During the 2019-20 Hot Stove season, there were unsubstantiated rumors that the Dodgers were willing to trade 25-year-old shortstop Corey Seager, hoping to replace him with 26-year-old Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, or handing the position to their top prospect, 22-year-old middle infielder Gavin Lux, Baseball America’s 2019 Minor League Player of the Year. Various baseball journalists and pundits floated trade scenarios like flies around horse manure, and some Dodgers fans actually bought into the hyperbole that Lindor was a far superior player than Seager.

We will not rehash all of the specific arguments and stats why replacing Seager with Lindor made no sense for the Dodgers, other than to remind fans that prior to 2018 Seager was clearly the superior player. In April 2017, Seager became only the sixth player in National League history to reach, or exceed, 200 hits, 100 runs scored, 100 RBI, 50 doubles and 30 home runs in his first 200 major league games.

A fully healthy Seager makes the 2020 Dodgers even stronger than the 2019 team, who won 106 games and brings to memory the comment that former Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez once made:

“[Seager] is a special kid and someone I could see being a Hall of Famer in the future. He has the talent, makeup, and potential, so I think he’s going to be a great Major Leaguer for a long time.”

That’s some pretty high praise from a guy who himself is a likely headed to Cooperstown.

Watching Seager play in his first two games of Spring Training 2020, one can see that he is back to 100% health, even attempting to steal second base (unsuccessfully). During Spring Training 2019, the Dodgers first-round draft pick in 2012 out of Northwest Cabarrus High School in Concord, NC had only 11-at bats before the regular season started. This spring, however, he has six at-bats and there are still 29-exhibition games remaining before Opening Day on March 26.

The Dodgers are now more likely to try to negotiate a contract extension with Corey rather than trade him, which would be a very smart move on their part … horse flies be damned.

Welcome back, Seags.

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