Entering the Winter Meetings with a wide variety of potential moves under consideration, the Dodgers will “in all likelihood” move an existing starter via trade, ESPN.com’s Alden Gonzalez writes. Just what the might look like isn’t yet clear, but the club’s numerous options will surely hold appeal to rivals. To be sure, the Dodgers have found ways on numerous occasions in the recent past to juggle seeming roster overloads, but Gonzalez says that the ability to utilize a player such as Kenta Maeda as a trade piece (while improving in other areas) will likely prod a deal of some kind.
- The Dodgers, meanwhile, are “showing continued interest” in second bagger DJ LeMahieu, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter). Certainly, the club has seen plenty of the 30-year-old over his career, virtually all of which has taken place with the division-rival Rockies. LeMahieu would presumably be seen as a near-everyday piece at second base in Los Angeles, though it’d hardly be surprising to see a lefty hitting platoon mate utilized to some degree if he’s added. Beyond the team’s general predilection for such arrangements, LeMahieu has been 80 OPS points better against left-handed pitching in his career.
- Giants first baseman Brandon Belt is drawing calls from “several” other teams, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Belt is still owed a hefty $48MM over the next three seasons and also can block deals to ten teams. His worrisome concussion history also poses a clear concern. And, of course, the market has not been particularly kind to first basemen of late. Certainly, Belt’s OBP-heavy bat would promise to improve quite a few lineups around the game, but it’s unclear as yet exactly what kind of trade scenarios might be under consideration.
- As the Diamondbacks weigh their next move, they are finding Zack Greinke’s partial no-trade rights a “major impediment,” according to Jon Heyman of Fancred (Twitter link). Numerous potential landing spots for Greinke appear among the 15 clubs to which he can block a deal, which leaves the veteran no small amount of leverage and complicates things for the Arizona organization. It is not clear whether the D-Backs have engaged with Greinke and his reps about his willingness to green-light a deal to certain destinations, but obviously the clause adds a notable variable to an already-tricky situation. While he’s still a high-level performer, Greinke is already 35 years of age and is entitled to a hefty $104.5MM ($95.5MM of salary, the remainder signing bonus) over the next three seasons.
LOL the DBags are stuck with Grenke
Not necessarily. Lots of teams could use him, especially if Arizona is willing to pay some portion of the contract. The amount they pay down will determine the return. The only real issue, as stated in the article, is the no-trade clause, since he wants to play in a smaller market and most small markets can’t afford him
Well if Arizona is paying some of the $ their still stuck with either him or his salary. Doubtful they dump all that salary without taking on salary. But hey, they beat the Dodgers out to sign him! Yay!!!!
Dodgers should trade Wood. Was terrible in postseason.
Maeda is far more versatile than Wood and for that reason I hope the latter is the one dealt. However, Wood’s balls are twice the size of Maeda’s—the guy is afraid of nothing. For that reason, Doc might lobby the FO to keep him. I suspect that Wood is the guy they would prefer to trade.
True.
Is this a reference to the slightly smaller baseballs used in NPB?
Wood to the Athletics would make a lot of sense. A’s have a lot of starters departing in FA.
For?
Clean house! Get rid of both! Have AZ pay $55 mill of salary!
I think Maeda’s contract and years of control make him a more valuable trade piece than Wood
There are some pretty good Dodger players that have been “terrible” in post season.
Greinke is not going anywhere. Nobody is going to take that contract. As far as DJ, my Brewers should go after him. One year stop gap before Huira comes up. Miller Park would fit him nice, too
One year? DJ will get at least 3
Yeah you’re probs right. We need a one year stop gap. Dozier? Kinsler? Im just concerned with the health of those two.
That’s the nature of one-year stopgaps. The fact that they’re flawed players is why they’d settle for a one-year deal in the first place.
That said, Dozier could be a nice buy-low candidate.
How can you honestly say “Nobody is going to take that contact” (of a great pitcher by the way) when the Mets just picked up Robinson Cano’s horrid contract? Do you not pay attention to baseball?
Yeah, because the Mets have been a shining example of how to run a franchise over the last decade? If the mets do it why not everyone right?
The Mets picked up half of cano’s Contract that came with an elite closer. The D-Backs will be able to shed half the deal if that’s what they wish to do. But the whole thing has a 0% chance of moving.
Which is dumb for the fact that he cant DH as that contract extends. I understand wanting to get an impact bat, but they choose the damaged one with a contract like that? They could have used that money elsewhere, but hey, watching the Mets make a fool out of themselves is what makes the offseason so fun
I like Belt, but would love to see Zaidi move his contract
Belt’s problem has always been his health. He was on a tear last year until, yep, hurt again. I still believe he would do well in an AL stadium with a short RF porch, perhaps hitting around 30 dingers in such a park….if he can keep his head out of the way of baseballs.
