Here’s the latest from the Dodgers.
- The Dodgers are aggressively marketing Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, and Andre Ethier, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports in a series of tweets (one, two, three). The club is swimming in depth with Yasiel Puig, Scott Van Slyke, and Joc Pederson also in the mix for big league reps. L.A. is willing to kick in significant money depending on the return. Some teams are interested in the left-handed bats, while Kemp is drawing wide interest. Puig is “not in play.”
- While the Dodgers are known for their big market bullying, the new sheriffs in town – Andrew Friedman, Farhan Zaidi, and Josh Byrnes – will be focused on reining in payroll, writes Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. The roster has inflexible components, which is why the club is continuing to shop their outfielders. If payroll comes in around $240MM again, the Dodgers will have a luxury tax bill in the $20MM range. With fans excited about the team and the TV contract with Time-Warner Cable finalized, the era of blank-check spending is probably at an end.
Crawford and Either are really overrated and I can’t see them getting anything really for them. I can see them getting a decent prospect for Kemp but that’s about it…
Ethier had a really rough year, but if they ate a significant portion of Crawford’s contract he would bring back a decent prospect.
Yea depending on the money he could probably net an organizational 5-10 guy depending on the system.
They would be foolish to trade Matt Kemp. If anyone should be traded it’s Yasiel Puig.
He was the team’s most valuable hitter, don’t think that’s going to happen.
Why trade a legit #3 hitter with 4 years of team control make sense?
It doesn’t. Just “fans” who don’t like Puig’s energy and passion for the game.
5 years of team control
I totally disagree. They need to move Crawford & Eithier, and have Joc and Van Slyke in feft.
I wish you were the GM. Would love to have him here in STL.
I can’t see the Dodgers trading Kemp, he was huge for them down the stretch and still has plenty of productive years left. I see a salary dump of Ethier or Crawford as more of a possibility.
Friedman is a master of selling high. I think Kemp ultimately stays as well but I expect a huge return if he is moved.
I wouldn’t hold my breath on that. He was a 1.8 fWAR player last season, with a huge contract. His fantastic offense was offset by his abysmal defense. You may get some interest in an AL team looking for a DH, but he’s not going to bring a huge return.
I think there will be too much disagreement on his value for him to be moved which is why he will likely stay. However, it only takes one team to get desperate and overpay in a weakening hitters market.
That fWAR was brought down by his terrible defense in CF to start the season. He later moved to RF and was not nearly as bad. If his entire season would have been in RF, that number would be higher.
Yup, in RF he was below average. In CF he was historically awful. With Puig manning CF, Kemp’s defense is much less of a liability.
Kemp is 3 years younger and better than Nelson Cruz. In a world where MLBTR predicts $70MM for Cruz if the Dodgers ate most of his contract he could bring back something pretty nice.
His salary and a half season does not bring back anything that nice. Anyone who gives Cruz 70 million deserves what’s inevitably coming.
He had a rare and in demand commodity, elite pitching, at a time, the trade deadline, when there were few or no other comparable choices. Its much different to trade off season and to move much less desirable contracts.
I don’t think he did all that well with the Price trade either.
Maybe he’s a “master.” Time will tell.
learn a new position?
Would love to see Kemp in RF for the Mets. Exactly the kind of right handed bat they need.
Same, but he’s too expensive. $$$ and/or prospects
I think sending them Niese and getting a sizable portion of Kemp’s contract covered (half? I don’t have time to look at the exact numbers) is probably a pretty fair deal for both sides.
They want prospects. Sandy doesn’t want to take money, either.
Who says they want prospects? Niese is a cost controlled, middle of the rotation starter with an extremely team friendly 4 year deal. The Dodgers back end pitching is more than a little sketchy, particularly with Ryu’s continued injuries and Haren’s general mediocrity. Niese would be a good get for them.
Niese is a fairly mediocre pitcher who would be okay as a back-end starter but not enough for Kemp while eating a large chunk of his contact. There is a reason Mets fans always include him in trade proposals. He has yet to surpass 200 innings (though close a couple times), has been mostly below avg. based off ERA+ which shows in his H/A splits and is quite hittable with low K totals. Perhaps Ethier or Crawford could be had for him (money included) but not Kemp.
He’s exactly the kind of RH bat the Dodgers need. Funny how that works.
I wonder what Kemp would cost the Cardinals. I’d definitely be interested, depending on the price.
Probably a pitcher. Perhaps something involving Marco Gonzales.
You’re not excited about a consistently-good team? Sad.
I’m curious if the Dodgers would move Van Slyke for fair value. His skillset matches the Mariners’ needs really well. Frankly I think he could be as valuable to the M’s as Kemp, who gives up so much on defense he would have to hit exceptionally well and in a park that hates right-handers. I’m not sure the M’s have anything the Dodgers want other than Taijuan Walker.
Paxton, Walker – both likely off limits if Van Slyke is the centerpiece. Perhaps Farquhar and a prospect?
I hope Rick Hahn is doing whatever he can to get one of those outfielders from LAD in exchange for John Danks.
He won’t get Kemp for Danks. Ethier sure, and Danks for Crawford would work depending on how much cash is involved.
Ethier for Danks could possibly work. Bad contract for bad contract.
