Dodgers Rumors: Top Prospects Still In Play For A Trade
MLB analyst Peter Gammons reported Wednesday the Dodgers had made the decision to not trade Joc Pederson, Corey Seager or Julio Urias in exchange for a top-tier starter and would instead focus on the backend of the rotation.
However, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times, the Dodgers haven’t completely written off the notion of trading any of the aforementioned trio:
Source: #Dodgers haven't flat-out said no to trading any of Pederson/Seager/Urias, unless the player is a rental. Very fluid.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) July 31, 2014
Lester of course would be the perceived rental as he’s set to become a free agent following the season and recently stated signing with the Boston Red Sox after being traded isn’t out of the question.
Price is under contract through the 2015 season and so too is John Lackey, Lester’s teammate, who is also on the trading block. The pitcher reportedly drawing the Dodgers’ interest and who has the most long-term security is the Philadelphia Phillies’ Cole Hamels.
However, the Phillies asking price for Hamels was said to be all three of Pederson, Seager and Urias, which the Dodgers understandably refused to complete. Josh Beckett labored through another start on Tuesday and Dan Haren’s struggles are well-documented at this point.
Manager Don Mattingly indicated prior to Wednesday’s game that Haren was on track to start Friday after being skipped over in his most recent scheduled start. The decision would allow Hyun-Jin Ryu an extra day of rest, which the left-hander has historically benefited from.
The uncertainty surrounding the two veteran right-handers may be enough motivation for the Dodgers to address their starting rotation. Along with being interested in a starter, the Dodgers are rumored to be in search of bullpen help.
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Dodgers May Look To Red Sox For Reliever
This makes no sense. If the D’s reportedly weren’t willing to trade their top 3 prospects for Hamels, the guy they would control the longest, then why would they even consider trading any of the 3 for Lester, a rental, or Price who can walk at the end of 2015? The facts are,regardless of whether you keep your prospects or trade them for, potentially, “the last piece of the WS puzzle”, there are no guarantees either way. The Dodgers traded what few prospects we had during the McCourt years for a chance to win it all to no avail. All I heard during those years was we weren’t developing enough home grown talent. Now that our farm system is on the rebound, people are willing to empty the cupboard for a championship roll of the dice.If management feels we need another starter, set our sights a litter lower than the Lesters’, Price’s, or Hamels’ of the world. Or promote Zach Lee or someone else from our system.At this point, our system hasn’t recovered sufficiently enough to be able to trade significant numbers of highly talented prospects for blue chip talent without trashing our system.