Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES — Most hot stove rumors are just that. Rumors, not worth the kilobytes they are printed on. But LA Times columnist Bill Plaschke floated an idea that was so gloriously horrible that it needs to be met, and met quickly.
According to Plaschke, if the Dodgers are not able to work out a deal for Corey Seager, they should (gulp) try to sign Carlos Correa. Yes, that Carlos Correa. Of the cheating 2017 Astros*, the one who has never acknowledged or shown a hint of remorse for his part in Trashcan-gate and all that went with it. Plaschke makes his cockamamie case like this:
“He’s never played better. He’s never been a better leader, speaking out constantly in defense of quieter-but-equally-harassed teammates Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman. He’s never been more resilient, the most booed athlete in any sport deftly handling the nightly hate. He’s never been better in the community, this is not a Trevor Bauer situation here, not even close. Yes, the guy was a lousy cheater whose stealing helped cost the Dodgers a World Series championship. But five seasons later, this might be the right time for him to come here and make amends.”
To this I say with the utmost respect for Mr. Plaschke and his many awards and accolades, “Bill, have you lost your freakin‘ mind?!”
Yes, Correa is a good player, and yes, baseball is a business, I get it, blah, blah, blah. But let me tell Bill Plaschke and Andrew Friedman, and anybody else who needs to hear it: There is NO way this Dodger fan will spend another nickel on this team if Correa is signed. None. Nada. Zippo. Diddly Squat. I would be done. It’s bad enough after the Trevor Bauer fiasco. Signing Correa would mean that the Dodgers have COMPLETELY ceded any moral high ground and embraced a “just win, baby” mentality that leads to garbage outcomes.
Now, of course, Grandpa Bill is known for writing provocative twaddle, so this article should be seen as nothing new. However, there are enough online rumblings to suggest that the idea is being taken seriously in some corners of Dodger management.
On its face, it’s a ridiculous idea. Correa is sure to be getting offers at least as lucrative as Corey Seager, if not more so. And he’ll be looking for a long-term deal. Why would we spend the money on Correa that we aren’t willing to spend on Seager? Seager has already hinted that ideally, he’d like to work something out with the Dodgers.
But even if that can’t happen, just no. There’s Trevor Story, or Marcus Semien, or even (gack) Javier Baez on the market. Not to mention, there’s a guy named Trea frickin’ Turner already on your roster, and a guy named Gavin Lux who is still looking for a position to play. I would love to see Lux get a full season of reps at second and Turner move back to his natural position at short and try to ink a deal with Turner at the end of 2022 for the long term. Of course, the best of all possible worlds is to bring back Seager to a deal. And I’ll be lighting a candle for that one.
Let that little pustule Correa sign with the Yankees or the Tigers or re-sign with the Astros for all I care. But for the love of God, DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT TRYING TO SIGN HIM TO THE DODGERS.
Just no.
