It takes at least two teams to make a trade. Thank you Captain Obvious. AF does not like to lose trades. He may overpay for FA, but he is not going to overpay in a trade. If you do not think every other team is cognizant of AF and his desire to win trades, you might be a bit naïve.
Trades in the Winter are different than at the deadline. Every team believes they have a chance at least a WC spot before the season starts. Miami has improved to where they believe they have a legit chance, and is willing to spend this year. How much? We will have to wait and see. With Pittsburgh’s pitching, they believe they have a shot in the NL Central if they can sign a bat. Cincinnati believes they can go further in the playoffs if they can sign Kyle Schwarber.
Point is, every team believes they can win. Some not as realistic (Colorado, CWS, Washington). Teams are not looking for top prospects who are not MLB ready in the winter. They want MLB players who can help them win this year. At the deadline is when the fallout from losing begins and prospects become more fungible.
That is why not picking up a difference maker at the deadline last year was head scratching. The Dodgers have multiple top 100 prospects. Most have not had any real play time at AA, and most have not reached AA.
The Dodgers do not have elite prospects like Konnor Griffin (Pittsburgh SS), Leo De Vries (A’s SS), Kevin McGonigle (Tigers SS), Jesus Made (Brewers SS), or JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals SS). There are a couple of top OF prospects that are not going anywhere: Max Clark (Detroit) and Walter Jenkins (Twins).
As has been hyped over and over, the Dodgers prospect strength is their OF. But none of them are MLB ready, and the top two have to prove themselves at AA before they can be considered MLB ready.
Thus, the Dodgers have very few MLB or MLB ready players who are tradeable and can generate a difference maker in return. Alex Freeland and Dalton Rushing are the only MLB ready position players on the 40 man. Ryan Ward does not count as he was bypassed by every team multiple years in the Rule 5, and Estuary Ruiz is the poster child for AAAA player.
I mentioned last Winter that Dalton Rushing should have been traded. Not many agreed with me, but I saw what ended up happening with Rushing in a very limited role as a backup catcher. To me it was a waste of his value. Now his trade value is diminished. The Dodgers could have garnered more in a trade last year than they can this year. So they are keeping him. Why not?
IMO, Rushing is not your typical backup catcher. He is not Martin Maldonado, or AJ Ellis, or Austin Barnes…He should be a regular catcher with a MLB team. However, IMO, the Dodgers kept him to not only be the backup catcher but also to try to build back up that trade value. I have no way of knowing, but could this be a spot where Rushing can platoon with Alex Call in LF this year? 3 games in LF, 2 at catcher, one at 1B, one at DH, or any combination so that he can get 5-6 games per week in the lineup.
MLB position players who might be tradeable? Alex Call, Hyeseong Kim, and Tommy Edman? You are not getting a front line OF or 3B from them.
You are not getting a Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Byron Buxton, or PCA with a headliner of Teoscar Hernández.
The Dodgers need to trade from their strength, and that is SP. The most logical pitcher is Emmet Sheehan, but most here do not want to trade him. The Tyler Glasnow contract makes any potential return sketchy. His ceiling is too high just to get a marginal player in return. They do not need to get rid of his salary. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, and Roki Sasaki are not getting traded. Gavin Stone and River Ryan have not proven they can be MLB pitchers post injury, so why trade proven OF or 3B for a maybe?
No matter how much Bums wants it to happen, PCA is not getting traded by Chicago. Boston is not going to get excited about the 4 Dodger OF prospects with primarily A+ experience when they have OF at MLB and MiLB. They want pitching. It is going to take Emmet Sheehan to start the conversation with Boston for Duran or Abreu. Or the Twins Buxton, especially if the Twins trade Joe Ryan.
Brendan Donovan? Every MLB team seemingly is talking to St. Louis about a trade for the utility player. Yes he would fit in the LAD lineup very well. However, now that the Dodgers have re-signed Miggy Ro, there is even less of a reason to trade for another utility player.
Going back to AF wanting to win trades, it is more probable that he will not be high bidder for Donovan, but would more likely be a candidate of a Lars Nootbaar or Gorman Thomas trade.
With JJ Wetherholt near ready, possibly Masyn Winn could be moved at an overpay for a GG SS with 4 years control. But Wetherholt can play 3B, so if St. Louis dumps Arenado, the left side of the infield is set for years. Winn and Wetherholt will be playing as a 24 year old and a 23 year old respectively. Why would they change especially if they are in a rebuild.
Outside of Emmet Sheehan, I just do not know how you make teams better with what the Dodgers have to trade, and get back a difference maker in return.
Toronto has now improved their rotation making it near impossible for them to trade Dalton Varsho, Addison Barger, or Ernie Clement. They would love to dump Anthony Santander. I am sure the two teams could work something out on a Davis Schneider trade.
If the elites are not going to be moved, AF will need to uncover a gem. Maybe a Royce Lewis or Brooks Lee from Minnesota. Thomas Sargesse from St. Louis. Jake Meyers (Houston) or Kyle Isbel (KC).
LAD position players acquired in a trade? Mookie, Miggy Ro, Alex Call, and Tommy Edman. Outside of Mookie, who are the difference makers?
If reports are accurate, the Dodgers want a LH hitting OF. Who else might be of interest to AF/BG? I can see the Dodgers having interest in Ryan O’Hearn who could also be Freddie’s backup. Two other LH hitting free agent OF that could be of some interest: Cedric Mullins and Mike Yastrzemski. Think Teoscar, who was not highly sought after two years ago while with Seattle, and Michael Conforto last year. The Dodgers are willing to overpay for this level of FA. People complained about $17MM, but the Dodgers didn’t. Overpay for Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, and Kirby Yates?
I will not be surprised if the highest priced FA the Dodgers sign is a RP.
This is why I do not expect much from the Dodgers at the Winter Meetings. The players they are most likely to trade for or sign as free agents will be on hold until the big FA are signed.
Thus, I think the Dodgers will make more noise with 2nd tier FA than high priced FA. No Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette.
I would also not be surprised if AF/BG do not sign an OF, and instead lets Rushing prove he cannot play LF in a platoon with Call. If not, then the 4 OF prospects can begin to separate and one or two will shine and become available in a deadline trade.
Now watch the Dodgers sign Tucker or Bichette and Edwin Diaz.
