Dodgers: Four players they could trade for in 2020

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Andrew Friedman, (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images) /

If baseball returns in 2020, the Los Angeles Dodgers are prepared to take the field with a stacked roster of talent. However, there are a few players who could make them even better.

It’s hard to find a weakness on the 2020 Dodgers roster. The only real uncertainty surrounding the team is when they will play again. As Major League Baseball continues to monitor public health conditions and grapples with when they should start the season, the Dodgers are sitting at home, ready to dominate the National League West again.

Winners of seven consecutive division titles, and having appeared in the World Series in two of the past three seasons, the only thing left for this group to achieve is a world championship. Imagine winning 106 games and adding one of the best players in baseball to your roster? That is where the Dodgers find themselves after acquiring Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox.

So how does a team with seemingly everything find a way to improve their roster? A good way to answer that question is by looking at a group of players who could become difference makers in 2020 if acquired at some point during the season.

MLB rosters are currently frozen, probably until a clearer picture emerges of when a 2020 season will begin. Who knows how trades will be managed in this unique landscape, whether a new trade deadline will be set, or not. It will also be interesting to see how teams react to a shortened season in terms of being able to remain in contention longer, and thus, perhaps less likely to trade players they otherwise would have over a full schedule.

Without knowing the particulars, we can at least think about the type of players the Dodgers might look to acquire to help them win their first World Series since 1988.

Of course, the type of players they are able to acquire will largely be dictated by luxury tax considerations. It’s unclear how salaries and luxury tax considerations will be calculated over a shortened season, so we will work with the current numbers.

After pulling off the Betts deal, Los Angeles finds their payroll at $232.7 million. This puts them more than $20 million over the $208 million threshold, forcing them to pay a 12% surtax for every additional dollar spent above $228 million, up to the $248 million mark, when they would pay an additional 42.5% surtax for every new dollar spent. In other words, their payroll flexibility is pretty limited.

This is why Joc Pederson remains a possible player that could be moved in a deal that actually goes through. He is making $7.8 million in his final arbitration-eligible season before free agency. Obviously, the Dodgers would prefer to move a player like AJ Pollock, who counts as $12 million against the luxury tax payroll over the next three seasons, but the market for him might not be as strong. As we explore players the team could trade for in 2020, keep in mind that moving salary out, either in the same deal, or a separate transaction, might be required in order to improve the team with these players.

With all of that said, away we go.

4) 2B Tommy La Stella

If there is one position in the lineup that presents a question mark for the Dodgers it is at second base. While Gavin Lux seems poised to become the next great infielder to wear blue and white, he is still only 22-years old. He has played in 23 major league games. No matter what the scouting reports or projections tell us, until Lux plays a full major league season, it’s impossible to know how he will react to big league pitching, or how quickly he will reach his potential.

The Dodgers might also decide to be careful with the infielder’s service time over a shortened season. Based on a recent agreement between MLB and the players union, service time will be pro-rated in 2020, allowing young players to earn a full year of service without needing to accumulate the typical 172 days in the majors.

This means Lux can earn his first year of service while appearing in a relatively small number of games in 2020, which would push him one year closer to arbitration and free agency. Would Andrew Friedman consider saving Lux’s first full year of service for a regular 162-game schedule?

If so, acquiring another second baseman becomes important. Tommy La Stella is a great option at only $3.25 million and due to become a free agent after this season. He would be a rental addition that probably wouldn’t cost much in outgoing assets, even though he is coming off a career season in Anaheim. He broke his tibia at the end of 2019, and still needs to prove he can stay healthy for an entire season. The Angels have super-utility man David Fletcher sitting in the wings and looking for at-bats after the team acquired Anthony Rendon to play third base, where Fletcher saw action last season. A Freeway match can be made.

La Stella is a left-handed batter, like Lux, so he isn’t the perfect complement to the young second baseman, which is why I would envision him taking on a platoon role with a veteran like Enrique Hernandez, while Lux continues to get at bats in the minors.

3) SP Mike Minor

Having lost Hyun-Jin Ryu in free agency to the Blue Jays, the Dodgers are missing one of their most reliable starters from last season. The lefty was 14-5 with a 2.32 ERA, giving them a legitimate 1-2-3 punch of Kershaw, Buehler, and Ryu.

Normally, losing a starter who finished second in Cy Young voting would be a major cause for concern, but the Dodgers still employ Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler at the top of their rotation, and they were able to add depth by bringing in David Price in the Mookie Betts deal, and signing Alex Wood for a second go-around.

However, for a team whose success will be entirely measured over a short series in October, the quality of their top-end starters will make a difference.

Enter, Mike Minor. The 33-year-old is due to become a free agent next season if he doesn’t sign an extension with the Rangers. He is coming off his best season as a pro, going 14-10 with a 3.59 ERA, 8.64 K/9, and 2.94 BB/9. He is set to earn $9.8 million this season, so the Dodgers could add him to the roster while losing Joc Pederson‘s salary and only slightly increasing their tax burden.

2) Ken Giles

Every contending team worries about the same thing, no matter how much perceived depth they might have, and that is about their bullpen. The Dodgers are projected to have the tenth best bullpen in terms of FanGraphs’ Wins Above Replacement (WAR) predictions for 2020. It is the Dodgers’ weakest area by far, with their starting pitching projected to finish with the fourth highest WAR, and their bats with the second highest value.

Ken Giles is an arm the Dodgers could look to add to the back of their bullpen to create a dominant postseason bridge, along with Pedro Baez, to Kenley Jansen. Giles is due to make $9.6 million in 2020 before becoming a free agent. If he pitches like he did last season, he could quickly become a hot commodity on the trade market for a Blue Jays team that will likely be out of contention, even over a shortened season.

Giles appeared in 53 games last season for Toronto, saving 23 games, while pitching to a minuscule 1.87 ERA. Over his six year career, he has saved 114 of 129 save opportunities.

Of course, Dodgers fans remember Giles from the 2017 World Series when he was roughed up in back-to-back outings, blowing a 5-3 lead in Game 2, and failing to hold a tie in the ninth inning of Game 4.

If acquired, the Dodgers would hope he continues to help them win, except this time, by pitching effectively.

1) SP Chris Archer

With the Dodgers clearly over the luxury tax threshold for 2020, it seems most logical for them to improve their roster through the bargain bin. While Chris Archer isn’t exactly a cheap option relative to his performance from 2019, he is only owed $9 million this season, and his 2021 salary carries a club option. If the Dodgers end up needing pitching depth, Archer could become an ideal buy-low candidate.

The two-time All-Star is coming off a dreadful 2019 campaign in which his ERA ballooned to 5.19 and his walk rate climbed 25% from his career average. However, there is reason to believe the 31-year-old righty can return to the form fans are used to seeing from when he pitched in Tampa Bay.

A lot of Archer’s struggles in Pittsburgh can be traced back to the organization forcing him to incorporate a sinker in his arsenal. In Tampa Bay, where he pitched several seasons with an ERA in the threes, along with a low walk rate, he primarily used a four-seam fastball on top of a slider and change-up. Upon being traded to the Pirates, he started using a sinker that he had rarely used dating back to early in his career. The results have been disastrous. Last season, opposing hitters batted .378 against his sinker.

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If the Dodgers can swing a deal for Archer and get him right with the proper pitch selection, it’s possible they could rediscover his old form.

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If baseball returns in 2020, the Los Angeles Dodgers are prepared to take the field with a stacked roster of talent. However, there are a few players who could make them even better.

4) 2B Tommy La Stella

3) SP Mike Minor

2) Ken Giles

1) SP Chris Archer

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