The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking everywhere to acquire pitching before the MLB trade deadline on Friday, which reportedly includes Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer and Minnesota Twins starter José Berríos.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has said acquiring pitching is the team’s top priority, whether it is for the rotation, bullpen, or the most likely option of adding at least one starter and one reliever. Of course, L.A. is hardly the only team looking to bolster their staff.
That’s particularly true within the National League West, with the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants among the teams involved for Scherzer and others.
As part of their search, the Dodgers reportedly have interest in Colorado Rockies ace Germán Márquez, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times:
The Dodgers are pursuing such ace-caliber starters as Washington’s Max Scherzer, Minnesota’s José Berríos and Colorado’s Germán Márquez as well as mid-rotation starters who can provide better depth over the final two months of the season.
It remains to be seen if the Rockies would even trade the 26-year-old, especially within the division. However if they do, they presumably would receive a massive return.
Márquez holds a career 4.13 ERA but he has pitched the majority of his games at Coors Field. His career road ERA of 3.56 is significantly lower than his career home ERA of 4.72, which suggests the right-hander could benefit a lot from getting out of Colorado’s hitter-friendly park.
Márquez also has a career 3.76 FIP, averages nearly six innings pitched per game over his 127 career starts, strikes out 24% of hitters he faces and limits walks well, walking only 6.8% of batters.
This season, he was named to his first All-Star team with a 3.54 ERA and 3.29 FIP in 124.2 innings.
While he is one of the game’s exciting young pitchers, what might make him even more valuable is his contract.
Márquez is signed through the 2023 season with a club option for 2024, all at rates that are much lower than the market value for a pitcher of his caliber. The average annual value of his contract is $8.6 million and the highest base salary he would make in a season is his 2024 option of $16 million.
It is highly unlikely that the Rockies would trade Márquez. They would have to be blown away in a deal, especially from a division rival, so the Dodgers would have to at least start with Keibert Ruiz and another top prospect or two to get Colorado to listen, but Márquez is the type of player who could provide a positive return on the investment.
Dodgers on Scherzer’s preferred teams list
The Dodgers are said to be among the teams Scherzer would reportedly approve a trade to, which would require the future Hall of Famer to waive his 10-and-5 rights.
According to reports, Scherzer has let the Nationals know he wants to be on the West Coast if they do end up trading him. This could lead to a bidding war between the Dodgers, Giants and Padres.
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