Contrary to earlier reports that they don’t seem that interested in trading Francisco Lindor this offseason, the Indians are reportedly in “serious talks” with the Dodgers, per Bob Nightengale.
The Los Angeles #Dodgers and Cleveland #Indians continue to be engaged in serious trade talks for Cleveland All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor, with Cleveland seeking a package of Dodgers prospects including Gavin Lux and Dustin May.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 11, 2019
This is, essentially, what was always believed to be the desired return for Lindor if they’re serious about dealing him to the Dodgers. A bit of a pipe dream, but if you’re going to send your franchise player across the country two years before you have to let him go, you better get a lot for him.
Lux is a 22-year-old potential star second baseman/shortstop ready to contribute in 2020, and May is an equally impressive rookie starting pitcher who will also be a factor next season. Lux and May are Dodgers number one and number two prospects, respectively, and the number two and number 32 overall prospects in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. Each made their debuts in 2019 but they came late in the season and they didn’t see much starting time on the stacked Dodgers.
Much like we saw with the Indians holding out on trading a pitcher last offseason, if this is their goal, they’re probably not going to budge until they get it. They can easily ride Lindor for another year and try to win the World Series again or let someone else come by with an equally impressive offer if the Dodgers refuse to cave.