Dustin Nosler wrote out his
2017-18 Dodgers Off-Season Plan, which included realistic trade proposals, but he mentioned players who are out of options for next season. This prompted me to make a list of players who could and should be moved this off-season. It's likely incomplete but it provides a big picture of what we have to deal with.
Out of OptionsRoss Stripling
Trayce Thompson
Josh Ravin
Wilmer Font
Of all the players listed above, only Font is maybe worth fretting over if lost, but given the roster crunch and expected new additions, all of them have to be moved.
Primed to MoveYasmani Grandal
Hyun-Jin Ryu
Brandon McCarthy
Brock Stewart
Pedro Baez
Josh Fields
While I'm okay with McCarthy, Stewart and even Baez coming back for 1 more season of evaluation, I'd rather they be dealt if we can get good value in return whether as part of a trade package or in individual deals. We've already discussed the merits of dealing Grandal at this opportunistic juncture and Fields is just not worth long-term consideration even if he can help a little in the regular season. Ryu doesn't seem to have a place on the Dodgers in the future and may be better off performing elsewhere next season for his next big contract instead of playing out the season as a possible 4th or 5th starter.
Sunk Cost for 1 More YearAdrian Gonzalez
Scott Kazmir
If we can deal either or both of A-Gon and Kazmir, it'd be quite the nifty hat trick pulled off by the front office, but I'm not one of those who thinks neither can provide contributions for 2018. We'd definitely be better off without either of them, but they can provide some value if we're stuck with them as is likely the case. Adrian can provide pinch-hitting and defense at 1B in limited fashion as a pinch-hitter and backup first baseman while Scott could be a left-handed option out of the bullpen. Maybe Kazmir might even be motivated enough to post a career year as a rejuvenated starter as an impending free agent, but he could also pull a Brett Anderson in that role, so we have to adjust our expectations accordingly.
Headline ProspectsWalker Buehler
Alex Verdugo
Yadier Alvarez
Jordan Sheffield
Gavin Lux
Keibert Ruiz or Will Smith
To be honest, we don't really have any untouchable prospects in our developmental pipeline, however, that doesn't mean that I want the bulk of them dealt. It's just that if the right deal were to present itself, anybody could be moved and that can be said of any player in baseball. The difference is that the Dodgers don't have a Julio Urias, Corey Seager, or even Cody Bellinger level type of prospect that would give me pause to include him in a deal for, let's say, a Chris Sale or Jose Fernandez in the past. I'm inclined to hold onto Mitchell White and Jeren Kendall as I think there is still significant future value likely to be unlocked in both prospects. Buehler is certainly highly valued right now, but if it took him and notably lesser prospects to get Chris Archer, I would pull the trigger without thinking too much about it given their respectively similar ceilings.
Catching prospects may also be a hot commodity, so there should be a demand for either Ruiz or Smith, though I would deal only one away rather than both for now. Connor Wong provides a similar profile to Smith and our anticipated pursuit of Antonio Cabello in the next international signing period provides a replacement for Ruiz, albeit one without the polished offensive profile.
I was hoping Sheffield would quickly develop into closer material, but with Jansen signed long-term, he might be more valuable as a trade asset if teams still believe he has starter potential in him. Lux, as I've mentioned before, seems to be waiting for Ronny Brito to surpass him in the organizational rankings, so another team in need of a SS prospect might be interested in continuing his development.
Alvarez still represents high upside albeit with stalled progress and Verdugo is a sell-high candidate, so if it took both to acquire Giancarlo Stanton, it'd be worth the cost provided that Miami eats a significant amount of money left on his deal or if Stanton agrees to opt out early (unlikely) in order to facilitate a deal to his favorite boyhood team.
The cool thing is that the Dodgers don't have to make big changes and are positioned well to improve significantly or make enough moves to fill in gaps to bring back the same team in order to still be among the favorites to compete for a championship. However, I wholly anticipate that we'll pull off some trades this winter before we hit spring training.
Edit: I forgot to include Hyun-Jin Ryu among those primed to move.
