On Wednesday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that trade talks between the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers have gotten serious.
And according to a new report, Lindor may not be the only star player the Tribe sends to Southern California.
Appearing on the MLB Network on Thursday afternoon, David Vassegh of SportsNetLA and AM 570 LA Sports confirmed the Indians' discussions with the Dodgers and interest in Los Angeles' top prospect, Gavin Lux. But in doing so, Vassegh also revealed that an even bigger deal between the two teams could be in play, with Cleveland having also discussed the possibility of sending pitcher Mike Clevinger to L.A.
“The Dodgers have a lot of prospect capital and not just guys, but guys that can make a difference. Gavin Lux, from what I’ve been told, is a guy that the Indians would want in any deal for Francisco Lindor," Vassegh said. "And from what I’ve found out the last 24 hours, there have been different versions of the trade discussed that would involve Lindor and not Corey Kluber, but Lindor and possibly Mike Clevinger.”
While any trade involving Lindor would be considered a blockbuster, adding Clevinger to such package could make it seismic. Given Corey Kluber's recent injury history -- and availability on the trade market -- Clevinger projects as arguably the Indians' top pitcher entering 2020 after posting a 2.71 ERA, 13-4 record and 169 strikeouts in 21 starts last season.
Cleveland, however, has never been afraid to deal from a position of strength and could feel comfortable doing just that given the current state of its pitching staff. Aside from Kluber and Clevinger, the Indians lay claim to a trio of promising young arms in Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale and have also had reported interest in acquiring the Dodgers' No. 2 prospect, pitcher Dustin May, in a prospective trade.
In addition to Lux and May, Cleveland could also inquire about outfielder Alex Verdugo, who hit for a .294 average (.817 OPS), 12 home runs and 44 RBIs in 106 games at the big league level last season. The Dodgers likely wouldn't part with three promising players unless they were getting back proven star players in return and a package including Lindor and Clevinger would certainly qualify as just that.