The Los Angeles Dodgers have seemingly been involved in speculation for all of the top players on the free-agent and trade markets this winter as they look to improve their club for 2020 and beyond.
They have already struck out on the three biggest free agents, however, with Stephen Strasburg signing with the Washington Nationals, Gerrit Cole going to the New York Yankees, and Anthony Rendon surprisingly signing with the L.A. Angels.
There aren’t many solid options still available in free agency, leaving Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman needing to get creative with a trade if he wants to bring the top-end talent he is seeking.
One name the Dodgers have long been linked to is Colorado Rockies All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado. He just signed a contract extension last offseason and has seven years and $234 million remaining on his deal, but with the Rockies currently going through a rebuild, it may make more sense to see what young talent they can get for the face of their franchise.
It is no secret the Dodgers have had interest in bringing the Southern California native back home, but according to David Vassegh, the Rockies don’t have any intention in making that a reality:
“The Rockies are not motivated, from my understanding, to make a trade with the Dodgers. So that is not going to work out in any capacity for the Dodgers to try and make a deal with the Rockies because they’re not motivated to help the team they’re trying to catch and give them arguably the best third baseman in baseball.”
With Justin Turner willing to move to first base, the Dodgers have shown interest in a handful of third basemen, including Rendon and Josh Donaldson.
Donaldson is still a free agent if they want to bring the 34-year-old in, but he is expected to command a larger contract than L.A. likely would be willing to dole out.
Since Arenado is, unsurprisingly, not looking like an option of the trade market, the Dodgers may shift their focus to Francisco Lindor and Kris Bryant. The prospect capital for all of these players would be significant, so it will be interesting to see if Friedman is willing to mortgage the future a bit to acquire an All-Star-caliber player.
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