Dodgers: MLB Writer Offers the Most Ridiculous Trade Scenario We’ve Seen All Offseason
It’s been a rough offseason for MLB writers. While many anticipated a slow market due to the pandemic season AND the virtual Winter Meetings, no one could have predicted just how slow it would be. Dodgers fans are certainly aware of just how slow it has been.
Rumors have flown around at the rate of a normal season, but with far less movement early on than in years past. The longer we wait, the crazier the rumors and trade scenarios get. That appears to be the case with the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, who recently offered up these two scenarios for Los Angeles. Be warned, they’re pretty wild.
Scenario 1: Sign J.T. Realmuto and Move Will Smith to Third
The market for Realmuto might have shifted since the Mets signed James McCann. Alternatively, it’s also possible that his huge contract will strengthen the market for Realmuto. But if there is not much competition for his services, Rosenthal thinks the Dodgers will get weird with it.
Signing Realmuto would bring a level of offense behind the plate that the Dodgers have not had in a long time. Ken also believes that it would help ease the pain of losing Justin Turner by shifting Will Smith over to third base. Smith played just 58 games at third base in the minor leagues, but sure why not.
For me, there are far too many obstacles to overcome with this move. Not only would it likely put the Dodgers over budget, but it would also take away some flexibility. Locking Smith in at third and Realmuto behind the plate limits what the team wants to accomplish defensively.
Scenario 2: Replace Corey Seager With Trevor Story
The Nolan Arenado to Los Angeles rumors have been floated all offseason with no real sign of it being remotely possible. This scenario by Ken Rosenthal would net the Dodgers both Arenado and Trevor Story.
From a financial standpoint, it sort of would make sense. The Rockies need to get rid of some contracts to save money, and these two guys will eat up over $51 million in 2021. Unfortunately, Rosenthal’s logic for acquiring Story doesn’t make much sense. Like Seager, Story is a free agent after the 2021 season, so swapping them doesn’t help LA.
Arenado is also owed close to $200 million for the next six seasons, and the Dodgers have some talent they need to pay. While trading for Arenado isn’t entirely impossible, adding Story into the mix just to trade Seager just seems like a strange fantasy for Rockies fans.
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“Signing Realmuto would bring a level of offense behind the plate that the Dodgers have not had in a long time”.
While it is admittedly a small sample, Smith statistics are not to be dismissed so easily.
AB 2B HR RBI AVG OBP SLG OPS
2 Yrs 284 18 23 67 .268 .363 .574 .937
this number of AB’s is slightly more than half a full-time season.
Remember kids, don’t do drugs. You could end up like Ken Rosenthal.
You never have anything positive to say about any mlb writer, do you? The level of disrespect you have for them is apalling. First Jim Bowden, then Buster Olney, and now Ken Rosenthal? I believe they can make any trade that makes sense, and I believe the Rockies trade makes more sense. I like Will Smith behind the plate for his offense. I like Barnes defensively. Perfect combo behind the plate. And as for no level of offense behind the plate, they forget we had Yasmani Grandal behind the plate from 2015-2018, and he averaged .260 with 22 homers each year. The Rockies trade makes sense, because we can absorb Arenado´s contract, and I bet we can resign Story for cheaper than Seager. Story also is a better defender than Seager as well.
I did not know these emails were in the fantasy ball mode. Some writers need to create fantasy I guess to try to survive but credibility gets destroyed with ridiculousness. Come tomorrow morning maybe a sanity writer will emerge
Hey genius, the author of this story is Brook Smith. And I’m agreeing with him. He calls Rosenthal’s trade scenario “ridiculous” right in his headline. Or didn’t you read that far. I am saying the same thing with more colorful language. Perhaps you just don’t have a sense of humor. But I really don’t care. People post opinions here. We don’t always agree with the “experts”. Get over it, and get over yourself.
Your slur re “genius” is misdirected. Read it and the headline again. The Headline says MLB Writer…. My reference was to the writer ( as in MLB) not the contributor. I was agreeing with Brook Smith. It was a release by Rosenthal that had no redeeming quality or value. That release by Rosenthal was not too long after he announced Arenado would be a Dodger before Christmas. Some pipe dreams do come true-once in a blue moon but the only Blue Moon I have ever heard of is an oldie but goodie ballad. Hold your sarcasm. Sarcasm has never proven to be a sustainable winner unless your name happens to be Don Rickles
LOL. But I can’t say much more than that these scenarios are so LOST IN SPACE it’s not funny.
Rosenthal should know better than us armchair GM’s! Those ideas are ridiculous.
As unwashed states, Smith’s offense should not be overlooked. He is still very young 25 and inexperienced at the Major League level. And we have Ruiz coming up. Barnes showed why his catching and pitch selection should not be discounted also.
I look at Will Smith to platoon at 3rd with Rios, Muncy, or Beaty if the Dodgers do not re-sign Turner. But the Dodgers have as much depth at catcher as any team in the MLB especially counting their Farm Teams.
