It seems as though the Dodgers and Minnesota Twins might be getting closer on a trade agreement that would include sending Brian Dozier to LA. Rumors have been swirling for weeks. One of the sticking points was the inclusion of Jose De Leon. News broke today that the Dodgers may now be willing to include him.
A trade between the Twins and the Dodgers makes a lot of sense. Coming off the worst record in baseball in 2016, the Twins aren’t going to be contending anytime soon. Trading a player to a team that has a very healthy farm system and getting multiple players back that could have impact is a smart move as they rebuild. And Brian Dozier may not ever have a higher value than he does right now.
Dozier is coming off of a season where he mashed 42 home runs. No Dodger hit more than 30 last year. While there is reason to believe that Dozier may not be able to replicate that high number of home runs again, his bat would be a marked improvement over what LA had last year at second. Chase Utley hit 14 homers as the main second baseman last year. Even if Dozier regressed to 25-30 homers this year with Dodger Stadium as his home park, that’s a big improvement of power from the position. Dozier also hits very well against left-handed pitching, something the Dodgers sorely need. His contract is also very team friendly, another thing that helps the Dodgers with their high payroll.
For Los Angeles, the acquisition of Dozier would fill one of the remaining holes that the Dodgers still have. They re-signed all three of their off season targets in Kenley Jansen, Rich Hill and Justin Turner. But they still need help at second base. Chase Utley could still be an option, but not as an every day starting option. There’s nobody in the farm system ready to take the role. The only moves the Dodgers have made so far this offseason are re-signings, so the farm system is still stocked to go out and acquire a star player.
The key player going from LA to Minnesota would be Jose De Leon. De Leon, 24, is the second-highest rated prospect in the LA farm system. More pieces would be involved of course. Minnesota is also interested in Cody Bellinger, but then again who isn’t? Bellinger is very highly unlikely to be moved, so the Twins would have to settle for other players. Who those players might be, and whether they are enough for the Twins to make the trade remain to be seen. But the Dodgers seem intent to make this deal work, and I have no doubt they can make it work. Maybe LA will have a new second baseman by Christmas.
Think Blue Planning Committee 
I dread this trade. It takes me back to the Delino DeShields disaster, which was dreadful the instant it was made. More recently, the Dodgers had an young All-Star second baseman in Dee Gordon and they traded him. They had a top middle infielder prospect in Jose Peraza and traded him for a player they quickly gave up on, while Peraza hit 320 for the Reds and stole a bunch of bases. Now we are going to lose more top prospects to fill the hole they created at second base with a 30 year-old who in his best year hit under 270? No way he is going to come close to hitting 40 homers at Dodger Stadium. Depressing. Don’t do it, Dodgers. Transactions like this one takes all the fun out of following the team and second base is probably the least demanding position in the field. Forget about this and focus on seeing if you can trade Kazmir and McCarthy to some team that needs to fill in with a starter. Maybe they could offer someone who will be a short term fill in at second.
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Are you implying that Jose De Leon is the second coming of Pedro Martinez?
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Not at all, but I think he has a brighter career path in front of him than Dozier. Second base is the least demanding position in the field. A better alternative can arranged with other resources so that the Dodgers don’t need to forfeit top prospects.
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I understand where you are coming from. I do, however, believe the Dodgers have a few pitching prospects that they can afford to move. I think that Chase De Jong or Trevor Oaks could conceivably be a decent No. 5 for quite a few squads around baseball. Right now, if healthy, Ryu, Stripling, McCarthy, Kazmir, Stewart and De Leon will all battle for the fifth spot—that’s crazy. I think that’s the biggest reason that Logan Bawcom ended up in San Diego—there were just too many guys ahead of him.
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Agree with you on De Jong & Oaks. Its marginal that they have the stuff to be solid starters for the Dodgers, but they have value for other clubs, as I think Kamir & McCarthy do. Yes, the Dodgers do have a surplus of potential starters and you didn’t include Wood. I see Stripling more as a long relief option, unless he can find a way to stay in games longer. Stewart, De Leon, & Wood could be their best options for the rotation. Ryu’s health is a major concern. His days of being effective may be over.
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https://thinkbluepc.com/2016/12/14/how-does-alex-wood-fit-into-dodgers-2017-roster-puzzle/
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Texas needs a pitcher, maybe Kazmir or McCarthey and some money for Profar til Calhoun is ready.
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Dodgers would probably need to pay a HUGE portion of either’s contract, plus make some type of prospect offering.
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Why the rush to trade for Dozier?
First, I admit if I ran the team I would be a prospect hoarder, and wouldn’t want to give up any prospect in the farm system. Up and coming talent, improving every year, is much more desirable than aging stars starting to regress and are getting worse each year. I hope they don’t, but I’m thinking of Adrian Gonzalez in 2017 and his numbers dropping off last year.
Second, what is the urgency in making a trade right now? Everyone wants to look just at last season numbers, but on the Dodger roster there they may just be a breakout player already under contract. For example, Kike Hernandez, Chris Taylor or Micah Johnson. Kike was probably not as good as 2015 (.307/.346/.490) nor as bad as 2016 (.190/.283/.324), but is likely in between. If he was the 2015 version, it would be stupid to trade for anyone, right? There was a time Justin Turner (cut by New York Mets) was thought to be a washout and everyone just about gave up on Dee Gordon. Look what they became.
Why not start the season with who is on the roster and see how they play? If they don’t work out, revisit acquiring Brian Dozier. He had a career year last year and the Twins want to be compensated based upon those numbers. Let him play 2-3 months and see if he is worth Jose Deleon. JDL can also show off why he is so highly regarded and we should see his value rise – in the Dodger Rotation
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I like your thinking. There is no rush and there are a wide variety of options available. If the Dodgers are willing to give up a starting pitching prospect, at least it should be for a younger second baseman. And I hate to say it, but if there is a reasonable market for Gonzalez, they probably should take it. His game has dropped over the last two years and Bellinger could be ready by mid-season. The risk in trading players over 30 is less than trading those under 27.
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