Why the Dodgers Should Trade Corey Seager
I have been a huge Corey Seager fan since he came into the league actually before he came into the league. I said that he was ready in 2014, but Andrew Friedman didn t listen to me and acquired Jimmy Rollins, instead! I said that Seager could remain at Shortstop and I still believe that he can stay there for the foreseeable future, but, if the right trade happens to come
I have been a huge Corey Seager fan since he came into the league… actually before he came into the league. I said that he was ready in 2014, but Andrew Friedman didn’t listen to me and acquired Jimmy Rollins, instead! I said that Seager could remain at Shortstop and I still believe that he can stay there… for the foreseeable future, but, if the right trade happens to come up, I think the time to trade Corey Seager is right about now. Let me explain why.
There are several reasons, the main one of which is that Corey Seager is likely to get a 10-year $300-$350 million dollar deal. He may be worth it, but he is not worth that to the Dodgers who will soon have to sign Cody Bellinger and Striker Buehler to long-term deals… and Julio is not far behind. You may believe that the Dodgers pockets are deep… but they ain’t THAT deep! The second reason is that the Dodgers have a viable alternative option… that being one Gavin Lux, who has 5 years of control. Gavin is finally looking like the player we thought he could be. If he can keep this up while Seager is on the DL, I think I will have seen enough to have confidence that he can handle the position… and hit leadoff (or second).
Next, you factor in that Corey is LH in a LH heavy lineup and you may have stumbled upon the the trifecta! Michael Busch is a LH hitter and appears on track to be a major league 2B, so that leaves the Dodgers with 3 potential infielders who are LH hitters.: Muncy at 1B, Busch at 2B and Lux at 3B. If Seager is gone there is also a much better chance that Chris Taylor could be resigned. In Andrew Friedman’s world, he cannot sign everyone. He has to have inexpensive players man several positions in order to pay the superstars.
What could the Dodgers get for Corey Seager? I am not going to pretend to know, but I think they could get more value than an additional draft pick. The Yankees need a catcher and a real SS. What if the Dodgers traded Keibert Ruiz, Corey Seager, and Luke Raley (or Zach Reks) for Gleyber Torres? That’s who Bumsrap always pined for before he cancelled me. Look at this lineup:
- Lux SS
- Betts RF
- Bellinger CF
- Turner 3B
- Muncy 1B
- Torres 2B
- Smith C
- Pollock LF
The Yankees really need a catcher and Ruiz is one. They also need a real SS. Seager could be a long-term Yankee and yes, the Dodgers could meet them in the World Series, but part of what Andrew Friedman does is to make the team competitive every year. Seager grew up a Yankee fan and the Yankees have the cash to sign him to that $300 million deal. I hate losing Ruiz and Seager, but the team would be better in the long run. Torres is controlled through 2025.
In 2023, this might be the lineup:
- Lux SS
- Betts RF
- Bellinger CF
- Torres 2B
- Muncy 1B
- Smith C
- Busch LF
- Hoese 3B
Of course, this is all conjecture and I really like Corey Seager – I am just not convinced the Dodgers should throw him $100 million when there are smarter options. OK, let the attacks begin! I am sure I am going to be branded a heretic for even considering the 2020 World Series MVP and Dodger Hero!
Photo Credit: MLB & Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodgers Minor League Report
OKC BOXSCORE – The Dodgers lost 9-2 to the Isotopes.
Monday, May 24, 2021 – Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park – Albuquerque, N.M. (Taken from MiLB)
*Game Summary: *The Oklahoma City Dodgers (4-13) offense was limited to two runs and five hits, as the Albuquerque Isotopes (6-11) kept their recent roll at the plate going in a 9-2 win over Oklahoma City Monday night. The Isotopes led 3-0 through six innings before the Dodgers rallied for two runs in the seventh inning. However, the Isotopes came up with a monster seventh inning rally for the second straight game, plating six runs in the process. Albuquerque hit three more homers, including one inside-the-park home run.
Of Note:
-Cody Bellinger played in back-to-back games for the first time during his rehab assignment. He played seven innings at first base and went 0-for-3 at the plate with two strikeouts.
-Fellow rehabber Zach McKinstry did not play as part of a scheduled day off after playing in each of the last three games.
-One day after tallying a season-high 13 hits and nine extra-base hits, the Dodgers were held to five hits and one extra-base hit – a double by Elliot Soto in the second inning. Soto was the only Dodger to finish with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a RBI.
