Over the past two months the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins have reportedly held discussions over a potential Brian Dozier. Los Angeles and the Minnesota appear to align as ideal trade partners, but arriving at the finish line has proven nearly impossible.
On Monday it was reported the Dodgers and Twins reached an impasse in trade talks. To this point the two sides have agreed upon Jose De Leon being part of a package Minnesota would receive.
However, the Twins reportedly aren’t as bullish on De Leon as the Dodgers are, and don’t believe the right-handed prospect alone is a sufficient return.
The Dodgers are said to have resisted including Yadier Alvarez and Walker Buehler in a potential trade. According to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Dodgers also refused to include Brock Stewart:
The Dodgers, according to sources familiar with the talks, were willing to part with right-hander Jose De Leon, their top-rated pitching prospect, but steadfastly refused to include a second high-end pitching prospect such as Yadier Alvarez, Walker Buehler or even Brock Stewart.
Stewart was mentioned as a pitcher of interest to the Twins in early December. He didn’t enter the 2016 season with anywhere near the same fanfare as De Leon or Julio Urias, but Stewart rocketed up the Dodgers’ farm system.
He began the year with High-A Rancho Cucamonga and was briefly with Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma prior to making his MLB debut on June 29. Stewart went 2-2 with a 5.79 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 25 strikeouts in 28 innings in seven games (five starts) with the Dodgers, and was generally pleased with his performance.
The 25-year-old was a combined 9-4 with a 1.79 ERA in 21 Minor League starts, including 4-0 with a 2.49 ERA in nine outings for Oklahoma City. Stewart was named the Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
Speaking from Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman didn’t rule out any multitude of trade scenarios rising to the surface in the coming days and weeks as the club continues to search for a solution at second base.
