Dodgers Rumors: Does A Andre Ethier, Ian Kinsler Trade Makes Sense?

It’s no secret the Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in trading one of their four outfielders as they’ve received inquiries from the New York Mets, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers about a potential trade.

Of the three teams, the Rangers have the most to offer as they have a logjam in the middle infield and reportedly had talks with the Dodgers centered around Matt Kemp and Elvis Andrus. However, according to Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com, there’s another rumor involving the two teams that continues to circulate:

One rumor that keeps cropping up is for the Rangers to send Ian Kinsler to the Dodgers for Andre Ethier. Kinsler makes a lot of sense for L.A., as he could play third, he could play some second if Cuban Alexander Guerrero doesn’t pan out, he could even play some left field.

As Gammons notes, the Dodgers have a second baseman in Guerrero and from all indications, it looks like he’ll start the season with the big league club. If they were to make this trade, they could possibly move Guerrero to third base and slide Kinsler into his natural position at second base.

At the moment, the Dodgers have a hole at third base with Juan Uribe seeking a three-year deal, but Kinsler has played less than five games at third base in his eight-year career.

Meanwhile, Ethier would seemingly replace Rangers free agent outfielder Nelson Cruz in the lineup, but it’s unclear whether they’d rather trade for Ethier or sign a free agent outfielder like Shin-Soo Choo or Jacoby Ellsbury.

Kinsler for Ethier makes some sense on both sides, but the Rangers could choose to go the free agent route while the Dodgers might not feel comfortable with Guerrero or Kinsler playing third base. Stay tuned.

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ICYMI: The Texas Rangers talked trade with the Dodgers about Matt Kemp.

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