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3 trade calls Dodgers should make the day MLB Lockout ends

By Adam Weinrib |
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 11: Frankie Montas #47 of the Oakland Athletics looks on from the dugout during the game against the Texas Rangers at RingCentral Coliseum on September 11, 2021 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 11: Frankie Montas #47 of the Oakland Athletics looks on from the dugout during the game against the Texas Rangers at RingCentral Coliseum on September 11, 2021 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
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Luis Castillo #58 of the Cincinnati Reds (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Luis Castillo #58 of the Cincinnati Reds (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

The Los Angeles Dodgers have some work to do whenever MLB and the MLBPA come together on a new CBA, a momentous occasion that could occur either Monday or Tuesday or absolutely never.

Things must be resolved by Monday, Feb. 28 if the league doesn’t want to lose a single day of the regular season, games which the MLB side is insisting will not be made up if the bargaining lasts too long.

Great. So now we have a deadline that could determine whether or not we all fall back in love with the sport we devote 162 games’ worth of attention to per year (minimum).

In other words, love after lockout.

The good part? Experts and outsiders agree that things are going to get insane the very second the lockout is lifted. Scott Boras will hold hands with Rob Manfred. Tony Clark and Dick Monfort will do a jig, swinging their partners ’round and ’round. Max Scherzer will … well, he’ll probably growl angrily, but it’ll have nothing to do with the scenery.

The 24 hours after the official end of the MLB Lockout — again, either next week or never — will trigger a free agency period unlike any we’ve ever seen, so wild that Kawhi Leonard might sign a few minutes after the deadline and hope no one notices.

But while Andrew Friedman’s dialing up Freddie Freeman and trying to dole out cash to fill LA’s roster gaps, he’ll also have to try to speed to the front of the line and pull off some slick trades before anyone else gets wise.

Even after trading Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray, the Dodgers still reportedly have the No. 1 farm system in all of baseball, according to Keith Law.

They’ll need to swap some of their depth for major-league stars, and these three partners can help.

3 trade partners the Dodgers should call after the MLB Lockout ends

3. Cincinnati Reds

Now is the time to move in on acquiring Luis Castillo — before everyone else remembers he was at the top of their trade board, too.

Castillo started 2021 off as everyone’s favorite arm hidden on a wilting team; after all, without Trevor Bauer, would the Reds really be able to replicate their magic from 2020 (lol)?

Turns out we were right. Cincinnati took a step back, finishing 83-79 — which was actually not that different from their 2020 record of 31-29, now that you mention it. 60-game seasons and expanded playoffs, everybody! Castillo, unfortunately, bore the brunt of it, beginning the year with a 4.65 first-half ERA before eventually rebounding with a 3.18 mark in the second half.

After mastering the form in 2019 and 2020, he certainly hit bumps in the road more frequently in 2021, even as things started to even out as the season progressed. Cincinnati plays in a hitter-friendly ballpark, yet Castillo still posted remarkable ERA splits, with a 3.18 mark at home and 4.87 in unfriendly road terrain.

Has any of this lowered his price? Somewhat, but not as much as we thought it would when summer 2021 was just beginning.

Seeing as the Reds will be expecting relative top dollar for Castillo, the Dodgers are one of the few pitching-starved teams that can afford to pay the price from the depth of their farm system. With Julio Urías and Walker Buehler coming off career highs in innings pitched and multiple important pieces either gone (Scherzer, potentially Clayton Kershaw) or questionable (David Price, Tony Gonsolin), the Dodgers could absolutely use as much upper-echelon pitching as they can obtain.

Start the bidding at Ryan Pepiot and Michael Busch, and do it quickly.

Mitch Haniger #17 and Tom Murphy #2 of the Seattle Mariners (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Mitch Haniger #17 and Tom Murphy #2 of the Seattle Mariners (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /

2. Seattle Mariners

God help Seattle Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto, but he simply loves to swap assets, even as his team’s on the verge of AL West contention.

When the prospect corps of Julio Rodriguez, Noelvi Marte and George Kirby join Jarred Kelenic, the M’s will level up and can start buying at the deadline like a genuine contender should.

Even on the edge of it, though, Dipoto continues to think ruthlessly, absorbing the totality of a situation rather than being a prisoner of the moment.

Hence last season’s Kendall Graveman trade, denying his team their closer for the 2021 stretch run, angering the entire roster, but … resulting in a near-Wild Card spot anyway, as the Mariners finished strong.

The Mariners could be a good partner for the Dodgers in many respects. Maybe Seattle still thinks their bullpen is fungible, and they want to sell high on a piece like Paul Sewald, Drew Steckenrider, or Erik Swanson? Who do the Dodgers believe in here? They can at least start the conversation.

Or maybe things get stranger. Do the Mariners want to pursue Trevor Story and trade JP Crawford, aiding the Dodgers’ infield depth? Could they be … tempted to … dangle Mitch Haniger, a clubhouse leader and clubber of 39 home runs, but also someone entering his final season in Seattle, unlikely to be extended/around when this team really makes the leap? He could split DH/left field/right field reps in LA and further insure against potential AJ Pollock absences.

It would be wildly unexpected, but it would also follow the Graveman pattern to a T. Don’t rule anything out in the forthcoming frenzy.

Frankie Montas #47 of the Oakland Athletics (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
Frankie Montas #47 of the Oakland Athletics (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

1. Oakland A’s

Who you want? The Oakland A’s are willing to talk about him, and the Dodgers should be banging down this door first before things get too crowded.

The Yankees and Braves are going to want to discuss Matt Olson. The Phillies want in on Ramon Laureano. Elvis Andrus is available. Three-fifths of the rotation should be up for grabs. The manager’s already in San Diego. Our pets’ heads are falling off.

The Dodgers should look, first and foremost, for the starting pitcher of their choice.

Is it Sean Manaea, who could slide into Kershaw’s role as the rotation’s second lefty after an 11-10, 3.91 ERA season with 194 strikeouts in 179.1 innings pitched? Likely not; his secondary metrics (fastball spin, hard-hit rate) aren’t terribly impressive.

Maybe the Dodgers prefer a bulldog like Chris Bassitt, whose stuff underwhelms, but who consistently gets the job done in the style of Kyle Hendricks (well, not quite, but still)?

As we see it, Frankie Montas has to be the leader in the clubhouse, even if Bassitt is more of a leader in his current clubhouse.

Montas, 28 years old, finished 2021 13-9 with a 3.37 ERA and 207 whiffs in 187 innings pitched. He’s also got the exact gap that the Dodgers’ analytics people love: elite fastball spin (75th percentile last year) matched with underwhelming hard-hit rates (23rd percentile). Much like Andrew Heaney, there’s something left to be unlocked here, and the Dodgers should be sprinting to the front of the line to do it.

He’s got two years of control attached, and much higher upside (flat-out better stuff!) than Heaney. The Dodgers have a shot at a new No. 2 here — as long as they hurry.

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