Of the various scenarios the Los Angeles Dodgers have been mentioned in during the offseason, a Francisco Lindor trade with the Cleveland Indians has long appeared the most likely.
Lindor is the type of upper-echelon talent the Dodgers have publicly said they are seeking to add to their roster, and someone American League managers believe is the perfect player for L.A.
The likelihood of a potential trade has diminished over recent weeks as the Dodgers and Indians remain at odds over Gavin Lux. The top prospect is coveted by the Indians — and reportedly other clubs as well — but the Dodgers have remained steadfast in their refusal to include Lux in any trade talks.
Even with more time having passed, that still holds true and thus there hasn’t been any progress between the Dodgers and Indians, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com:
Talks between the Indians and Dodgers about Lindor remain stuck on Cleveland’s insistence on the inclusion of infield prospect Gavin Lux, whom the Dodgers have refused to put into any offer.
Whether with the Dodgers or another club, Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti recently reiterated his stance that Lindor will not be traded before Opening Day. Antonetti added he’s more confident in that being the case now than he was earlier in the offseason.
Meanwhile, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has previously taken a stance against trading certain prospects, and the franchise has reaped the benefits of it.
Joc Pederson, Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger and Walker Buehler have all been a pivotal part of the roster over recent seasons. Now Tony Gonsolin, Lux and Dustin May make up the next wave.
Of course, for as much as the Dodgers have valued Seager, he reportedly has been floated to both the Indians and Boston Red Sox.
As talks with the Indians stalled, the were said to have shifted their focus to a Mookie Betts trade. An obstacle there is Boston Red Sox not being committed to trading Betts — much less in a package with David Price.
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