Coming off a regular season in which they won a franchise-record 106 games only to suffer a disappointing exit in October, Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the club would focus on adding impact talent to the roster.
His comments were made prior to marquee free agents Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg each coming off the board without signing with the Dodgers. L.A. reportedly centered their efforts on Cole, whom they extended an eight-year, $300 million contract offer to.
Having missed out on the top three free agents, the Dodgers seemingly shifted their attention to the trade market. They reportedly have engaged the Cleveland Indians in trade talks for Mike Clevinger and Francisco Lindor, and the Boston Red Sox for Mookie Betts.
The Dodgers’ approach was highlighted by Ross Stripling during a recent episode of “The Big Swing Podcast:”
“We’ve won seven straight NL West (titles) but no World Series, so you’ve got a fanbase that wants to get over the hill. But you have a president in Andrew Friedman that can really develop guys and know we probably don’t need to make moves and we might still win 100 games. … I like that we’re in on everyone. Obviously, we don’t necessarily want to trade our future for a Betts or Lindor, but if you have a chance to get that much better, how do you not at least explore it?”
With the Indians insisting on Gavin Lux being part of a potential trade, negotiations between the Dodgers and Red Sox are said to have gained more traction of late. Boston is looking to shed payroll, and could be inclined to move David Price as well.
That would satisfy the Dodgers’ offseason goal of adding a premier right-handed bat to their lineup and experienced pitcher to a rotation that’s lost Hyun-Jin Ryu and Rich Hill in free agency.
In the event they are unable to trade for or sign a starting pitcher, Stripling has been identified among the candidates under consideration to round out the rotation.
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