Dodgers Off-Season: Indians Hesitant to Trade Francisco Lindor

The Dodgers will likely not be in the business of trading for Cleveland Indians star shortstop Francisco Lindor this off-season. According to Jon Heyman, the Indians are planning on waiting at least one more season to deal the young shortstop despite interest in him quite possibly being at its peak.

Lindor was linked to the Dodgers early on in the off-season, but the rumors surrounded the potential blockbuster trade have tapered off since.

Hear Indians prefer not to deal Francisco Lindor, to wait a year on a trade. Which really isn’t surprising. Interest has to be huge, however.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 9, 2019

Francisco Lindor would not be a seamless fit as a shortstop on the roster, but chances are, Corey Seager or Gavin Lux would have to go to Cleveland in a deal of this nature.

The Dodgers could very well wait another year on the Francisco Lindor market as it would drive down the price and would enable the Dodgers to watch Gavin Lux perform at the big league level and also re-evaluate Corey Seager in 2020 in what should be a fully healthy season.

Lindor just turned 26 years old and would fit in with a relatively young Dodgers core with the likes of reigning NL MVP Cody Bellinger and Cy Young caliber starting pitcher Walker Buehler.

Lindor had an excellent season in 2019, posting a .284/.335/.518 slash line across 143 games played. He also chipped in 32 home runs and stole 22 bases on the year. He is also excellent on the other side of the ball, averaging 11 defensive runs saved across his five-year career.

The 26-year-old star will be a free agent in the winter following the conclusion of the 2020 season.