Well now that winter is here, all of the great trade rumors can start cooking!
The Dodgers and Indians have been linked together in rumors recently. The trade would involve a plethora of players and all of them would high caliber players. Los Angeles is eyeing the Indians starting rotation which includes: Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer. In return, the Indians would expect a handful of talented outfielders and prospects.
More than likely the Dodgers would only land one of the three Cleveland starters listed above but even one of those starters would make a difference. In the long run, Trevor Bauer would have more potential as he is the youngest of the three starters. However, Corey Kluber would make the biggest impact right off the bat. The upside to both pitchers is that they each have team friendly contracts for the next few seasons.
Kluber would make a deadly impact on the Dodgers and he has a stellar resume that would fit in well with the bright lights of Los Angeles. Since his rookie season in 2011, Kluber, 32, has won the American League Cy Young award two times and has been a three time All-Star. Not to mention he helped the Indians reach the World Series in 2016. Corey Kluber sports a nice win-loss record in the majors with 96 wins and 55 losses. In addition to that, Kluber’s career era is 3.09.
The Indians are in need of major league ready outfielders and the Dodgers have just what they need. Los Angeles has a plethora of outfielders that they could move. Joc Pederson, Chris Taylor, Alex Verdugo, Andrew Toles, Kikè Hernandez, Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Cody Bellinger are just a handful of outfielders that played last year with the Dodgers. Out of that bunch, Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson and Matt Kemp are probably the least likely to get traded. Matt Kemp isn’t likely to get traded just because of his contract, not because of talent. Joc Pederson is starting to mold into the player that he was supposed to be and Cody Bellinger is bound to bounce back from a rough 2018 season.
That leaves us with Chris Taylor, Alex Verdugo, Andrew Toles, Kikè Hernandez and Yasiel Puig. Out of this group I see Yasiel Puig and Alex Verdugo being traded to the Indians if a trade is to happen. The Dodgers have tried to trade Puig a few times now and his name has already been tossed around in rumors. Personally, I really like watching the guy play but he is expendable at this point. To top it off, Alex Verdugo is the Dodgers #1 outfield prospect and has been ready to play for quite some time now. The downside is that the Dodgers don’t have anywhere for him to play at the moment. His talent is being wasted and a desperate team would love to have him.
Will this trade actually happen? Maybe but not a straight up guarantee. I would love it if it happens. The Dodgers don’t need another starting pitcher but they do need another Cy Young winning, All-Star pitcher. Imagine a rotation with Clayton Kershaw, Corey Kluber and Walker Buehler (insert fire emoji here).
Leadoff Dodgers 