Dodgers: Five most untouchable players in trade talks

If an opposing general manager called Andrew Friedman to ask for a trade, who are the most untouchable players on the Los Angeles Dodgers roster?

The Los Angeles Dodgers won 106 games last season and then added Mookie Betts, one of the top all-around players in baseball, during the offseason. They have an embarrassment of riches at president Andrew Friedman’s and manager Dave Roberts‘ disposal. From Betts to 2019 MVP Cody Bellinger to Clayton Kershaw to Walker Buehler to a bench full of utility players that could possibly start on several teams, there aren’t many weaknesses on the Dodgers roster.

Oh, and did I mention they have one of the top farm systems in baseball? Have you heard of Gavin Lux? Or Dustin May? If not, you will know about them soon.

As we wait to learn the fate of the 2020 season, rosters are currently frozen. No transactions can take place until MLB and the player’s union figure out what the season will look like. But once roster moves are allowed to happen again, which Dodgers players would you refuse to trade?

In other words, if an opposing GM called Andrew Friedman, which names would receive the dial tone the quickest? The Dodgers are a “win now” team so they obviously wouldn’t be looking to unload any of their established players. That said, it’s still an interesting thought exercise to consider the relative value of their top players in terms of who is the most untouchable in trade talks.

Honorable Mentions:

I debated putting Dustin May in the top five. I decided to go with another top prospect, but the team’s best pitching prospect is still pretty untouchable.

Max Muncy is one of Andrew Friedman’s best finds. Signed to a minor league deal in 2017, the 29-year-old has turned into a prodigious power-hitter in Dodger blue. He has hit 70 home runs over the past two years, after connecting on only five in his first two seasons trying to break into the majors. He will only make $2.5 million in 2020 with his three-year, $26 million favorably back-loaded with a club option for a fourth year.

Now, let’s get into the list.

4) Mookie Betts

Mookie Betts is an interesting player to think about in terms of being “untouchable” in 2020. Obviously, the Dodgers gave up a lot to get him in Alex Verdugo and two prospects. They are hoping they didn’t trade him for nothing. He could bolt in free agency, whether the 2020 season is played, or not.

But assuming baseball is played, it’s impossible to imagine the Dodgers trading away the MVP outfielder they are hoping can lead them to a championship and lock up long-term after the season.

Normally, a star player on an expiring contract becomes a candidate for a trade if it becomes clear he isn’t a guarantee to re-sign with his host team. As the Red Sox were thinking this past offseason, it’s better to get something for him than to watch him walk away for nothing.

That said, the Dodgers are expected to be competitive in whatever format the 2020 season brings. Even if it becomes clear that Betts doesn’t want to stay in Los Angeles long-term, his services for the current season are still too valuable to trade in a deal aimed at recouping assets.

3) Clayton Kershaw

Revisit this list one year from now and Clayton Kershaw’s ranking could change. But with two full years remaining on his contract, it would be difficult for the Dodgers to get a fair return if they ever tried to trade their veteran ace. As a team looking to win their first championship since 1988, it doesn’t make any sense to trade their most reliable pitcher, postseason warts and all.

Kershaw is the type of starter, even at 32-years-old, who would demand a massive contract if he was on the open market. Stephen Strasburg signed a seven-year, $245 million deal with the Nationals this past offseason. He is only 122 days younger than Kershaw. If the 2020 season is played, the Dodgers get two more years of Kershaw’s services for $62 million before they need to decide whether his performance will continue past his mid-thirties.

With Hyun-Jin Ryu in Toronto, the Dodgers need Kershaw to maintain his position as a top-of-the-rotation starter, forming a nasty 1-2 punch with Walker Buehler, and hopefully a 1-2-3 punch that includes recently acquired David Price.

Pitching wins in the postseason. Kershaw has heard plenty of complaints about his legacy in October. The Houston Astros did their part in ruining what should have been his first championship run. He will try to lead the Dodgers to the promise land once again. He is as untouchable as they get.

2) Cody Bellinger

The second most untouchable players on the Dodgers roster is Cody Bellinger. And not only because he won the 2019 National League Most Valuable Player Award. The 24-year-old is, well, only 24-years-old, and he is still under team control for four more years, counting the 2020 season. In other words, he is a superstar, he is young, and he won’t be a free agent for a long time. You don’t trade those type of players. Ever.

Bellinger’s 2019 campaign was one for the ages. He hit 47 home runs, drove in 115 runs, and hit an incredible .305/.406/.629. When he wasn’t smashing the baseball from the batter’s box, he was catching everything that came his way in the outfield, leading to a Gold Glove Award last season.

You could argue Bellinger’s value is offset a bit by the acquisition of Mookie Betts, who plays the same position. The Dodgers lineup is stacked with power up-and-down the order. Could the team win the National League West without Bellinger? Probably.

But don’t confuse that point with the suggestion that he isn’t one of the most valuable players (pun intended) on the roster over the long-term. He should be hitting in the middle-of-the-lineup for years, perhaps a decade to come.

1) Walker Buehler

Walker Buehler is prepping himself to eventually take the reins from Clayton Kershaw as the Dodgers next Ace. The 25-year-old had a breakout season in 2019, earning his first All-Star appearance, while pitching to a 14-4 record and finishing in the top ten in several statistical categories, including strikeouts (10th), fewest walks + hits allowed per innings pitched (6th), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3rd), and ERA (9th).

Buehler was perhaps most impressive in the postseason, when he was dominant in two starts against the Nationals in the 2019 NDLS. In 12.2 innings of work, he allowed only one run on five hits, striking out 15 batters and walking only six.

If the right-hander continues his progression, he will find his name listed among the top pitchers in baseball for years to come.

What makes Buehler even more valuable is his contract. He made $570,000 for his work last season. He is still in his pre-arbitration years, meaning he won’t be eligible to become a free agent until 2025. Even as his salary becomes more expensive through the arbitration process, he will continue to provide surplus value to the Dodgers.

While Cody Bellinger has reached higher peaks already in his career, finding starting pitching is more challenging than outfield power, and with Buehler tucked away from the evils of free agency for five more years, he is the most untouchable player on the Dodgers current roster.