The Dodgers have addressed two major needs by agreeing to new deals with third baseman Justin Turner and closer Kenley Jansen. Turner got four years and $64 million while Jansen received five years and $80 million. Los Angeles also re-signed Rich Hill to a three-year, $48 million deal earlier this winter.
Now that Turner and Jansen are back in the fold, second base is the Dodgers' biggest need. Howie Kendrick (trade) and Chase Utley (free agency) are gone, leaving the team with some combination of Enrique Hernandez, Micah Johnson, Charlie Culberson and Chris Taylor at second. Eek.
The free-agent market offers zero help. The only way for Los Angeles to land a big-time second baseman right now is through trade, and one of the best available is Twins slugger Brian Dozier. Minnesota won't just give him away, of course, and the Dodgers are reportedly willing to pay big to get him:
Sources: Dodgers have shown willingness to include top pitching prospect Jose DeLeon in a deal for Brian Dozier. Would be strong headliner.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 16, 2016
De Leon, 24, made four starts in 2016, allowing 17 runs (12 earned) in 17 innings. Before his callup, he had a 2.61 ERA with 111 strikeouts in 86 1/3 Triple-A innings. MLB.com ranks De Leon as the 33rd-best prospect in baseball at the moment. Here's a snippet of their scouting report:
He works at 92-94 mph and can reach 96 mph with his fastball, which has riding life. De Leon's changeup progressed so much in 2015 that it has become his best secondary pitch, and he also has a low-80s slider that's effective ... He has gone from an unknown to a potential No. 2 starter in two years, and he may not need much more time in the Minors.
The Dodgers are deep with young and inexpensive starting pitchers right now, so they can spare some to make a trade for a second baseman. Their rotation depth chart looks something like this at the moment:
- Clayton Kershaw
- Rich Hill
- Kenta Maeda
- Scott Kazmir
- Julio Urias
- Brandon McCarthy
- Hyun-Jin Ryu
- Alex Wood
- Ross Stripling
- Jose De Leon
- Brock Stewart
There are definitely some injury concerns there, specifically with Hill and Ryu, but generally speaking the Dodgers are 11 deep in big league starters. De Leon has a lot of trade value and the Dodgers are in position to use him in a trade.
Of course, De Leon alone won't be enough to get Dozier, and he shouldn't be. Dozier hit 42 home runs with a .268/.340/.546 (136 OPS+) batting line in 2016, and when you add in his defense, he was a 6.5 WAR player this past season. On top of that, he's owed only $15 million from 2017-18. Heck of a price.
The Dodgers can start a package with De Leon and he would make a great headliner. They would definitely have to kick in more pieces, however. Good pieces, too. Not scraps from the bottom of the 40-man roster. Acquiring a player like Dozier, a power-hitting second baseman signed dirt cheap, should hurt.
