Dodgers people love Carlos Correa as a player, but there appears to be some reluctance there over the Astros’ 2017 cheating scandal, which could cause them to more seriously consider the other three star shortstops on the market.
They obviously like their own free agent, Trea Turner, very much, but there’s an issue there as well. Though Turner has said he loved playing for the Dodgers this year, but will consider any team, they are under the belief Turner would prefer to play on the East Coast, all things being equal. That’s no shock considering his agents initially tried to prevent the trade to the Dodgers at the 2021 deadline.
That could possibly leave Dansby Swanson as their best option, though the belief around the game is Swanson — like his famous former Braves teammate Freddie Freeman — might prefer to stay home in Atlanta.
Word is, the Braves made an opening offer of about $100 million over six years to Swanson, which seems light. Sources suggest he did counter that offer, leading folks to believe he would indeed like to stay home in Atlanta. But the Dodgers seem to view him as a very viable and interesting option in light of the issues with Correa and Turner.
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Though they really respect Correa as a player, they wonder whether Dodgers fans would accept one of the leaders of the 2017 scandalous championship Astros team that beat the Dodgers in the World Series. Correa’s agent Scott Boras praised the Dodgers’ commitment to winning, adding: “I don’t think they are concerned about something that happened a long time ago. Their commitment is to win and I don’t think they’d let that get in the way.”
The Dodgers also could look at Xander Bogaerts, who has made very little progress in talks with the Red Sox. If they don’t get any of the big four shortstops, they could move Gavin Lux from second base to shortstop. That’s where superstar Aaron Judge could come in.
Mookie Betts has graciously offered to move from right field to second base, which could make room for Judge. That, however, may be the least of the star possibilities for Los Angeles. The Dodgers have been cognizant about players’ ages and generally have favored shorter-term deals, so it might be hard for them to compete against the Yankees and their rival Giants, who are expected to make a big push for Judge.
