Los Angeles Dodgers Rumors: Five potential LA-bound trade options
The Los Angeles Dodgers have won the National League West division for six straight seasons, but they need to pursue all possible upgrades this offseason in order to capture a seventh straight division title.
Despite ending last season with a 91-71 record, the Los Angeles Dodgers were tied with the Colorado Rockies for first place in the National League West division through 162 games. Even though the Dodgers were victorious in the tie-breaking game 163 to capture their sixth straight division title, the NL West could potentially be captured by another team next season.
As the Rockies only finished one game behind the Dodgers last season, they will likely remain a competitive foe as their entire starting rotation is under team control next season. Even though DJ LeMahieu and Adam Ottavino are now free agents, Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon, and Wade Davis are all under team control as well next season.
The San Francisco Giants finished 18.5 games out of first place last season, but they are likely to make improvements ahead of next season. This is primarily due to hiring away Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi to bring a more analytical mindset as the Giants new President of Baseball Operations. Full, healthy seasons from Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner would also drastically help the team improve from their disappointing finish last season.
The San Diego Padres are also likely to improve ahead of this upcoming season as younger players were able to receive valuable experience last season, Even if the Padres are unlikely to win the division, Eric Hosmer, Wil Myers, and the rest of the team will likely not provide easy victories next season, which could further crowd the NL West division.
The Arizona Diamondbacks may end up taking a step back next season as they look to retool their team during the current offseason. However, if they end up holding onto Paul Goldschmidt and Zack Greinke, they will continue to be tough competition for their division foes. Despite the rumors that they are willing to shop many players on their roster during this offseason, the recent signing of Eduardo Escobar shows that the Diamondbacks are not pursuing a full rebuild, which will keep them competitive as well.
As the NL West division could very well be the only MLB division with five 75+ win teams next season, it is vital for the Dodgers to seek any and all upgrades to improve their current roster. With rumors circling the franchise that the franchise is looking to stay beneath the luxury tax threshold, the trade market may be the Dodgers best chance at making cost conscious improvements. Due to this, here are five possible trade options that could be LA-bound.
The Kansas City Royals have a very productive second baseman that they kept through the trade deadline last season. Although the front office would like to keep him in the fold, they would likely be willing to move him for the right offer as they look to continuously retool their roster instead of pursuing a full rebuild.
According to FanGraphs, the second basemen of the Dodgers finished last in the entire MLB with a -0.9 total WAR last season. There was quite a revolving door at second base for the team as Logan Forsythe, Chase Utley, Brian Dozier, Enrique Hernandez, Austin Barnes, Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, and Breyvic Valera all spent time at the four position.
Despite many familiar names that had a lot of prior MLB success, the Dodgers only received a total of 44 extra base hits (XBH) and 55 runs batted in (RBI) during the 163 combined regular season games from the second base position. As a comparison, the Dodgers catchers combined for the next lowest numbers with 56 XBH and 80 RBI through the same amount of games.
However, Whit Merrifield could help resolve this situation if the Dodgers are able to convince the Kansas City Royals to move the on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) machine to Los Angeles. He has only compiled 2.101 years of service time thus far in his career, so he would also easily fit within any potential payroll constraints due to his near minimum salary for next season.
Through 158 games last year, Merrifield put together an impressive slash-line of .304/.367/.438 alongside 88 runs scored (R) and 45 stolen bases (SB). He also compiled a 5.5 WAR, 58 XBH, and 60 RBI, which all ranked higher than the total combined effort of Dodgers second basemen last season. His .806 OPS ranked him 5th amongst MLB second baseman that qualified to be a league leader. Ben Zobrist, Jose Altuve, Scooter Gennett, and Javier Baez were the only players ranked higher than Merrifield in 2018 within the OPS category.
Even though Royals general manager Dayton Moore has advised that the team does not intend to move Merrifield, that could all change with the right offer. The return of Cory Seager paired with an acquisition of Whit Merrifield could give the Dodgers an incredible amount of offensive production from their middle infield. This production could be a large key in helping the organization obtain its seventh straight NL West division title as well.
As the Cleveland Indians are rumored to be listening to offers for key players on their roster, the Dodgers may be able to acquire a reliever that would greatly impact the end of many important games.
The Cleveland Indians acquired Brad Hand and Adam Cimber from the Padres in exchange for a top prospect in Francisco Mejia prior to the trade deadline last season. Nonetheless, as the organization is rumored to be willing to entertain offers for veteran players such as Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Edwin Encarnacion, Yan Gomes, and Jason Kipnis, it is a possibility that Hand could be LA-bound with the right offer.
Hand is currently signed through the 2020 season on a three-year, $19.75 million contract with a team option for the 2021 season. As he has earned an All-Star appearance in each of the last two seasons with a 3.11 FIP and a 1.018 WHIP during this time, this is an extremely reasonable contract.
However, as Hand has finished 90 games over the past three seasons with 321 strikeouts through 240.2 innings pitched, he would be a phenomenal set-up man for Kenley Jansen. As a strong bullpen will continue to be a major part of earning a victory in big games, it would be worth it for the Dodgers to do everything possible to obtain a reliever such as Hand.
Although the free agent market will contain late inning options such as Craig Kimbrel and Andrew Miller, the available relievers may be too expensive for the potentially cost-conscious Dodgers. Due to this, pursuing a trade for a top-notch reliever with a reasonable salary may be the best course of action for the team.
