Let’s Make a Deal

Posted By on December 5, 2024

There is talk of the Dodgers acquiriong Juan Soto, Blake Treinen, Teoscar Hernandez, Willy Adames… and others, but maybe we need to look at the trade market. I am not advocating this… just giving you some options. Let’s start this exercise with the premise that Mookie Betts is going to play 2B and Tommy Edman is going to man SS. That makes Gavin Lux expendable and so today I am going to include him in a trade.

In this trade, I am going to trade Gavin Lux, Joendry Vargus, Emil Morales,, Alex Freeland, Ryan Ward, Drew Avans, and Jared Karros for Garrett Crochet, Luis Robert, Jr. and $3.5 Million in International Signing Bonus Money… and then add that money to the Dodgers money, which will give them $8.6 Million with which to sign Roki Sasaki. Now, I happen to believe that the ChiSox would also demand Dalton Rushing…

That’s a lot of prospect capital, but two of them (namely Ryan Ward and Drew Avans) are aging out of the system and may be lost anyway. They are players who are a lot like Luke Raley, Zach McKinstry, Tim LoCastro, Matt Beaty, Kyle Garlick, and Raylan Bannon. Ryan Ward will be 27 next year and has no chance in LA, but he hit 34 HR for the Oklahoma City Comets (that’s their new name) and OPS’ed .883. He could be better than the ChiSox other options. Drew Avans is a speedy CF’er who stole 35 bases with a .366 OB%. He will be 29 next season and is also blocked.

Before you poo-poo that, realize that Brent Rooker languished in the Twins, Padres, and Royals systems for years before breaking out last year at age 29. It’s a lot to give up and it’s a lot to get. Crochet and Robert, Jr. are both potential All-Stars. This would be the lineup:

  1. Ohtani DH
  2. Betts 2B
  3. Freeman 1B
  4. Robert, Jr. CF
  5. Muncy 3B
  6. Smith C
  7. Edman SS
  8. Pages/Outman RF
  9. Taylor LF

How about this rotation?

  1. Snell
  2. Glasnow
  3. Yamamoto
  4. Ohtani
  5. Gonsolin
  6. Crochet
  7. Sasaki

With May, Kershaw, Sheehan, and Miller somewhere along the line. That should be enough horse, ‘er arm power!

Yes, LF is not great, but CT3 is a pro and will provide Gold Glove Defense. You don’t need him to hit… but he might! It’s worth considering.

But, then there is this…

This article has 44 Comments

  1. David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports said, “My understanding, talking to people around the league, they expect Teoscar Hernández to re-sign with the Dodgers. Many people around the league expect Teoscar Hernández and the Dodgers to find their way back to each other, and my understanding is the Dodgers and Teoscar are very much engaged and trying to nail the final details of a contract.” While no deal is official just yet, the possibility of Teoscar Hernández rejoining the Dodgers is already a big win for the team.

    If this is true and DV is a reliable source, NO Soto. Better ways to spend $600 million plus to improve the team.Now let’s get Roki Sasaki and piss off the entire MLB world.

    Also it is a smart move by the Dodgers to sign Teo before the Soto signing announcement , as the price would go up on Teo for teams that didn’t sign Soto as a fallback.

  2. Jim Bowden is advocating this:

    Dodgers pick up Devin Williams from Brewers

    After landing another ace for their rotation in Blake Snell, it’s time for the Dodgers to address the back end of their bullpen. After missing the first four months of last season with stress fractures in his back, Williams returned in late July and dominated. He posted a 1.25 ERA and 0.969 WHIP in 22 appearances with 14 saves and 38 strikeouts over 21 2/3 innings. His arsenal includes arguably the best changeup in the sport. In return for an impact closer like Williams, the Brewers could get shortstop Gavin Lux, who would replace Willy Adames at shortstop and allow Joey Ortiz to play third base. They would also need to get a pitcher back in the deal and perhaps Justin Wrobleski, a 24-year-old lefty who posted a 3.76 ERA in 20 appearances (18 starts) between Double A and Triple A last season, would work for both teams. Williams has one more year of team control while Lux has two. Even if the Dodgers got Williams, they could still re-sign Blake Treinen; as Andrew Friedman, Brandon Gomes and company learned last year, you can never have enough pitching. And to replace Lux, the Dodgers could sign Adames to play shortstop. The rich get richer.

