder Gavin Lux.
Mike Clevinger, the Indians ace, is another very intriguing trade possibility for Los Angeles. He is one of the most underrated starters in the game, as he has a freakishly dominant fastball and slider combination.
He recorded a 2.71 ERA in 2019 with nearly 170 strikeouts in 126 innings pitched.
It would be easy to say that Los Angeles Dodgers fans would be frustrated if their club wasn’t able to land one of the two Indians stars, especially after the rumor-filled offseason they have had to endure.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 2019 Christmas Wish List
Add starting pitching and bullpen help
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The Los Angeles Dodgers rotation is not as deep as it should be right now. They have only one true dominant pitcher, Walker Buehler, and then have Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, and Julio Urias behind him.
The Dodgers’ big worry is that they will lose Hyun-Jin Ryu, who was second in the Cy Young award race last year behind Jacob deGrom. Ryu signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for $80 million over 4 years.
Ryu has a lot of interest, as he is the best starter remaining on the market so what are Los Angeles’ other options on the market?
They could go get Aaron Sanchez or Taijuan Walker to be in the back of the rotation, but they could look more internally to guys like Dustin May—if he doesn’t get traded.
As for the bullpen, it has gotten a little bit of a boost through the Blake Treinen signing, but there could still be some work to do there. After Kenley Jansen, Joe Kelly, Treinen, and Pedro Baez there aren’t many reliable arms considering Dave Roberts wasn’t comfortable in going to Adam Kolerak to get Juan Soto out in Game 5 of the NLDS.
dark. Next. Yanks: an offer for Lindor Cleveland can't refuse
Some external options in the relief market include Dellin Betances, Cody Allen, and Daniel Hudson. A Betances and/or Cody Allen signing would mirror a Blake Treinen signing–a low risk and high reward one-year deal–while Daniel Hudson proved last postseason with the Washington Nationals that he can close out big games under the big lights.