Dodgers are in Every Trade Rumor; What it Means for 2019

Yasiel Puig

“The Wild Horse” has been one of the most commonly shopped players for the Dodgers ever since his collapse in 2016. Once Puig seemingly failed to reach some of his lofty upside, the team seemed to decide that despite the fan’s love for Puig, he was expendable.

Not only do I feel that Puig should be kept for 2019, I think Puig should be extended long term. Puig is, to me, a potential Los Angeles lifer as he has performed in the playoffs and during the regular season and has transformed himself from a potential-bust into a clubhouse and community favorite with national appeal.

Despite his reinvention and budding national celebrity, I still feel Puig has more value to the Dodgers than he would to any other team. By taking Puig out of Dodger blue, he loses some of the LA allure and star power that has created his giant personality. It also makes the team who loves him and the fans who adore him question the direction the franchise is going in.

If Puig, an All-Star caliber player with highlight-reel defensive ability and 25-30 home run power, and not to mention a knack for clutch performance, is dealt for prospects and Homer Bailey’s inflated salary, or for an aging ace in Kluber as has been discussed, I feel that the return is not worth it. While it may be worth it purely through an economical lense, the uproar it would create is not worth it.

In the end, Puig and the Dodger clubhouse should not have to be subjected to the swirling flurries of rumors surrounding such a polarizing and exciting figure, as it could end up being distracting and hurt his performance.

If trade rumors persist, there is always the possibility that he may not even want to play for a team that seems so eager to trade him. Whenever the subject of Puig is broached, I would advise the Dodgers’ front office, in my humble and not-so-important opinion, to tread with caution.

Alex Verdugo

Personally, I think Verdugo is the most expendable player with any real value that the Dodgers have on the 40-man roster. Verdugo has performed admirably in Triple-A, striking out at just a 12.4% clip last season at Oklahoma City and hitting .329. My problem with Verdugo is not that he isn’t skilled, it is more that Pederson is and Puig is as well, and that they have less trade value while being more playoff-tested and proven entities.

Say what you will about Pederson’s 2018, but it statistically was undisputably solid and seems to be pointing to better things to come. Verdugo has the raw ability according to statistics and scouting grades to have a solid MLB future in front of him at the ripe young age of just 22 (he’ll be 23 for the majority of next season).

The Dodgers need to be in a win-now state of mind though, with Kershaw entering the sunset of his career and with Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger and Walker Buehler entering their primes as they exit their team-friendly control years.

The window is open, money is available to spend, and the team should do so. But they should also explore trades as they have been doing, and their most attractive young trade chip, who is currently blocked by established major leaguers, should be the first to go.

Alex Wood

It’s funny for me to think about how quickly fans of successful franchises, like us Dodger fans, can turn on former All-Stars and playoff studs like Alex Wood.  In 2017, Alex Wood was coupled with Kershaw and Rich Hill in a deadly trio of lefties. Wood finished off the 2017 campaign with a sparkling final line of 16-3 with a 2.73 ERA and 151 punchouts in 152.1 innings.

In another 150+ inning season this year, Wood finished with a 3.68 ERA and 9-7 record, with just 135 strikeouts.  Yes, I will concede that he was worse this season, but he still was an above-average major league starter, and he’s only 27!

Wood has spent parts of four seasons with the Dodgers since being dealt to LA, in what should now be considered an amazing trade for the Dodgers, and has never had an ERA above 4.00. Even more impressive, Wood has pitched 150+ innings in each of the last two seasons for the Dodgers, something most of the starting rotation, beyond Kershaw, cannot claim.

My fellow Dodger fans, I implore you to trust that Alex Wood is valuable, and should not be discarded to Cincinnati for less than he is worth just to spite him for his poor playoff performance in 2018.  In the saddening scenario in which Puig, Pederson and/or Wood are dealt, I would hope for a prospect return, even if it means eating a painful contract like Homer Bailey’s, as long as it means obtaining solid prospects.

I feel like prospects are growing somewhat overvalued in today’s game, but if trading from an area of depth while using an expanding budget to sign free agents for the bullpen and second base holes while holding onto prospects is what the front office wants to do, I can get behind that as long as they maximize their returns, rather than just accepting a slow market on Puig or Wood.

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If the Dodgers go through with these trades (of guys other than Verdugo) it will be a signal that the team is not attempting to win in 2019 with the current roster, which has made it to two straight World Series’, albeit without taking home the hardware. Beyond a cosmetic change or two to patch up holes at second base and in the bullpen, the Dodgers should not look to bolster their farm system by dealing core roster pieces like Puig or Wood in favor of shinier, and more expensive, new toys like Bryce Harper or Corey Kluber.

The Dodgers should instead exhibit the focus and financial discipline that has gotten them to this point in the first place.  There are so many cost-effective solutions to the bullpen, namely Blake Parker, Hunter Strickland, and Bud Norris among others, available to help solve any problems, the team should not need to consider making a deal with any team for any caliber of bullpen help.

The same sort of players, namely Jonathan Schoop, Josh Harrison, and Jed Lowrie, exist at second base as well and will most likely go for less than what their 2017 and 2018 WAR amounts would normally suggest. There is no need for any crazy maneuvering, just for a calm, rational plastering over existing holes. No need to create new ones that cannot be filled, especially not ones that leave the silhouette of a horse in the clubhouse wall.