    1. On Mookie Betts podcast, Dave Roberts was asked , as far as the team goes, what he wanted for Christmas Roberts said he wanted a starting pitcher and reliever. One down and one to go.

    2. Put Avans aside, which trade proposal makes more (or less) sense… Bowden’s or Mark’s?

      It’s hard for me to pick one.

    1. I actually like your trade in that it hurts a bit as all trades should. But if it helps land Sasaki then that’s a game-changer.

      Hoping for Teo but it’s no done deal.

      1. If I was Teo’s agent I would advise him to wait until Soto signs.
        The price for pitching is already high, and the price for hitters should follow.
        And those rising osts make the notion of a deal for Luis Robert all the more attractive, since he’d be on a team-friendly contract for a couple of seasons yet.

  4. I don’t think you can trade for that much International Pool money. There are limits on each trade.

  5. Drew Avens just signed as free agent wit A’s, probably can’t trade him to White Sox

  7. ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Buster Olney discussed the Juan Soto’s free agency on Thursday, and both came to the conclusion that he could break the record for the largest total money given in a single contract.

    “It’s a perfect storm of bidding, and through the use of deferrals, it does not seem out of the realm of possibility that the broad strokes of his deal could be something in the range of $750 million over 15 years,” Olney said.

    “It’s an enormous number,” Passan concurred. “It could include deferred money, but less than a year after Shohei Ohtani signed a $700 million contract that shattered the previous record by nearly $275 million, Soto might exceed it.”

    Soto is not anywhere near the player Ohtoni is.This will eventually be a huge mistake whoever signs him(Mets).

    1. Well, that is an opinion, and it may be true because Ohtani is a two-way player and hits and pitches, while Soto just hits. WAR is a great measure of a Players’ True Value. Both Soto and Ohtani have been in the league7 years and here is how they stack up with regard to WAR:

      Ohtani has 43.8 WAR
      Soto has 36.4 WAR

      However, Ohtani has 15.1 WAR on the pitching side, which means that offensively, Soto has 36.4 WAR to 28.7 WAR for Ohtani on the hitting side.

      In the post-season, Soto has played 43 games and has a .927 OPS. Ohtani has a .767 Postseason OPS in just 16 games. If I had the choice of one hitter to sign for my team, it would be Soto over Ohtani! Soto is a better hitter!

      1. If I had to spend that kind of money, I would rather have Ohtoni. I know what Ohtoni’s work ethic is . Once Soto gets his money, will his work ethic change?

        1. Not to mention all the revenue Ohtani brings in. He basically pays for himself….

          Soto aint bringing in that revenue.

  8. I like your trade creativity, especially increasing the Dodger’s international money to land Sasaki. However, I am not a fan of Crochet and I’d be very surprised if the Dodger add another fragile arm to their line-up.

    I think the hitting line-up you propose is missing a person to mash left handers like Teoscar did last season, and he was amazingly clutch in in key moments. I think back to the Dodgers trip to play at Yankee Stadium. Teoscar carried the offense and showed me he’s not daunted by the moment.

    In the non-clutch category are CT3, Muncy, Outman/Pages. Having three of these players in the everday line-up would be challenging. Yes, Muncy hits opportunistic HRs (i.e. when the game is already decided), and he draws an occassional walk, but going hitless in the World Series tells me all I need to know.

