Dodgers: Predicting What Moves Will Be Made This Week

Recent trade rumors around the league seem to always involve the Dodgers in some way. GM Farhan Zaidi said himself that trades are more likely to happen this week than a signing.

Despite missing out on the reigning MVP Giancarlo Stanton, the Dodgers still appear poised to make big moves this week. That speculation has largely been fueled by General Manager Farhan Zaidi’s comments that the team was more likely to swing a trade this week than signing any free agent. And that makes sense, given the general purpose of the Winter Meetings is to gauge trade interests nowadays.

So who might the Dodgers swing a deal for? While the Miami’s Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna are high up on any Dodger fans’ wish list, those may just be wishful thinking. The Cardinals and Giants have made it clear they are in the hunt for a meaningful outfield bat, and the Dodgers clearly aren’t eager to get into a bidding war. After all, how much do you really need to change a lineup that fell just a game short of a World Series title?

So while they do not seem like they are in a position to land a huge bat, they certainly need bullpen arms. With Brandon Morrow departing for Chicago, Los Angeles will need an arm to bridge the gap from starters to Kenley Jansen. Brandon Kintzler and Greg Holland are two of the better free agent options out there, but Zaidi did say a trade was more likely for now.

It’s possible that the Zach Britton trade rumors finally come true, but a few things would have to take place. The Orioles would have to be in clear rebuild mode for 2018 to give up on their high powered offense. That rebuild mindset would set a clear path for a Britton trade. Given the recent rumors surrounding Manny Machado, it’s not completely out of the question at this point.

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Another rebuild team the Dodgers may take advantage of is the Royals, who have Kelvin Herrera in the bullpen. The Royals have most of their offense looking for big contracts elsewhere, so a rebuild season seems fairly likely. Herrera is coming off a down season in 2017, but was phenomenal over his previous five seasons. He owns a career 2.86 earned run average, averaging nine strikeouts per nine innings. Herrera is controllable for one more season before he can become a free agent.

Pittsburgh’s Felipe Rivera could also be a viable option for Los Angeles, as he is under team control until 2022. Rivera was dominant in 2017 with a team best 1.67 earned run average, and could still get better. He appeared in 73 games and struck out 10.5 per nine innings. More importantly, he only walked 20 batters in his 75 1/3 innings. A Rivera trade would presumably demand more than any of these other options, but it’d be great for the Dodgers.

Whatever happens, I am sure the front office won’t let Dodger fans down. They seem to have a way of getting the most bang for their buck. (See: Justin Tuner, Chris Taylor, Joe Blanton, Brandon Morrow, Tony Watson, Tony Cingrani, etc.)

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