-Pitcher Austin Bibens-Dirkx became the first Dodgers starting pitcher to last 5.0 innings since he also did May 10 in Round Rock. It was also just the third time in 17 games this season the Dodgers’ starting pitcher was able to complete five frames. Bibens-Dirkx (1-1) took the loss after allowing three runs and four hits, with two walks and five strikeouts.
-For the second straight game, the Isotopes rallied for six runs in the seventh inning, and on Monday it turned a 3-2 lead into a 9-2 lead. They notched four hits in the inning as well as two walks, with all baserunners scoring. Dodgers relievers Yaisel Sierra and Jordan Martinson combined to allow the six-spot, and of the 30 pitches the duo threw in the inning, only 13 were strikes.
-Danny Edgeworth finished the seventh-inning rally with an inside-the-park home run. He hit a fly ball off the wall in right field, and when OKC outfielder Steven Souza Jr. attempted to play the ball off the wall, it appeared he sustained a knee injury, and the ball came to a stop in right field allowing Edgeworth to round the bases. It was the first inside-the-park home run against OKC since Aug. 3, 2018 by Andrew Aplin in Tacoma.
-The Dodgers have now lost five of their last six games and have dropped three straight in the current series.
What’s Next: The Dodgers have a quick turnaround as they finish their series in Albuquerque at 1:05 p.m. Central time Tuesday. Live radio coverage of each OKC Dodgers game begins 15 minutes before first pitch on AM 1340 “The Game,” 1340thegame.com and through the free iHeartRadio or MiLB First Pitch apps. All OKC Dodgers games are also available streamed live on MiLB.TV with a subscription.
No Other Games Were Scheduled.
Love the Way You Walk Away
Tonight: The Trash Can Bangers!
Joe Kelly Has Something for You!
You gotta’ love Joe Kelly!
More from Dodger Talk
Dodgers Food Trailer
I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…
Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…
Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)
It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…
Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…
Discussion (55)
Disagree, not disagreeable
The Padres gave Machado 300M reasons to make a move to 3base. Like Seager, Machado had established a desire to play SS. Seager would be an elite defender at 3base.
Between Seager and Belli, I pick Seager. Yes, he has had a number stints on the IL but he is a more gifted hitter. There is no denying Belli can hit some impressive bombs, but there is some holes in that violent swing. But one wonders whether it is sustainable from a health perspective?
Nobody has a mask
Lux!!!!!
Take that, Zack!
I don’t like that pitching change with 2 outs, be careful Turner!
Kershaw is 99 K’s from Sutton.
Now that the Phil Bickford Era has begun, the Dodgers seem unstoppable.
My three cents:
–Belli or Seager? I want both, but only if Seager is moved off SS, preferably to 1B (a move Ernie Banks made) because I see little reason to think his glove improves at 3B. I’d sooner put the big $$ in the former MVP/Gold Glover in CF who could also get one at 1B later in his career….. But….
–Seager or Belli…. or Kersh/Buhler/Urias? My point here being that AF also needs to weigh another extension for Kersh, plus the possibility of locking up Ferris and Urias. Right now it seems like the Dodgers hold four aces. For that matter, Bauer will likely opt out after two years. (It will be interesting to see if other stars follow his lead in seeking bigger money over shorter terms.)
–Smith/Barnes/ Ruiz: Moving Smith to 3B or 2B seems possible, but he’s most valuable as catcher. The introduction of a DH could make carrying 3 catchers feasible; Ruiz hits well from the left side. Of the three, Ruiz is the top trade candidate. Barnes greatest value is as a Dodger because he who is preferred by the pitching staff and was trusted at the end of the WS–but I think Smith is improving and gaining trust. Ruiz’s potential, age and limited service time would draw the bigger return–but I don’t think you offer him unless it’s for serious impact…which could be someone like Torres or Matt Chapman. Ruiz is a luxury now, but at any time Smith or Barnes could be injured. (FedX is proven backup; Cartaya could be special.)
–Speaking of prospects…. Busch, Hoese and others might be good, but with the 2020 minors season lost to covid it’s hard to see anyone besides Ruiz as a solid bet to be a future major league starters. Sad to say, Peters, Neuse and Raley have not seized the moment; former 1st rounder Kendall seems like a bust.
It will be nice to have McKinstry back…. When he, Belli and Pollock are back, what happens with Albert and Tsutsugo and Beatty?