    1. Much-maligned Max gets maligned again…
      Remember: This is the same who set a post-season record by getting on-base 12 consecutive times. If the Dodgers don’t get past the Padres and Mets, they don’t reach the World Series.
      From MLB,com:
      Here’s what Muncy’s streak looked like:

      Home run
      Walk
      Walk
      Walk
      Single
      Walk
      Walk
      Home run
      Walk
      Walk
      Walk
      Single

      Note that the streak was achieved without the benefit of an error.
      Max’s OPS for ’24 was .852, just below Freddie’s .854 and above Teoscar’s .840. Injuries limited him 73 games. But if he could have maintained an .850 pace for a full season, he probably would have beaten Machado for the Silver Slugger at 3B.

  9. I think a trade for Crochet is one the Dodgers should make regardless the costs in personnel from the minors. As Mark stated a lot of them are blocked from every getting to the majors with the Dodgers plus they are getting older and losing there value.
    I think Mark (?) was against Robert’s being acquired in prior posts, due to his durability. But if he was included in a trade, that would make Edman our primary SS, which in my opinion is more than acceptable as unfortunately Taylor isn’t going anywhere.

    While getting Soto would be incredible, Teo is the more realistic option. Somebody who really wants to be here and was a huge plus in the locker room and came through with clutch at bats.

    Who still hope to see Buehler back as I think what we saw in the playoffs was the real deal.

  11. Buster Olney is reporting the Dodgers will sign Roki Sasaki.

    The Los Angeles Dodgers might not be done adding to their star-studded rotation.

    According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the “widespread industry belief” is that Japanese star pitcher Rōki Sasaki has already chosen where he wants to sign, and that his “most likely” choice is the Dodgers.

    Sasaki, who turned 23 on Nov. 23, is joining the MLB for the 2025 season after a dominant four seasons with Nippon Professional Baseball. He qualifies as an international amateur free agent and can receive a limited amount of money on his first contract.

    Should he choose to join the Dodgers he would pair up with fellow countrymen Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on what is shaping up to be one of the strongest pitching lineups in the MLB.

  12. Would love to have Buehler back. You can’t put a price on (nor teach) his bad-ass attitude– you only hope it rubs off on other players. For me, Buehler is in the Kershaw category– he can be a Dodger as long as he wants within financial reason.

  13. It’s funny that nobody remembers the comments Crochet made at the trade deadline. Didn’t sound like a team guy to me. Only team guys need apply. I was pining for Robert Jr. at the deadline, if he could buy into the team mentality I’ll take him.
    The thing about trading pre 2A players is that you really don’t know yet what they’re ceiling is. So be careful AF.
    I love the hot stove but so far it’s not even luke warm. I don’t like to throw too much at the wall. So I just calmly wait for the fireworks. Lately the Dodgers have loved fireworks. So patience is a must right now. But I do love you Adames and Soto guys going at it.
    Book em

    1. Sign Teo and Sasaki and let the hate continue. The Evil Empire on the West Coast is fully operating.

      1. We not Me. More concerned with team wins than individual Stats.

        Fits WB to a T.

        Bring him back!!

    3. I never heard Crochet say that. I think it came from his agent who also advised Josh Hader to want to pitch only under certain circumstances. A young kid, on the worst team in baseball? I would not hold it against him, but it likely came from his agent. He probably has no clue what a good teammate is.

  14. Lot of opportunities, but I don’t believe Soto will be part of LA’s future.

    Don’t see a trade for Crochet. I do expect the Dodgers to sign Roki Sasaki.

    Will they sign Adames? Probably not.

    I do believe they re-sign Teo.

    I like the idea of trading for Williams. Lux would be a good start to land him.

    The one Stat that doesn’t show up in comparisons between of Ohtani and Soto is the sponsorship and advertising dollars the Dodgers receive because Ohtani is in LA. Soto is a really good young player, but not a money generation machine.

    I hate to see Buehler go, but if the Dodgers get Sasaki, I just don’t see that happening.

