Andre Ethier in a Giants Uniform? Gag.

I recently wrote about Andre Ethier‘s impending 10th season as a Dodger, and how he still remains with the club even after the major roster shakedown of the 2015 offseason. I also took a look at what the rival Giants have beenup to this offseason, and interestingly John Shea from the SFGate took a look at the possibility of the Giants trading for Andre Ethier in their search for a left fielder and the need for the Dodgers to shed another outfielder this offseason.

Oh, hell no.

Excuse my language, but the idea of Andre Ethier playing for the Giants is just almost too upsetting for me to write about. You know that I have a long-time adoration for Ethier. Even though he is not the same player he was in 2009, I couldn’t bear to see him playing for the you-know-whos. Sure, it may make sense for both teams. One team has too many outfielders, and the other team has not enough. I understand that almost everyone has given up on Ethier ever being the 30-game hitting streak type guy he once was, but I still can’t even fathom Ethier playing alongside Hunter Pence.

Don’t even ask me to Photoshop Ethier in a San Francisco uniform. I only use my powers for good.

The Giants need a left fielder. The Dodgers have too many outfielders. Photo:  Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

With the departures of Pablo Sandoval and Michael Morse, the Giants still need to make up for the loss of offense from their middle of the lineup, and they are looking for a left fielder. After Ben Zobrist was traded to the A’s, the Giants are seeking another solution to their outfield without having to shelve out any of their top prospects. There are still some other options for the Giants including Colby Rasmus who would not cost them a draft pick.

A trade between the Dodgers and Giants is extremely rare. Yet, the new front office regime of Los Angeles hasn’t seemed to have any qualms about trading within the division (Matt Kemp to San Diego) or cross-town with the Angels (Howie Kendrick is now on board). They also seem to have little to no allegiance to fan favorites, and they instead look to create a roster built to be viable in the long-term, to further develop the farm system and consequently send long-tenured players packing in the process.

If seeing Matt Kemp in a San Diego uniform made you queasy, watching career Dodger Andre Ethier manning left field in SF adorned in orange and black may just make you churn up your lunch even quicker. Even though I have accepted the inevitable fate of Andre Ethier presumably ending up on another team before Spring Training begins next month, seeing him rejuvenate his career at AT&T Park would really break my heart.

We all know what would happen if Ethier is traded to the hated ones, don’t we? Even though he is coming off the worst year of his career, he would regain his 2009 form and start launching homers into McCovey Cove while coming up clutch for the pumpkins. The Giants always seem to pick up players who magically come back to life, and they go on to hit a game-winning homerun in the World Series, or they have some miraculous second half hitting streak.

If the Dodgers can, they will trade Ethier. With no one wanting Carl Crawford, Yasiel Puig set to make records in L.A. for years to come, a great power option off the bench with Scott Van Slyke and the highly touted prospect Joc Pederson ready to make his name known, Ethier’s role on the team has been downgraded to bench player and a very expensive bench player at that. Even though Andrew Friedman understands Ethier’s desire to start for the Dodgers next season, it seems like most have all but concluded that his best days are behind him.

The problem is that the Dodgers still owe Ethier a ton of cash, and in order to trade him they would have to foot most of that bill-or at least half-which is about $18 million for the next 4 years including a vesting option in 2018. The Dodgers are already paying San Diego part of Matt Kemp’s remaining salary, and watching the Dodgers pay two division rivals exorbitant amounts of money for two former career Dodgers to smash future homeruns against them makes me feel really ill.

Live Feed

Call to the Pen

Mark O’Neill of Around the Foghorn writes that the Giants should “Make Andre Ethier an offer he can’t refuse.” Of course part of the intrigue for Giants fans is that they would whole heartedly enjoy watching Ethier play against his former team drabbed in orange and black. It would be a sort of a revenge for the Dodgers signing World Series hero Juan Uribe in 2011 and then picking up then career Giant Brian Wilson in 2013. Let’s be honest, San Francisco got the last laugh with the Brian Wilson debacle of 2014 when he was simply terrible out the Dodger bullpen.

Honestly, I don’t want to see Ethier go. He’s entering his tenth season as a Dodger, and I still feel he can add value to the team with his versatility throughout the outfield even if it is off the bench. I still question whether his blister problems have hampered his offense over the last few years and if he could regain a little of that Captain Clutch pop that I so loved to watch. I understand if the Dodgers trade him this offseason since they already have a talented pool of outfielders, but I’d much rather him wear the orange of Baltimore than the grotesque carroty hue of those certain guys up in the Bay.