Jimmy Rollins hasn't exactly been a potent source of offense for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season and the organization's top prospect, Corey Seager, is hitting well at Triple-A Oklahoma City. Will this change the Dodgers' trade deadline plans?
Seager is batting .283/.333/.463 with 38 runs scored, 8 home runs and 30 RBIs in 61 games with Oklahoma City after tearing it up for 20 games at Double-A Tulsa (.375/407/.675 with 17 runs scored, 5 home runs and 15 RBIs).
With Rollins still batting a meager .215/.269/.339 with 38 runs scored, 8 home runs and 29 RBIs in 84 games this season, it's been posited that Seager could supplant him at shortstop later in the year.
"It will be interesting to see whether Jimmy Rollins could become available [before the trade deadline], as Corey Seager, generally now viewed as MLB's top minor-league prospect, continues to show he's got big promise," Jon Heyman of CBS Sports wrote. "One NL scout, who recently saw Seager, said, 'I have no doubt he can handle major-league pitching.'"
Additionally, in late June the Dodgers declined to approve Seager's selection to the Futures Game, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Matt Snyder of CBS Sports said a couple of knee-jerk reactions to the move could be "Seager is being traded" or "Seager is being called up to the majors." However, he explained why the Dodgers' decision to keep Seager out of the event is not indicative of either of those scenarios.
Since June 20 Rollins is batting .279 with 9 runs scored, 1 home run and 11 RBIs. As a result, JP Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News wonders if this means Rollins is getting back on track. On top of that, Rollins' clubhouse influence and intangible leadership qualities also play a big role with the club, so the Dodgers may stick with him as their primary shortstop for the rest of the way. He'll be a free agent after the season so it's really unknown if there's much demand for him on the trade market at this point.
Also, the Dodgers insisted Seager's promotion would not result from Rollins' offensive struggles.
"Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the team will promote Seager when he is ready, not because Rollins is batting .200," Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com wrote last month. "He said the team has a road map for Seager's development that includes more seasoning at Triple-A. The Dodgers think he could benefit from continuing to face the veteran pitchers at Triple-A and continuing to adjust to a faster game defensively."
It's a foregone conclusion Seager is going to earn a September promotion to get his feet wet in the MLB before taking over at shortstop full-time next season, but one can't help but wonder if he may get the call before that. We've seen a few promotions of prospect shortstops this season, including Houston Astros' Carlos Correa, Cleveland Indians' Francisco Lindor and Chicago Cubs' Addison Russell (although he plays second base for now), and they all have positive WARs at this point.
For comparison, Correa played in only 24 games at Triple-A before his promotion, Lindor logged 58 and Russell appeared in just 14.
Seager is likely to be the next one up - it's just a matter of when and in what capacity. We'll get a better idea as the Dodgers' trade deadline plans become more transparent.