  15. Just saw a fresh report that the White Sox are intent on dealing Luis Robert Jr. this winter because they fear that a slow start would crater his value.
    If I ran the woeful White Sox, I’d be thinking the same thing: get maximum value now and let another team take on the risk. . . and the potential reward.
    And the Dodgers are certainly positioned to assume the risk on Robert’s upside.
    No doubt, Robert is an impressive athlete in the mold of Yasiel Puig–big, powerful and swift–but with a less mercurial (“wild horse”) personality. His arm may be a notch below Puig’s, but he has shown more power with his bat. He had an awful, injury-shortened ’24, but in ’23 Robert clubbed 38 HRs with an OPS over .850 while playing CF at a very high level.
    Robert’s ’23 season on a crappy team was much better than Teoscar’s ’24 on a championship team .
    And this is important: Robert is still only 27–just one year older than Juan Soto–and is playing on a team-friendly contract for the next two seasons. So he’d make the Dodgers younger and upgrade the defense. (Soto, who would cost a fortune, would make the Dodgers younger but not help the defense.)
    So what should the Dodgers offer to the White Sox?
    –Dalton Rushing. This may hurt the most, but Rushing is the big slugging prospect the ChiSox reportedly covet. Right now, he is blocked by Will Smith at catcher and by Freddie at 1B, so the Dodgers are considering him for LF. With no clear near-term role, Rushing may have more valuable as a big trade chip.
    –Lux. With Mookie moving to 2B, Lux could get a fresh start elsewhere. He’d immediately move into the White Sox starting lineup and might figure out how to hit lefties. He could have another shot at shortstop.
    –Pages or Outman. Robert’s arrival would make one of them expendable, and the White Sox would get a new ML-tested outfielder. (I’d give the Sox a choice and prefer they take Pages. Outman’s lefty bat and superior defense make him more valuable to the Dodgers.)
    –Ryan Ward. Blocked with the Dodgers, but vulnerable in the Rule 5 draft. He could fit into an OF platoon and see action at DH.
    Obviously the deal could include pitching prospects and second-tier position prospects, like Gauthier and Feduccia. (Should we offer Knack and Wrobleski and keep Rushing?) My guess is that the White Sox will want more ML-ready talent than young guys like De Paula, J Vargas and Zyhir Hope–but who knows? The Dodgers have a lot of prospect capital at various levels that would interest Chicago.
    Best-case scenario: Roberts stays healthy and fulfills his superstar potential and rules CF for the Dodgers for the foreseeable future at least until he’s the age that Teo is now.
    Worst-case: It doesn’t work out and the Dodgers move on. Again, no team is in a better position to assume the risk.
    A new, improved lineup card….

    Shohei DH
    Mookie 2B
    Freddie 1B
    Teo LF
    Muncy 3B
    Smith C
    Robert CF
    Edman SS
    Outman/Pages or Taylor RF

    Robert would probably benefit from the Dodgers’ attentive team culture, with role models like Mookie and staff working to keep his body healthy. He could bat cleanup, but he may benefit from less pressure because he wouldn’t have to be “The Man” the way he is for the White Sox.
    If AF wants to really pig out, he could deal for Robert and sign Adames too. Edman would shift to more of a utility role and perhaps be in platoon in LF.
    It’s nice to root for the Dodgers.

  16. Allegedly, the Dodgers are still in the Soto Sweepstakes and of course, Friedman and Company are not talking to anyone about him, so when all the reporters say that the Dodgers are a ” longshot” this is based upon their own biases and opinions. If Friedman really was will ing to play $600 Million for Soto, he damn sure would pay a little more as well.

    Notice: This is based upon my own opinion and biases!

    1. That last sentence tells it all. Some folks don’t seem to understand this. Oh and Bluto, before you chamber another round in your sniper rifle, some folks does mean you.
      Book em

      1. I hear tht the Dodgers have put together the same type of offer they did with Bryce Harper: $60+ Million for 3 years. Soto could win a few World Series and go baclk on the market at age 29….

