Dodgers Still Have 40-Man Roster Work To Do Before Betts Trade is Official
Dodgers fans celebrated on Sunday because Mookie Betts, David Price, and Brusdal Graderol are now going to be wearing Dodger blue. They also celebrated that Ross Stripling and Joc Pederson are not headed down interstate 5 to Anaheim.
However, the Dodgers front office still has work to do before those deals can become official.
#Dodgers still have work to do before Betts trade can be official. Deals with Red Sox and Twins but no deal with Angels put them at 42 on 40-man roster
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) February 10, 2020
So What’s The Plan? Well, two players have to go. End Post.
No okay, let’s take a look. It has been reported that poor Joc Pederson is still on the trading block. The Dodger front office seems to really want to unload Joc (who Paul Lo Duca calls the Dodgers best outfielder).
Before the Angels made it clear they were no longer interested, trading away Stripling and Pederson was the fix for their 40-man roster. As well as enough salary relief to likely keep Los Angeles under the CBT threshold.
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As far as options, this gets tough. The Dodgers are so wealthy in terms of talent, that even players who could be easier to designate for assignment are good players. Players with options in the bullpen include Adam Kolarek and Dylan Floro.
Adam Kolarek was one of the best LOOGY specialists the Dodgers have had, but with the three batter minimum coming this year, his value goes down, unfortunately. Dylan Floro had a tough year and in a more crowded bullpen, he could see his number called to be DFA’d. Kyle Garlick and Tyler White are also candidates for this.
Embarrassment Of Riches
Regardless of the two or more players who will be bumped off the 40 man roster, the 2020 season looks incredible. The Dodgers had players on the bench and in the minors who could start for a lot of major league teams. That was even before the Betts trade. There is going to be some roster turnover. It is likely a few players who are beloved by the fans will have to go. As sad as that is for many Dodger fans, it is for good reason. The 2020 Dodger roster looks to be one of the best offensive teams in years.
Tyler White and Rocky Gale can be removed to solve this roster problem
Yes please but knowing Friedman they’ll be there forever for reasons unbeknownst to anyone
Brilliant! That was a very astute comment!
To commenter #1: Gale is not on the 40-man roster, and White has value. Please research before spewing. You tend to never do that.
To commenter #2: Friedman has rebuilt the organization so the Dodgers can compete for championships on an annual basis. Stupendous drafting (check out the 2016 class), first-rate player development, and astute roster moves that netted players like Muncy, Taylor, Kolarek, and others. There’s a reason why he is so highly regarded by baseball people. He’s fabulous at his job. I’m pretty sure he’s better at his job than you are at yours.