Dodgers best chance at upgrading for 2020 is through trade
The Dodgers are still looking for ways to upgrade their 2020 club after being unable to lure Gerrit Cole to Los Angeles. Their best chance to improve now is via trades.
The Dodgers have been unable to lure Gerrit Cole or Anthony Rendon to Los Angeles this winter but all hope is not lost yet. The top free agents on the market that fit the club are Josh Donaldson and Hyun-Jin Ryu. The problem is that adding both Ryu and Donaldson would not be that big of an upgrade for the 2020 team.
Ryu would reclaim his old spot in the rotation so the rotation would only improve if youngsters like Dustin May and Julio Urias take a step forward in 2020. Josh Donaldson would upgrade the offense and add another right-handed power bat but the Nationals are viewed as the favorite as they look to replace Anthony Rendon. The Dodgers should not sign Ryu or Donaldson.
Ryu is going to be 33 years old when next season begins and Donaldson recently turned 34 years old. Both players are going to command three to four-year deals and this would be a bad investment for the Dodgers. Ryu has been injury-prone and Donaldson isn’t quite injury-prone but he did miss significant time in 2017 and 2018. Handing out longer-term contracts to both will backfire and there are better options via trades.
The best route for the Dodgers to take is the trade route and Francisco Lindor and Mookie Betts are both on the trade block and the blue have been linked to both. Both players could also be acquired with a starting pitcher if the Dodgers choose to also ask for Mike Clevinger or David Price. Clevinger would increase the cost of acquiring Lindor where David Price should lower the prospect cost for Betts.
While the Dodgers seem to be engaged with the Indians and Red Sox, the Betts rumors were kick-started yesterday by Bob Nightengale. Betts is in his final season before free agency so the Dodgers would likely be acquiring a rental. If they acquire him before the season starts they would at least get draft pick compensation if he leaves in free agency.
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If the Dodgers want to get Mookie for less then they could choose to take on David Prices’ contract which has three years and $96 million dollars left on it. It is a big chunk of money but depending on who the Dodgers send back to Boston some of that salary would likely be paid by the Red Sox. Price pitched to an ERA of 4.28 in 2019 but his FIP was much better at 3.62.
While Price no longer zips his fastball in the mid-90s, he was still able to punch out 10.7 batters per nine innings pitched in 2019. Like Clayton Kershaw, Price has a history of pitching poorly in the postseason but the Dodgers saw for themselves in the 2018 World Series that Price is able to perform in October.
While Price has had injury issues of his own in recent seasons adding him to a Mookie Betts trade would be the risk the Dodgers take to acquire an elite player. The Dodgers signing Ryu would be taking a similar risk although signing Ryu would not get Mookie Betts to LA. If the Dodgers can acquire Betts without giving up the farm without Price then that’s their best bet but it could be worth the risk to add an innings eater and get Betts at a discounted rate.
Regardless of which trade the Dodgers choose to pursue, trading is the route the Dodgers need to take if they really want to move the needle for a World Series title in 2020. Donaldson and Ryu are very good players but they are also older and signing them comes with significant risk for decline and injury. The Dodgers have a chance to add an elite talent like Lindor or Betts via trade and that is the route they need to take this off-season.