You can only watch him Gumby shoulder it back to the dugout after he gets AT&T’d so many times. I’ll always respect his glove work, arm, and HR he hit against the Nats.
Most of his injuries have come from baseballs being thrown at him.
Brandon Belt has NEVER hit 20 HR’s……its amazing they paid him like that. And dont give me this “Belt’s OBP-heavy bat”. LOL. 1 year.
he has a career .356 OBP, has topped, has topped .350 5 times, and has a career 123 OPS+… uhh hes pretty good.
Using HRs against a lefty who plays at AT&T lol
70 HRs away, 42 at home
Good job Brixton! Your absolutely right but also don’t discount Left Center Field also,I think AT&T has gotten in Belts head,no pun intended,it appeals to other teams that have noticed obviously,a little change in Scenery might be good for both sides
Harold Baines also had a lifetime OBP of .356, and look how much people ripped him in the last 24 hours on here
Belt is super streaky and too passive. Quit trying to walk and drive the ball. Constantly strikes out looking with men on base. A prime example of obp being overrated for a power position.
Mark is new to this game we call baseball
Fowler for Greinke
that’s terrible for the dbacks
Saves like $50 million over 3 years
Greinke has the Cardinals on his No Trade List.
Too bad, cause there might be a Fit there
He’s got a lot on his NTC. I think he’s more likely to waive for the Cards than a northeast team.
Fowler has a full NTC so there are hurdles on both ends, to be sure.
That’s terrible for everyone involved.
Why is this terrible? Both teams are taking risk but on positions they need help on. I have not given up on Fowler, but I think he needs a change of scenery. Greinke would be nice for the Cards, but is getting older and very expensive. So if ARI takes Fowler’s contract, the Cards would take Greinke’s salary. ARI saves around $50 mil and potentially gets a solid OF. Cards take a risk on an older pitcher that could be a solid #2 for probably at least 2 years. I think his 3rd year could get very interesting. At the end of the day both teams are taking a risk.
Cards need relievers, not starters.
Greinke
Mikolas
Martinez
Flaherty
Wacha (?)
Wainwright
Gomber
Hudson
Hicks
Brebbia
Gant
Pick 2 more relievers via trade, FA or from Webb/Shreve/Reyes (when ready)/Poncedeleon/Mayers/Leone/Gregerson
Wacha and Wainwright suck as starters.
Waino is washed up
Greinke would bolster the rotation until all the young guys are fully ready.
Mikolas gone after 2019.
I think Cards fans who think “we have enough starters” are wrong. You never have enough starters. I think Waino is going to end up in the pen anyway but there’s a good chance he’s gone next year, I’m sure Wacha’s gone, and there’s a really good chance Mikolas is gone.
Anyone who says mikolas is gone doesn’t understand the cardinals contractual control over him. He’s eligible for arbitration for 3 years after this season. He got a guaranteed 2/15 then gets 3 cracks at arb. He’s going nowhere.
Correct never enough starters. Just ask the Dodgers, they had 10-11 last year and still used some guys from Triple A to spot start.
Trade J-Mart, sign Brantley
LF-Ozuna
CF-Bader
RF-O’Neill/Brantley Platoon
1B-Goldy
2B-Wong
SS-DeJong
3B-Carp
C-Yadi
4th OFer – O’Neill/Brantley
Infield sub – Gyrko
Utility – Munoz
Backup C – ?
13 pitchers
Some team will give him the opportunity to be a regular OF. He wouldn’t sign with the Cards to be a 4th OF/platoon.
I think he’d start except against lefties. that would be most games.
Still though, some team will be willing to give him regular playing time over platoon time. Even if it is against just right handers.
Yeah, maybe, but I don’t think sitting against lefties would be that big a deal considering his health issues and the fact that you want to give him off-days anyway. Every team plays matchups and tries to mix in the bench guys regularly, to some extent.
Brantley would be the starter, O’Neill would be the 4th OF and he can play all positions.
LOL….. when I first looked at your list I thought it was supposed to be a lineup and I laughed when I saw Ozuna at leadoff…..
It’s just my opinion but I think that Brantley is really just a different version of Dexter Fowler.
I’m actually not someone who thinks STL needs to just dump Fowler, but I think Fowler for Greinke makes sense for both sides if NTCs are waived, and the Cards have to do something about their roster crunch. Assuming they carry 13 pitchers (which, with all that youth in the staff, they definitely should), they’ve got too many position players at the moment.
Makes sense for everyone, except fowler, who goes to non-contender in a better climate. Or less of a contender. I’d love to have greinke, I’d even take some of the salary, don’t think cards didn’t ask to bundle with goldy.
