For as much as the Los Angeles Dodgers have been tied to top-flight starting pitchers ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline, they’ve reportedly also refused to include any of their top prospects in negotiations.
The Texas Rangers are believed to have asked the Dodgers to include Walker Buehler or Alex Verdugo in a potential trade for Yu Darvish. Late Sunday night the Rangers were said to have accepted Buehler would not be part of any deal.
Although Los Angeles has other trade chips throughout their farm system, Texas isn’t believed to be nearly as high on them. With the deadline five hours away, talks between the Dodgers and Rangers are at an impasse, according to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball:
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers appear to be at an impasse at least at the moment in talks regarding Texas ace Yu Darvish.
The Dodgers, to this point, have been steadfast in their resolve to keep their top two prospects — pitcher Walker Buehler and outfielder Alex Verdugo — and the offers to the Rangers haven’t come close to enticing them, according to sources.
On top of Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman historically not parting with elite prospects, he’s hardly likely to do so for a rental, even one of Darvish’s caliber. What’s more, Los Angeles is believed to have placed a larger priority on addressing their bullpen.
The Rangers have also fielded interest from the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros and New York Yankees for Darvish. The Indians are a relatively late entrant, while the Yankees are thought to be close on a trade with the Oakland Athletics for Sonny Gray.