The Dodgers would be really dumb to trade Kemp. He was their best outfielder this year and his bat is hard to replace. This guy can easily hit over 30 HR next year on a full season and drive in over 100RBI. I would not be surprised if he gets MVP next year. Dodgers front office should take a look of all these comments. Anyone in these comments would take him in a hearth beat.
Andre Ethier could do well for the Yankees and those AL East ballparks.
They’ve already got 4 outfielders under contract and 3-4 guys to rotate through the DH spot.
“Take ’em, I don’t want ’em!” “Well, I don’t want ’em either, YOU take ’em!” “What am I supposed to do with ’em?!” “I don’t know! All I know is I don’t want ’em!”
Would really like the Pirates to make an offer for Van Slyke; slot him in at 1B. Would be nice to see that name in the BLACK AND GOLD again.
I don’t know if Van Slyke is the guy they are looking to move, considering he’s still making the minimum.
Perhaps something involving Hughes and another piece.
Van Slyke and Kemp would be good fits for the mets. I think montero and pleweki for Kemp and a lot of salary would be a great trade for both sides.
Matt Kemp was the Dodgers best hitter in the second half. Right-handed power like his is almost priceless. Hoping we keep Kemp.
Still lots of money owed to both ethier and Crawford, the two most likely to get dealt. Doubt any team is willing to trade any one with a moderate ceiling for either one of these guys, even with the dodgers eating a ton of money. The dodgers have made their beds, so to speak, and now must lie in it.
I wonder what the Dodgers are asking for Kemp. I know the Cards have been linked to trade rumors involving Carlos Gonzalez and possibly even Giancarlo Stanton (not saying the Cards have enough to get him, but I know we’ve been mentioned), so I wouldn’t be surprised if we are at least in conversations with LA about what it would take to get him.
IMO, the price will be high. Friedman and Zaidi are looking to shed some of the surplus and probably get a really high return. My guess is the Dodgers will eat a lot of salary IF the return is high.
It would be a horrible move to trade Matt Kemp. I think the fan base would revolt, the McCourt era was not that long ago. We have only had two years of being like the Yankees, and have nothing to show for it. Keep spending until we win something, or at least until all of LA can see the games on TV.
Anyone hoping for Kemp is likely wishing too high. IMO, it will be either Ethier or Crawford who is traded. My guess is Ethier will be traded, with the Dodgers eating a lot of money, for a bullpen piece or a minor leaguer.
Hopefully it’s the old bait and switch. They can’t afford Kemp, so here another piece that they can afford.
I think its just getting rid of some of their lefty outfielders. They have Ethier, Crawford and Pederson and need to shed 1 of them. Friedman can eat a lot of Ethier or Crawford’s salary since he didn’t sign either of them to the big contracts they have.
My guess is Ethier will be the one to go.
Agreed. Remember the conventional wisdom that Kemp just had to be sold for a bag of bats? He’s probably worth at least two bags now.
Odd to be “reining in payroll” when rumors are out there that the Dodgers are trying to trade for Elvis Andrus’s big contract from the Rangers.
That’s just a rumor. You’ll hear all kinds of baseless rumors during the offseason, whether there’s truth to them or not.
“L.A. is willing to kick in significant money depending on the return”
Take some notes Ruben Amaro Jr.
I think the Dodgers would be fine trading any of these guys, they just need to find the right package! The timing to do that is at the meetings this week. This is a good move by Friedman, he is planting the seed to see what is out there. They definitely have too many outfielders and Puig isn’t going anywhere, he has special talent!
The same seeds that were planted a year ago, starting all the other rumors that made very little sense and turned out to be inaccurate.
Tigers are the obvious match.
They have JD Martinez and Rajai Davis… that is it. They also have a budget to take on “some” salary.
Would the Dodgers be willing to take on Verlander and give about $5MM/year in salary relief for Crawford?
If so, the Tigers could give “Verlander money” to either Scherzer or Price and solve their OF problem by putting Crawford in the huge LF at Comerica where his speed could be leveraged. He is also a left handed bat which they still need.
Interesting idea but Verlander is a 9 yr. Tiger vet and with Miggy, one of the faces of the franchise. I doubt that L.A. will eat any money when they would owe JV $8mill. a year more than either Crawford of Ethier Part of LA problem is outfield logjam and part is payroll relief. Detroit first has to settle signing/not signing V Mart before they know who they need to target going forward. If V Mart leaves,will a Left Handed DH/1B slugger,(Howard for JV??) be needed to platoon with Miggy? The money saved not signing V Mart could go to Price. Outfield plans are very fluid with JD.Martinez able to go to either corner outfield and DH. Davis can fill in at all three outfield positions. They need to decide between a power full time corner fielder or full time center fielder with Davis platooning the part time spot. Do they look for an offense first or defense first type of guy. My preference would be for a defensive centerfielder who can get on base.
How does Stan Kasten saying, “The goal remains having the best team we can. That’s far and away our priority over whatever the payroll might be,” turn into “a focus on reining in payroll”?
Kemp should not be traded. If he was, the Dodgers should get a good return without kicking in money. He is finally healthy again and we all saw during the second half what a healthy Kemp can do. He would be the best hitter on the market in free agency behind maybe Cruz.
Kemp to the White Sox please. Puig, Pederson, and Ethier/Crawford/Van Slyke is beyond formidable. Just don’t know how much money would be added and what would be wanted in return.
John Danks for Carl or Matt