Editorials

Dodgers Rumors: Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford Deals Being Fielded

With the Los Angeles Dodgers presumably having a deadline to trade outfielder Andre Ethier, it now appears as if there could be a suitor waiting in the wings if the winds of trade start to sweep through the front office.

That team? The Chicago White Sox. According to some tweets that hit the Twitterverse this morning, it seems like the team from the South Side of Chicago is starting to possibly be open to the idea of dealing for the left-handed outfielder in an attempt to bolster their chances for 2016.




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From Phil Rogers (@philgrogers) of MLB.com, a former columnist for The Chicago Tribune:

The White Sox have already made several moves this offseason, namely trading for Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie. They’re doing their best to build a lineup that packs enough punch to help their starting rotation.

Chicago is pretty much on a timetable to make the playoffs. The AL Central has been run by the Kansas City Royals, for the most part, during the last two seasons, but the White Sox have made some moves that put them in contention for the division crown, at least on paper right now.

But that wasn’t the only thing Rogers tweeted:

This makes sense. It’s easier to move Ethier than it is Carl Crawford simply because Crawford hasn’t been able to stay healthy or produce in his time with the team. Ethier, on the other hand, had a good 2015 campaign and at least has some reasonable trade value on a not-so-terrible contract.

If the Dodgers do decide to make a move, and do ultimately choose to send Ethier to the White Sox, it’ll be interesting to see what they could get in return. Is it a bullpen piece like Nate Jones or Zach Duke? Or could it be a prospect like Carson Fulmer or Trey Michalczewski?

Guess we’ll have to sit back and wait to see if Ethier is really moved. But the thought of it is certainly out there right now, apparently.

Dodgers News: Kendrick Could Be Moved Around Infield

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40 Comments

  1. The FO does not want the guy to hit 10-5. So it makes sense. They cannot count on CC to stay healthy, but even if they deal Andre they have plenty of OF depth…

  2. Better trade him if they can. See if Friedman and co. can make a one on one team trade. They haven’t done it so far.

  3. Jagman63  If the Sox really want him, make the deal….I am sure Andre would rather play every day….and he could train at the same facility since they share..

  4. They don’t have plenty of OF depth as good as Ethier. Crawford is always hurt. Pederson was terrible the second half. Van Slyke only hits lefties, apparently can’t see the ball thru his beard against right handlers, Puig has been undependable. Hernandez is needed as an IF, to. Thompson is unproven. With the money, the Dodgers have they shouldn’t even be concerned about Ethier’s salary, only what he provides to the team. Figuring a way to move Crawford would be a good think though.

  5. I would not trade Ethier for Zach Duke or Nate Jones.  The Dodgers have multiple pitchers far better than they are right now, and they do not need any other questions for the bullpen.  CC is not really trade worthy.  Ethier at least gives the Dodgers something in return, and probably not give up much if any $$$.  If they could get Carson Fulmer for Ethier that would be a steal.  Even Trey Michalczewski would give LA another infield prospect, which they sorely need.  I do not have confidence that CC can stay healthy all year, but if he can he would be a valuable leadoff alternative. 

    There is a logjam in the OF.  Unless the Dodgers can move Ethier, then Thompson will probably be optioned to AAA.  Moving Ethier removes a lot of salary, and can bring a pretty high level prospect in return.  Moving SVS does none of that.  If they could have moved SVS for a prospect, it would have been done.  It does nobody any good to option Thompson back to AAA.  Either Thompson is ready or he will be a 4th and 5th OF at low cost.  If he is ready, he will add another power bat in the lineup, and with Thompson, Pederson, and Puig, the OF defense would be solid.  Kike’ can play OF.  Utley will be the primary part-time back up for 2nd and 3rd, so Kike’ would not get as many ABs as the infield reserve anyway.  Kike’ can still step in for Seager when he needs a day off.  If Utley cannot make it for the year, then Micah Johnson can play 2B and Kendrick can play 3B when Turner needs time off.  Or Kike’ can go to 3B.  I don’t know what would actually work.  That is what ST is for.  But it is evident that the Dodgers have plenty of options that they can turn to.

    I would not give Ethier away even with 10/5 hanging over FO, but I would trade him for Carson Fulmer or Trey Michalczewski.  I doubt the Chisox would.