Trading Seager for Story doesn’t make much sense as they are both free agents in 2022. As Brook Smith states the Dodgers have their own young core to sign and it will not be inexpensive. No reason to take on Arenado’s contract. Plus look at Arenado’s splits away from Colorado. He is an average offensive threat away from the Mile High City.
You´re half right. I believe in Smith, and he has the potential to be the next J.T. Realmuto- .260-.270 average with 25-30 home runs every year- but his defense leaves something to be desired. Barnes is the other half, and plays great defense. Ruiz has nowhere to go, and Cartaya will be ready in 2022 or 2023. One of those catchers is getting traded, there´s not enough playing time for them. I think the Rockies trade could work, and Story is likely to be cheaper than Seager in F/A. The dodgers could take on Arenado´s contract, and after 2021, Joe Kelly, Corey Seager, Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen are free agents, freeing up 66M. And after 2022, David Price and A.J. Pollock are free agents, which frees up another 30M. With that, and the dodgers having 15M in space right now, that is a whopping 111M in space. They can take Arenado´s 32M contract(78M in space), extend Bellinger from 11M to 22M a year,(67M in space), extend Buehler to 21M a year(46M in space) and sign Story to a 20M a year deal(26M in space) and extend Kershaw for 15M(11M in space). The dodgers would then have 11M in space to sign any remaining free agents, and they can afford to go over the luxury tax by 10 or 20M like 2017. The penalties have reset since then.
LOL. But I can’t say much more than that these scenarios are so LOST IN SPACE it’s not funny.Tmaxster, we all should be glad and take comfort knowing that those suggested deals are not even possible given the finial landscape of the game at the present due to the Pandemic. Teams lost a lot of $$$$ in 2020 for obvious reasons. I am of the belief in retaining most of those players, if possible who played a big part in winning the WS.
Yes Tmaxster, I am a SoCal transplant, living now in Colorado for over 15 years. My dad was born in Brooklyn, so we are both die hard Dodger fans for life. I have observed Arenado his whole career so far. Make a note of this observable fact: Although Arenado hits for a higher average than JT, he is a TERRIBLE CLUTCH HITTER. There is no comparison to JT in this regard. Yes, Arenado is great defensively, but it does not compensate for his lack of CLUTCH hitting. I will take JT over Nolan for at least 2 more years, and then maybe Hoese will be ready for the big stage by then.
JT and Arenado have almost identical career BAs – 292 to 293 – with JT’s last 5 year average higher. In addition, JT has a higher career OPS+ – 128 to 120. Nolan is a better defender and has better power but JT has been superior in every other way since playing for the Dodgers.
I said the same thing about Arenados clutch hitting. In big games and big moments against the Dodgers he often struck out on terrible pitches or popped up or just made out. Could he have been throwing the games for us? Maybe but I wouldn’t take the gamble since we’ll never know
Enough with the Arenado trade. He is a hell of a player, but his numbers away from Denver aren’t worth what he is being paid.
You can forgive some of the commenters here for not understanding the nuances of the game, but a guy like Rosenthal, give me a break. Most here already know Arenado is a below .800 OPS away from Colorado. Story is the same story. .994 OPS at home, .760 on the road. You going to trade Seager for that? Know what you’re getting, these are not small sample sizes.
Think about this. Chris Taylor’s lifetime OPS is greater than Trevor Story’s away from Colorado by the same amount that Trevor Story’s OPS is greater than Kiki Hernandez.
Great comparison. Thanks
Instead of the Rockies package, Dodgers should consider the Astros as trade partner:
Both Kenley Jansen ($20 M per) and Justin Verlander ($33 M per) have one year remaining on their contract. Ship Jansen and Cody Bellinger to the Astros in exchange for Verlander.
With Kershaw, David Price, Buehler and Verlander in their starting rotation, Dodgers repeat as champion in 2021.
P.S. To all you Dodger fans: Don’t forget to thank me for this trade when it happens.
Even if Verlander wasn’t out for the year with elbow surgery, the idea of trading Cody for a 38 year old pitcher on a one year contract wasn’t going to happen.
exactly……
Trading Corey Seager, are you insane? Corey Seager is a life long Dodger! He has the HOF potential, he is not going anywhere! Bettes, Bellinger and Seager are players who are going to spend the rest of their careers in Dodger Blue…… Don’t let these guys get away!
Andrew, you let these guys get away, there will be people comin for you!
Andrew is frugal, not insane.
Everyone, relax. These aren’t serious proposals by Ken Rosenthal. This article is referencing a story by Rosenthal, where he was just having some fun with how creative front offices can get. This trade proposal is just a fun exercise by him.
This is the 3rd paragraph in Ken’s article:
“WARNING! To the best of our knowledge, neither of the above scenarios is in play. Neither, for that matter, is especially realistic. But the point of this exercise is to demonstrate, as we do every so often, that teams think creatively, particularly when elite talent is available.”