By: Kelly Byrnes
Over the last few weeks I have had several people ask me what the Dodgers are doing this offseason? I am no Dodgers expert at all, I’m just a super fan who bleeds Dodger blue and defends them way more than I probably should. I too wonder what the Dodgers are going to do this offseason and I think I figured it out. If I’m right, I’m not going to be a happy camper.
I have to believe that the Dodgers front office number 1 priority every season is to win a World Series that year, but is it? I also know they want to keep a winning ball club on the field for the long term, and they have done that with winning 7 straight NL West titles and playing in 2 World Series. All while keeping a top 10 farm system which is impressive. Two things make me think that they aren’t sold on winning a World Series every year.
1) They will not overpay a free agent, no matter how much that player is needed. In the last few off seasons they have finished 2nd and 3rd to players that could have helped them finally win in October.
2) Very rarely will they trade a big prospect to get a player that they want.
Now I said very rarely because they will make trades. They wouldn’t trade Joc or Corey or Cody or Walker and thank heavens for that. However, they did trade Grant Holmes, Jose De Leon, Willie Calhoun and Yusniel Diaz. Calhoun had a good season last year and the jury is still out on Diaz. So, when the Dodgers decide to pull the trigger, they usually make the right decision. I’m not counting the Yordan Alvarez trade because he was literally in their organization for 6 weeks before they traded him.
I couldn’t tell you what they’re going to do this offseason. We are one week into January and the big move is signing reliever Blake Treinen (which I like by the way). They have been linked on the trade market to Francisco Lindor, Mookie Betts, Kris Bryant and Nolan Arenando. I want to believe they will make that move this offseason that will make us Dodger fans say, “that’s what they’re up to”. That move would have to be a trade since all the big free agents are gone expect Josh Donaldson who the Dodgers were connected to earlier in the offseason.
I don’t think the front office makes a trade this offseason and even worse I think they believe they don’t have to. They believe this team already has enough to win a World Series in 2020 and I hate to admit it, but they are wrong. They need a big-time ace pitcher and his name was Gerrit Cole. Who knows they could have offered Cole the moon and he still could have chosen the Yankees. Here’s the trade I think they need to make.
• The Dodgers acquire SS Francisco Lindor and RHP Mike Clevinger from the Indians. The Indians will receive INF prospect Gavin Lux, SS prospect Jeter Downs, RHP prospect Tony Gonsolin and OF Alex Verdugo.
Would the Indians accept this trade? I don’t know. What I do know is that I want to see my Dodgers win a World Series and Mike Clevinger gives them a better chance at it. I love Lux and hate to give him up but once again I want to see the Dodgers win a World Series and the only way, they get Lindor and Clevinger is including Lux in that trade. I wouldn’t give up Dustin May because the Dodgers need pitching so trading May would be counterproductive.
I hope when Spring Training starts in about 5 weeks, I’m wrong and the Dodgers have another big pitcher to go along with Buehler and Kershaw. Furthermore, I hope I’m wrong and the Dodgers front office does whatever it takes to get the players they need to win a World Series right now, in 2020.