  6. GaryPeck1  I totally disagree. CC when healthy is a reliable hitter. Pederson and Thompson both are far superior fielders to Ethier. And Pederson is still a kid with 1 year under his belt. SVS was injured last year, so his stats were down. Kike with the signing of Kendrick becomes a super sub again which is where he is needed. Guererro is listed as an OF, not an inf, and if you are4 expecting the same production out of Ethier, I think you are dreaming. Crawford has actually played less than 100 games only once since he came to LA and that was last year. He has speed, and decent power, and when he gets hot he can carry a team as he proved a couple of years ago. He has no trade value, and Ethier does. Thompson hit over .300 in his short cup of coffee last year and has hit pretty much at every level he has played at, and he is a far superior athlete to Ethier…..I say they have plenty of options, and corner OF’s are easy to trade for….

  7. Michael, I knew you would disagree with me. I don’t care about Ethier’s trade value and salary, I care about his value to the Dodgers. He proved his value last year. Andre has a career .889 OPS against right handed pitchers and he exceeded that last year with .900. I agree that Carl is good when healthy, but he hasn’t had a healthy year in about 5 years. He cannot be counted on. Carl is also a bad defender. His arm is only slightly better than Juan Pierre’s was. I am hoping Puig matures and has a healthy productive year and I hope Joc adjusts and is more like the first half player that thrilled us all. And I appreciate that SVS kills lefties and should share LF. And I hope that Thompson is the real deal as he appeared to be last September with the Sox. With Kendricks back, yes Kiki should be the super sub filling in just about everywhere. I just think it would be a mistake to move Ethier. He is needed. We have plenty of relief pitchers and plenty of prospects. Find a way to move CC. The lineup and bench will be solid.

  8. GaryPeck1  18 million a year is way too much for a part-time player. If they don’t trade him before the season starts he becomes a 10-5 player and will be virtually impossible to deal. Better to do it now and get some value for him.

  9. The vast majority of starting pitchers in the division are right handed. I submit that Andre’s value in trying to win the west and maybe a World Series out ways any value they can get in return. And don’t fool yourselves, any team will want half his salary paid too. Why so anxious to rid a player with an .850-.900 OPS for 120-130 games. They have the money. Do what we need to win this year.

  10. GaryPeck1  Get of of him now or we will be stuck with for two more years. TOO much money for a back up outfielder.

  11. So what happens when Crawford and Puig pull their hammies or quads and miss a couple of months? They shouldn’t trade Ethier and pay half his salary while he produces for someone else and in return they get some mediocre prospect. Not when a guy is still such a solid player and can be for the next couple of years.
    Also, I am so tired of teams giving players these long expensive contracts, when they know they will not sustain the same production at the back end. Then a few years in they are trying to dump them for whatever they can get and end up paying them to play somewhere else and fans like us are screaming trade him,before he a 10/5’guy.
    BTW, which Dodger OF was not part time last year, either due to injuries or lack of production in the second half.

  12. GaryPeck1  Injury’s are a part of the game. If that were to happen, then that might be a problem. but moving Crawford as you suggested is almost impossible. Crawford is owed more, and with his injury history he is much harder to move. Ethier producing is not guaranteed, or have you forgotten his disastrous 2014 season when he only had 4 homers, and barely hit .250? He is the more marketable of the 2. Puig is down to 7% body fat, and almost 20 pounds lighter than last year.All players have leg issues in their careers. Ethier had a bad hand for parts of 2 seasons, and as a 34 year old OF he is as prone to injury as any of them. It is always a crapshoot. But like I said before, there are plenty of OF that become available. Especially at the end of spring. So replacing him is not that hard..

  13. GaryPeck1  Ethier had some lousy years after signing his big contract. He had a decent year last season and now you are so in love with him that you think he will do that again??? YOUR magic crystal ball keeps telling you that Puig will bust again and Crawford will be a hurt player again. Wow. Well my crystal ball says that Ethier will not repeat last year but will do again what he did in the previous three and Puig will regain his rookie form,  have a monster year and Crawford will be healthy and productive all season long.  So trade Ethier,  while he has some value, and let  another team get stuck with him.

