Dodgers Team News

Report: The Dodgers Are In On Corey Kluber

The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t simply resting on their laurels of a star-studded starting pitching staff. No, they have their eyes on a bigger prize as the hot stove continues to heat up. Jon Morosi reports that the Dodgers have been in ‘discussions’ that involve the ace of the Cleveland Indians, Corey Kluber.

Here’s Jonny:

Sources say the Dodgers and Indians have discussed various trade proposals in recent days. One such possibility involves Cleveland ace Corey Kluber going to Los Angeles in a deal that includes Yasiel Puig.

The Dodgers would need to add at least one significant player in addition to Puig in order for the Indians to seriously consider moving Kluber, one source said Wednesday. MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal was first to report the talks between the Dodgers and Indians.

This would be a big time deal for the Dodgers to say the least. Moreover, the cost to acquire a player like Kluber will be exorbitant.

Kluber won the American League Cy Young Award in 2014 and again in 2017. Then, in 2018 he went 20-7 with a 2.89 ERA. This included 222 strikeouts in 215 innings pitched. However, 2019 will be Kluber’s age-33 season.

It’s important that while trying to add an ace of Kluber’s stature – the Dodgers don’t overpay for past performance. As with any player, it will be upon the front office to evaluate whether or not Kluber can be an elite starter in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

A Yasiel Puig Trade May Be Dodgers Best Option

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20 Comments

  1. Let’s forget Kluber as a Dodger. And go for someone in the 25-26 years of age with serious upside. Then a Pig trade and a mid level prospect sounds good.

    1. I feel like we have such starting pitching depth as it is. Would rather keep Puig for his elite corner OF defense and Verdugo who could be a very solid player at his floor in the years to come

      1. I am not for trading Puig either. he is a RHB and although he has reverse splits, who knows but he could improve against LHP. Some of the excess LHP starting depth could be traded, because IMHO it’s too easy for opposing teams to adjust and match up with Dodgers having 4 out of 5 starters being LHP. I just don’t think having perhaps 3 LHP starting back to back to back is an ideal way to go, especially with those teams that have several solid RHB in lineup.

  2. The Dodgers have Kershaw, Buehler, Ryu, Hill, Maeda, Wood, Stripling and Ferguson all under contract and having Major League Pitching experience. Along with Urias and Santana beating on the door to get in…
    Unless they can trade some of that front line rotation pitching it makes no sense to go after another starter IMHO. I would seriously suggest they trade Wood and Ferguson possibly Meada ?
    The Dodgers should barring injury have one of the best if not the best starting 6 in baseball in 2019.
    Although I do agree they need to trade some players. Puig would not be my choice. I would trade Muncy while his stock is high and also Pedersen. So that Bellinger moves back to first and we can bring up Verdugo and possibly Toles who are both A+ defenders and contact hitters which this team sorely needs.

    1. I hold Muncy, just in case. I don’t think he fetches a huge return at this stage anyways. I am okay with moving Pederson

    2. Totally agree with Not trading Puig for Kluber. The pitchers you mentioned on our team, at least 2 of them are ready to step it up

  3. I don’t know what the dodgers are doing. first off get rid of this platooning idea a major league ballplayer needs to play at least 130 games to fine tune his ability sitting doesn’t do it get a set lineup like bellinger at 1st, seagur at ss, turner at 3rd, Pederson at lf, Verdugo at cf and puig at rf, then bring up ruiz to catch, still need a 2b , starting pitching is well covered with buhler, Kershaw, ruy. hill ,and madea or urias, need help in pen, bench is so so with taylor, kike, both can cover variety of positions get a 2nd catcher from farm, and an outfielder from farm.then go get pen help. lastly you don’t trade your best outfielder for sp which you don’t need!

    1. I don’t like the platoon lineups myself; or the idea of us trading position players with youth and upside for pitchers who are so volatile in terms of health.

      1. Clint, I got news for you and all here as I see it…NO FA or a player available in any trade will want to come here because of this platooning obsession, and being made into a platoon player if they had successfully been starting players during their careers. I know if I were a starting regular position player I would refuse, if I had the right to, to come to Dodgers under these circumstances.

    2. Platooning? Lol.
      Hot hitters on the bench solely because they are righty or lefty?
      That’s as foolish as removing a pitcher who’s allowed only one hit, because the numbers say to remove him.
      Oh wait…..they do things like that.

      1. Wow! I could not have said that better myself! Fully agree. And, like Clint here, I have never been a fan of full on platooning and that along with Roberts removing Hill from games in these past 2 WS is a huge reason why we lost both. Recall that in the first 2 games of this year’s WS 85+ HR’s were sitting on the bench because of a LHP.. How can any Dodger LHB expect to be competitive against LHP if they never get the opportunities to play

  4. Nope, I wouldn’t trade Rich Hill…. look at the past 2 World Series…… Rich Hill is a beast of a competitor….. does not like to fail. He’s not perfect, but he has risen to the occasion in the past 2 WS.

  5. Russ , I am all for a more set lineup and then fill in for days off, injuries and so forth. Nobody really is expected to play all 162 games but certainly that number ya gave, 130 is appropriate. And Bellinger NEEDS TO BE RETURNED TO 1st base and that clears up the OF log jam a bit and Muncy can be included in a package for BP help as I see it.

  6. Come on folks let’s be real. Puig will be a free agent soon and the likelyhood of the Dodgers resigning him is low especially with Verdugo chomping at the bit, Puig makes the most sense to be traded. Yea every Dodger fan would prefer to trade Pederson rather than Puig but put yourself on the Indians side, who would you prefer, Pederson or Puig for Kluber? The Dodger would have to get really creative to try to sell the Indians on Pederson.

    1. Everytime a trade rumor is floated about the Dodgers making some move the rumors always have Puig’s name in them. Been reading this stuff for years now. It’s all noise with no substance.

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