Division-by-division Dodgers trade targets: AL West

Khris Davis/Marcus Semien/Blake Treinen

The A’s have two really expensive players on the roster next season in Khris Davis and Marcus Semien. The pair are the only two that are making over $10 million next season. Semien is currently regarded as one of the better middle infielders in the game and Davis was hitting 40+ home runs consistently until last season.

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For Semien, despite his current hype, he seems less likely than Davis to be dealt simply due to his value to the franchise, but smart teams like the A’s like to trade players after career years or at the top of their projected markets, and it may be tough for Semien to finish in the top-three in AL MVP voting ever again.

Davis, an LA native, is making nearly $17 million next season and in 2022, after which his contract expires. Davis will be 32 and 33 years old for the remainder of his contract, which aren’t bad years for power hitters like him, though his already lackluster defense could be problematic. Ultimately, the Dodgers need right-handed power, and Davis is one of the premier power hitters in the game from that side of the plate. A change of scenery back to his hometown could be all he needs to restart his run of power supremacy.

Treinen’s merits have been spelled out here before, so I’ll be brief. The right-handed sinkerballer would add a layer of variety to an already velocity-heavy Dodgers bullpen. Even after a negative WAR season in 2019, he still will make over $5 million in arbitration, and more than likely over $7 million, which may prove too rich for the A’s while they still employ Liam Hendriks, an All-Star closer in his own right.

If the Dodgers fail to make a deal with the A’s or Rangers, they could look to Ty Buttrey or Hansel Robles of the Angels, though Eppler and the Angels could look to hold their star relievers until the deadline, where they could be leveraged more easily and so that the Angels could avoid throwing away their first season under Maddon.