Dodgers Rumors: Insider Says Trea Turner to Phillies in the Offseason, Correa in Play for LA
It’s never too early to start thinking about the hot stove this coming offseason. For Dodgers fans, there are some clear areas of need and of concern.
One could be the team’s effort to re-sign Clayton Kershaw once again. The long-time Dodger ace inked a one-year deal to stay in LA last offseason but has made his desire to be closer to home in Texas known. The other big to-do item for the front office will involve years and big money.
Trea Turner is set to become a free agent.
Turner was a point of topic recently for MLB Insider Bob Nightengale who, in a column for USA Today, wrote that the shortstop could be heading out of LA. The insider reported the rumor via talent evaluators, a top-tier move for national columnists that have little meat for a big story.
Here’s what Bob had to say.
The free-agent shortstop market will be insane once again this winter with an All-star cast of Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson all potentially available.
Several talent evaluators predict that Turner, who’s from Florida, will return East and wind up signing with the Phillies, leaving Correa with the Dodgers or Cubs.
So Turner to the Phillies is in play. So is Turner back to the Dodgers and just about anywhere else that has a fair deal. The other big nugget is the mention of former Astros’ shortstop Carlos Correa, who will be back on the market after having to settle for a one-year deal just as spring training was getting underway this year.
Related: Phillies Star Bryce Harper Looking Forward to Seeing Where Trea Turner Ends Up
Correa, of course, is a point of contention for Dodgers fans. He was a key member of the Houston team that was caught stealing signs during the 2017 season. However, there’s no argument that his talent and leadership could play up in Dodger blue. So far with the Twins, the two-time All-Star is hitting .300 with 8 home runs and 26 runs batted in over 52 games. He owns a career .836 OPS and 129 wRC+.
Importantly, the other more known commodity, Trea Turner, already has a track record as a Dodger. Since coming to LA at the deadline last year, Turner has hit .323 with 20 homers and 81 RBI over 124 regular season games.
The Dodgers are noticeably thin at the shortstop position beyond Turner. Over the last few years, the club has shown a lack of trust in Gavin Lux as the position and chances are that they’ll continue that trend.
The offseason is still several months away, but it certainly is going to be another wild one.
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