The Indians will surely demand a high return as sending Mejia to San Diego was likely a very difficult decision for the front office last season. However, if Hand improves the Dodgers chances at returning to the World Series for a third straight year in 2019, it would be worth sending out a top prospects for a talented reliever that will remain under team control through 2021.
Although the Cincinnati Reds were only able to compile 67 wins as they finished in last place within the NL Central division, they are going to attempt to be buyers on the market this offseason. However, if the team is unable to acquire top talent, they may look to move soon-to-be free agents.
Scooter Gennett earned his first trip to the MLB All-Star game during the 2018 season. Through 154 games, he put together an impressive 23 HRs, 30 2Bs, and 92 RBI. As he is only under team control for one more season, Gennett may become available in trade talks during the current offseason if the Cincinnati Reds are unable to make significant upgrades to their roster ahead of the 2019 season.
Reds President of Baseball Operations Dick Williams recently indicated that the team is going to be aggressive in its pursuit of pitching on both the free agent market and the trade market. However, free agent pitchers may not be interested in signing a contract to pitch in a hitting-friendly ballpark such as the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Furthermore, as Williams indicated top prospects are unlikely to be moved this offseason, the plan of acquiring starting pitching through trades could also potentially not come to fruition.
As the Dodgers received the aforementioned lack of production at second base last season, Gennett could form an even more impressive middle of the infield duo with Seager than Merrifield. Through 584 at bats, he put together a slash line of .310/.357/.490. Baez was the only second baseman with a higher OPS than Gennett last season throughout the entire MLB.
Although a trade for Gennett would not be the most cost efficient move for the Dodgers (as he will hit the open market following the 2019 season), it would nonetheless greatly improve the chances of the organization winning the NL West division for the seventh straight season.
The Dodgers already have an impressive starting rotation put together for next season, but they could always use additional reinforcements. As there are quite a few teams looking to retool during the offseason, the organization could benefit by keeping a dialogue open with a team in the American League West division.
The Seattle Mariners are widely rumored to be interested in retooling their roster ahead of the 2019 season. This is mainly due to comments by general manager Jerry Dipoto that the team is “open-minded to different ways we can get better” as they attempt to end a significant playoff drought.
Although trading a top of the rotation arm would likely not contribute to ending a playoff drought in the short-term, Dipoto also made comments that the team is looking to “gather as much talent as we can.” Due to this, it is very likely that the team will entertain offers on left-handed starting pitcher James Paxton during this offseason.
Through 28 starts, Paxton put together a 3.76 ERA, a 3.21 FIP, and a 1.098 WHIP. In 160.1 innings pitched, he compiled 208 strikeouts compared to 42 walks. His 4.95 strikeout-to-walk ratio was the highest of his career thus far.
Similar to Gennett, Paxton would not be the most cost efficient player for the Dodgers luxury tax situation. Nonetheless, it would be hard to imagine the organization passing on a very talented player that will give the team a phenomenal chance of returning to the postseason next season.
Paxton is under team control for the 2019 and 2020 seasons during his last years of arbitration eligibility. MLB Trade Rumors currently projects him to receive a $9.0 million arbitration payday ahead of the 2019 season. If he performs well next season, he will likely receive a salary in the $13-15 million range during the 2020 season before hitting the open market ahead of the 2021 season.
As situations do not come along often for a team to acquire a top of the rotation arm that recently turned 30-years-old, the Dodgers could very well be in the mix to add Paxton to their rotation prior to the 2019 season.
Even though the New York Mets have not made it clear that they are willing to move a top starting pitcher this offseason, rumors will continue to surround their organization until they are able to reach a contract extension with a member of their pitching staff.
It is unlikely that Jacob deGrom will be traded this offseason due to his former agent Brodie Van Wagenen becoming the general manager of the New York Mets. However, rumors will likely continue to surround another starting pitcher on the Mets as he approaches his 5th season at the MLB level.
In 25 starts during 2018, Noah Syndergaard put together a 13-4 win-loss record on a Mets team that finished 8 games below .500 last season. Through 154.1 innings pitched, Thor put together an impressive 3.03 ERA, a 2.80 FIP, and a 1.212 WHIP.
After avoiding arbitration last offseason, Syndergaard will once again be arbitration eligible for his 2019 salary. However, he is currently projected to only receive $5.9 million for 2019, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Due to this, acquiring Thor to join Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Alex Wood in the Dodgers rotation would not cause an immediate payroll issue as far as the luxury tax situation is concerned.
To make things even more appealing, Syndergaard holds a 1-0 record with a 3.32 ERA in 3 career starts against the Rockies, a 3-2 record with a 2.86 ERA in 5 career starts against the Giants, and a 3-1 record with a 2.45 ERA in 4 career starts against the Diamondbacks. He has a less impressive 1-2 record with a 4.50 ERA in 3 career starts against the Padres, but he does have 24 strikeouts in only 18.0 innings while only walking 2 batters during these starts.
With the Padres rumored to be heavily pursuing Syndergaard this offseason, it would greatly benefit the Dodgers to make an aggressive attempt at keeping him away from a division rival. Despite the added benefit of not having to face Thor on a regular basis, the Dodgers would also immediately have one of the most impressive rotations in the entire MLB if they are able to pull off a trade of this magnitude with the Mets.
dark. Next. Is the Dodgers window closing?
Recap of the possible LA-bound trade candidates:
1. Whit Merrifield – Kansas City Royals
2. Brad Hand – Cleveland Indians
3. Scooter Gennett – Cincinnati Reds
4. James Paxton – Seattle Mariners
5. Noah Syndergaard – New York Mets