Doesn’t make sense for AZ though. They have Peralta and Souza at the corners. They need a CFer, which Fowler is not
Brantley is so much better than Fowler. Their stats are not even comparable.
I think they had preliminary discussions regarding Greinke to the Cardinals but he said he will not wave his clause to go there.
Don’t know if that ever happened, but yeah discussions on goldy/greinke bundle was discussed, dbacks shot it down saying they wanted to package them separately so Goldschmidt package would be more significant.
I’m sure they’ve talked but I hadn’t heard that Greinke nixed it.
Belt’s critics rightly point out his injury history specifically regarding concussions. It should also be noted however that he had more than 500 PA’s in 2013 and 2015-2016, is one of the best defensive 1B’s in the game, and would greatly benefit from a move to a hitter-friendly ballpark. Does anyone know what ten teams he can block trades to for the upcoming season?
I don’t know where he can block trades to, but I’d imagine, he’s open to trades in Houston or Texas, anywhere that is favorable to LH power hitters, and probably places.
Why would Greinke block a trade to a contender? He is kind of a weird dude, so maybe he likes the desert that much.
It’ll be entertaining when DJ goes to LA and Yasmani goes to Colorado. Wonder if Dodgers would trade Puig to the Rockies–they need a true RF.
Zack Greinke is actually a very intelligent and cerebral guy. He seems to be pretty finicky about a lot of things and really didn’t do well at all under the microscope in New York. He’s not a big stage kind of pitcher.
That being said I think that he would consider a trade to a contender that’s on his partial no-trade list but the fit would have to be perfect
He, sadly, might be in it for the money at this point of his career. He took the best offer out there in Phoenix, and correct me if I’m wrong but Arizona has very lenient tax laws. So for him to get traded isn’t just about competing, but seeing his earnings take a major hit. I believe one of the big reasons Stanton didn’t approve a trade to California was he would lose millions in taxes every year.
Eh. Stanton would’ve gone to the Dodgers. Maybe he just knew the Giants were going to suck for a while.
Dodgers did an offer and it didn’t work out. https://dodgerblue.com/giancarlo-stanton-trade-rumors-dodgers-prospects-offered-marlins/2017/12/10/
This tax thing is overblown. It’s not like New York is a low tax state. In any case, why didn’t he just block every trade and stay in Florida which has no state income tax?
See above for the Dodgers rumor.
Regarding taxes, I guess it depends on the person and type of ballplayer….
Just income taxes, NY is 8.82% versus 12.5% for California. At $25 million a year he loses $2,205,000 playing in New York and $3,075,000 playing in L.A.
So you can say, “So what?” What’s a million dollars when you’re making $25 million a year?” Break that down over the length of the contract and you’re talking about $8,700,000.
It’s a tough call there. If I had a chance to save almost $9 million and play in Yankee Stadium, I’d do what he did.
Contender? St.Louis is still far behind Chicago and Milkwaukee. Especially pitching wise. Arizona is on the way up making the right moves btw
No, No NO, we don’t want Pig in Colorado…go away. He’s a clubhouse distraction and we had enough of that with Tulowitzki. Besides the first time he tried to kiss Blackmon he’d probably wind up in a “hunting accident”
Doyuers thinking they can move 2 over paid starters is funny.
Overpaid
Omg, if I were the Giants and someone wanted Belt without me having to eat a dead money contract in return, I’d take $500 in international signing money in return. Or a 23 y/o Appy League bench warmer. Or the sandwich the Appy League bench warmer has eaten half of at trade time, and I wouldn’t seek a guarantee that he wouldn’t eat the other half.
LA has Kike and Taylor to cover 2B. Seager returns to SS. Muncy for an emergency at 2B. No need for Lemahieu.
LA needs to address the catcher position. Figure out if Verdugo is part of the 2019 plans and beyond. If not, package him with others for Realmuto. Dodgers time is now and they should take the opportunity to do it.
You take Miggy & we will take Greinke of course Tigers are probably on his partial no trade list. Oh, well you guys are stuck just like the Tigers. Yankees stuck with Ellsbury but they might swap their crap for your crap!
I wonder how much trade value Ross Stripling has this offseason? Maeda’s contract is very team friendly.
Greinke is a solid starter. A solid 2 at this point and a 1 on many. A contender wanna be should be looking at him. He only has 3 years left and knows how to pitch. Different yes but still a quality arm. I would take him and that contract any day over what Kershaw just re-upped for and the years.
Giants fan but yankees could use a left handed 1b. Even if bird was part of the return belt wouldn’t take much more than a few 25-40 type prospects with maybe a top 10.
Belt hits his pillow now he gets concussed – trade him and his contract and start the rebuild.
I would trade Belt… I think he is injury prone and very overrated.