        2. What a coup that would be! The east coast media and fans would be apoplectic.
          Watching them call out the Evil Dodger Empire would just be icing on the cake.
          Book em

        3. I have to wonder….
          At what point might teammates be offended by exorbitant contracts? At what point could it upset clubhouse chemistry?
          Probably a moot point. My guess is that Soto would prefer a guaranteed $650
          million deal to a guaranteed $180 million.
          And I don’t think the goal is to do a touchdown dance in front of the Yankees and Mets. Investing in two or three quality players is the better way to win another championship.

    2. Based on my own opinion and biases…
      As I read the tea leaves, the reports that the Soto sweepstakes are down to the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays are accurate. Perhaps AF offered something like the 3-year deal you describe, but Soto realized that he prefered a long-term contract with more than triple the guarantee that the Dodgers would offer.
      And I don’t see the Guggenheim folks getting into a bidding war with Cohen when the Dodgers actually have better options. At this point, the Mets pretty much promised Soto to their fan base, and the Yanks may feel likewise. AF might want Soto, but clearly the Dodgers would be fine–better, I think–by pursuing other options. (AF already made two upgrades with Snell and the Edman extension.)
      I believe the reports that the Dodgers and Teo are close to a deal. But I would still advise Teo to wait. His market could really heat up once Soto is signed.

  17. Next week at the Winter Meetings on the last day, the Rule 5 Draft will take place. The Dodgers have already lost Drew Avans as a minor league Free Agent and cold lose more. The Athletic listed these tow as strong possibilities:

    Damon Keith, OF, Dodgers
    There always seem to be a handful of intriguing power bats from the Dodgers organization in the Rule 5 pool and Keith is definitely one of those this year. A 2021 18th-round pick out of California Baptist, Keith was limited by injuries but hit 16 homers in 75 Double-A games this past season (and one in a rehab Arizona Complex League game for good measure). He’s a three-true-outcomes type with a career .455 SLG and .368 OBP but 396 strikeouts in 327 games. Keith, 24, is limited to the corners defensively but the power could be intriguing enough for a team to call his name.

    Ryan Ward, 1B, Dodgers
    During the 2022 Rule 5 draft, the A’s took a first baseman named Ryan from the Dodgers with the second pick. Ryan Noda ended up posting a 2.3-WAR season in 2023 before losing his starting job in 2024. Ryan Ward, 26, doesn’t have Noda’s long track record of above-average OBPs, but he does have similar power from the left side. Ward hit a career-high 34 homers in 2024, mostly at the Triple-A level. He’s never had fewer than 21 homers in any of his four full minor-league seasons. He doesn’t give any defensive flexibility, but a team looking for left-handed power might want to give him a shot.

  18. OK, I asked ChatGPT what a team player is:

    A team player is someone who works well within a group, contributing to the collective success of the team rather than focusing solely on individual achievements. Key traits of a team player include:

    Collaboration: They communicate effectively and collaborate with others to achieve common goals. They are willing to listen, share ideas, and offer support to teammates.

    Adaptability: They can adjust to changing roles, responsibilities, or strategies within the team, showing flexibility in their approach to work.

    Respect: A team player values the opinions and contributions of others, creating a positive and inclusive environment. They show respect for diverse perspectives and experiences.

    Reliability: They take responsibility for their tasks and are dependable. A team player follows through on commitments and ensures that their part of the work is completed on time and with quality.

    Problem-solving: Team players work together to overcome challenges and find solutions. They contribute ideas to address issues and are willing to assist others in resolving problems.

    Supportive: They encourage and motivate teammates, fostering a sense of unity and camaraderie. They celebrate others’ successes and provide help when needed.

    Conflict Resolution: When conflicts arise, a team player addresses them constructively, striving to maintain harmony and positive relationships within the team.

    Overall, being a team player means prioritizing the success of the team over personal gains, ensuring a cooperative and productive group dynamic.

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