Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor has become a common household name in the home of Dodger fans. His name has surfaced in trade talks over the past couple of seasons as a potential upgrade to the offense over current shortstop Corey Seager. Even before the start of this season, there were still calls to pull the trigger on such a deal no matter the cost.
Of course, such a scenario has died off with the All-Star caliber season that Seager is having this year. Even without the season that the short is having now, the two young stars of today’s game are more similar than we may think. It makes it all the sweeter that the front office never made such a trade happen.
Francisco Lindor
There’s no doubt that Lindor is one of the brightest young stars in the game today. He’s done nothing but impress over his first 5+ seasons in the league. The kid plays the game with the kind of fire that can be contagious for an offense and has the accolades to back it up. Over his short MLB career the 26-year-old has 4 All-Star appearances, 2 Silver Slugger Awards, 2 Golden Glove Awards, was the Rookie of the year in 2015 and finished in Top 10 in MVP voting 3 times (5th place, highest finish). Through 749 career games, Lindor’s stat line is just ridiculous.
- .287/.346/.491
- 135 home runs, 399 RBI, 94 SB
- 27.8 WAR
Corey Seager
Seager has always been highly touted by the Dodgers organization. He was kept off the table in trade talks as a prospect and even as an established big leaguer. The injury bug has become his sworn enemy as he missed a large portion of 2018 with Tommy John and Hip Surgery as well as other minor injuries throughout his career. However, when he’s been healthy, he’s been as dangerous as anyone in the league. Just look back to his rookie year in 2016 when he won Rookie of the Year and finished third in MVP voting at the ripe old age of 22.
Despite the missed time, Seager has been selected as an All-Star twice and twice won a Silver Slugger. It’s easy to just imagine what more he could have accomplished if he were on the field. Through 516 games (233 less than Lindor), Seager is not too far off from Lindor.
- .295/.362/.497
- 81 home runs, 289 RBI, 10 SB
- 16.7 WAR
Final Thoughts
Both shortstops are immensely talented in their own right and each has their own edge over the other. But when you place them side by side and really take a look they both provide the same irreplaceable value to their teams. The Dodgers’ decision not to pursue Lindor and possibly ship off Seager could be one of the best deals they never made. Corey has been showing the world who he really is this season and so far has outperformed every Dodger except Mookie Betts, thanks in part due to an injury. In reality, Lindor would have brought more security at the position for LA but Seager when healthy, is just too good to let go.