  14. There is nothing positive you could say about our outfield without a very large question mark. Joc did not have a good first half! He had a monster 6 weeks and was a 210 hitter with little power for 4 and one half month. He couldn’t adjust in over 4 month which really concerns me. I’m afraid we will probably really need ethier, good or bad even if puig can bounce back.

  15. Jagman63 GaryPeck1  That is so true, and right now Ethier has the most trade value of any of their OF. Also, here are a couple of names to remember….Andrew Toles, and Jose Tabata. Tabata was acquired last year from Pittsburgh when they trade Michael Morse after the 3 way deal with Atlanta and Miami, and Toles is a former 1st round pick by the Rays. He is a speedy CF, who is sort of a reclamation project. He is also a contact hitter. I also think CC, unlike Andre will thrive in a platoon situation where he does not have to play everyday and be the man so to speak. SVS is more than capable and crushes lefty’s, something that Ethier has never done.

  16. Michael Norris Jagman63 GaryPeck1  Yes, he has more trade value than CC.  But you are grasping for straws with the rest of this post.  Andre adopted great to platooning last year.  Only 45 at bats against lefties.  Overall with all players on the team with at least 300 at bats, Andre was second in Average, OBP, slugging and OPS and as I said before his OPS against righthanded pitchers was .900.
    And you are going to potentially replace that with Tabata who is not on the roster and so far not even invited to Spring Training.  And Toles has yet to play above A ball and didn’t play at all in 2015.  You guys probably wanted to dump AJ Ellis last year too and he came up big when Grandall went down.  I agree about SVS and he probably has first dibs on the LF platoon, whether it’s Ethier or CC.

  17. Michael Norris Jagman63 GaryPeck1  Toles was drafter in the 3rd round not first.  Lots of baggage.  Kicked out of University of Tennessee.  Benched numerous times for not hustling.  On “inactive list” all last season.  Drugs according to one comment I saw.

  18. GaryPeck1 Michael Norris Jagman63  Grasping at straws? I doubt it. I am just saying that they have depth at the position, they want to unload Ethier before he becomes a 10-5 guy, and they have other OF in the system, as for AJ, I like him far better than I do Grandal, so you are way off base on that one. And the one grasping at straws is you. Ethier had a good year last year…..great…..he sucked big time in 2014. He is a year older, and his skills are on the decline, He has trade value where none of the other OF do. Even Puig’s value in trade is reduced after last year. I know about Toles problems, and so does Friedman, so he is a low risk sign. Tabata may not be on the roster, but he has major league experience, and is a pretty good fielder. Turner was non roster in 2014, and that turned out pretty good. If you keep Ethier after April, he can veto any trade, and the Dodgers do not want to go there….all you need to do is look at the Reds and Brandon Phillips. He has 10-5 rights, and so far has vetoed 2 trades. You deal a player from a position of strength. After April they lose that. I never said I was going to replace Ethier with Tabata, I simply stated he was in the system. And there are still plenty of free agent OF who could be brought to spring. If they could trade CC, well that would be great, but the 30 million owed to the guy over the next 2 years pretty much counters that. Ethier is cheaper, and more marketable…so quit thinking with your heart, and think like Fried brains and Zorro………..they want to move the guy…

  19. GaryPeck1 Michael Norris Jagman63  Well Fried Brains drafted the guy, and is giving him another shot, so I would guess he thinks he is low risk. I was wrong about the round……

  20. nodrog60  There are question marks that is true. But there is a lot of talent out there too. Puig has been working very hard to lose weight, and so far has been very successful. Pederson is already in AZ at the Dodger complex working with the new hitting coach. Thompson has a lot of skills, is fast and a contact hitter. He is probably the most athletic player in the OF. SVS is healthy, CC is also working out to try and reduce chances of injury. Guererro is worthless, Kike is better as an infielder. Ethier is the most marketable OF out there right now, so he has the best chance of being moved.

  21. Michael! Please don’t confuse “depth” with talent or potential.they have no outfielders in the list of top 100 prospects and only thompson has marginal potential. You sound like dodger pr man.

  22. nodrog60  I doubt that……Alex Verdugo is their # 7 prospect. There is plenty of talent in the OF. Pederson, Puig, Thompson, SVS, all are solid guys..Pederson needs to work on some things, every one knows that. And excuse me but Thompson had a pretty impressive debut last year. He is a real athlete, and should only get better. And I have no clue how long you have been watching baseball, but DEPTH is a very necessary thing in this day and age…..and if you were to go check the list of free agent OF left, you would see there are plenty of solid guys available……you on the other hand sound like a Debbie downer sort of fan, nothing is ok for you……Puig seems to have dedicated himself this offseason, and with a new manager and an entirely new coaching staff, save Honeycutt, it is a fresh start for all. I tend to look at things a lot different than you….as for being a PR man, well there is a lot that this front office has done that I totally question, so I am not a company line kind of guy……

  23. And yet $20M for Crawford as a part time player is not too much? Of course if Ethier isn’t moved , CC will be a $20M pinch hitter and pinch runner. And don’t tell me Carl will be full time. He’s averaged about 90 games a season over the last 5 and he is a little older than Andre. I know, I know 10-5, 10-5.

  24. GaryPeck1  You can make any case you want for Ethier to stay and mock the 10-5 all you want. But he will be gone before April 22 nd and if they get anything close to what they want from the White sox he will be gone very soon. So wake up and smell the coffee. Say bye bye to Ethier and hold dry your eyes when he’s gone.

  25. I think I can handle it, if they trade Ethier. After all, I survived Sandy’s early retirement and the trades of Pedro and Piazza and them letting Beltre walk.

  26. GaryPeck1  Well get your whiskey bottle ready cuz it will happen any day now. Hopefully then this too long commentary about him will end…..

  27. Interesting topic and no obvious answer. 10-5 rights coming up for a 34 year old player that has had some down years due to injury and never has hit well against lefties. I like Ethier. He’s a decade long Dodger. 90% of his career in Blue. He became a key contributor as one of ours and that means something. But, what happens if we’re on the hook for two more seasons (age 35 and 36) and he gets hurt again or isn’t as productive? Can his 450 at bats against righties be replaced in house? Can Crawford be healthy for 250-300 of those? He could take all 450 by himself but let’s just call it 300 for the sake of argument. So what are we talking about? Puig in right doesn’t have any drastic career splits. Joc is our best defensive CF and will be in there most days working to improved upon his rookie season that saw him hit 27 bombs. We’ve got chase as a LHH behind righties in Howie and Turner at 2nd and 3rd. Seager needs to play 150+ games at short. Kike hits lefties and can play anywhere. Johnson and Thompson are ready to play and need a chance to show what they can do. Van Slyke is another RHH and don’t forget Guerrero. I say Ethier for Carson Fulmer and send them 10m big ones and a prospect (outside the top 30) to make it happen and for the next Decade plus you’ll thank goodness.

  28. ChrisTerrell  If the Dodgers can pull an Ethier for Carson Fulmer trade, there really should be no question.  That would be a steal.  The money and prospect can be worked out.  Ian Thomas fits your outside the top 30 list.  I would consider Zach Lee, who is one more AAA season away from that position on the prospect list.  Hold out and get as much as you can.  The Chisox are in the “win it now” mode.  They NEED the LH bat.

  29. AlwaysCompete ChrisTerrell  I doubt they would get the White Sox #2 prospect for Andre. Someone a little further down the chain maybe. But if they could package say some dead weight like Guererro and Lee who has no shot at this roster unless he channels his inner Don Sutton, they might be able to pry him away.

  30. ChrisTerrell  I agree Chris, there is no obvious answer, and it is a problem that will either be dealt with, or they will just suck it up and keep Andre. But I would almost bet my 1988 world series program, that if a viable deal comes along, Ethier will be an exe Dodger. I am pretty sure Thompson could take any AB’s Crawford could not make. The kid was ok vs RHP. I also think SVS if he got more at bats against righty’s might surprise people. In his first 2 seasons in LA CC had 469, then 370 plate appearances. He hit .300 the year he had 370, and played in 105 games. So I would think he could give them at least that if healthy, then you only have about 57 games to worry about, and you know there are a ton of outfielders available at the break, and there will be guys released in spring too……..

  31. ChrisTerrell  The only guy you mentioned that I do not think has a snowballs chance in hell is Guererro. He is a defensive liability where ever he plays, and would be better suited in the American League as a DH…..flash in the pan….he lost playing time because they do not trust his glove..

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