This story was excerpted from Juan Toribio’s Dodgers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Baseball’s Winter Meetings will be held in San Diego next week, marking the first time the event has been held in person in three years. That almost guarantees that there will be plenty of action over the next few weeks.
But before we get to that, it’s been a while since we’ve fielded some of your questions. So in this newsletter, let’s take a look at what’s on your mind.
Have the Dodgers kept in touch with Trea Turner? — @iamwhatyousay_ via Twitter
Yes. Both sides have talked over the last few weeks, but they will definitely benefit from seeing each other in person again in San Diego. However, as we’ve reported, the chances of Turner coming back to the Dodgers on a long-term deal aren’t that high.
Turner isn’t fully opposed to playing the rest of his career on the West Coast, but his preference is to return east, and that’s where most people around the league see him ending up. The Dodgers would also be reluctant to offer Turner an eight-year deal worth over $250 million, which is approximately what the two-time All-Star is expected to receive on the open market.
If they have to sign a shortstop, who should the Dodgers go after that isn’t Trea Turner? — @socrocx via Twitter
The good thing for the Dodgers is that they’ll have plenty of options. If Turner heads elsewhere, they could pivot to Xander Bogaerts, who has received plenty of interest from the club over the last month. Bogaerts is a good friend of Mookie Betts, which could factor into a decision. But Bogaerts will have plenty of suitors and will also ask for a big payday.
On the trade market, Brewers shortstop Willy Adames makes a lot of sense. Adames is set to receive about $9 million in arbitration, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, and he will still be under club control for two years. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is familiar with Adames, having traded for him once during his time with Tampa Bay. Now, it’s just a matter of the Brewers determining whether they want to deal the shortstop.
Which players would the Dodgers have to give up to acquire Willy Adames in a trade? — @mistermojodoza via Twitter
Well, this question fits in nicely. To be honest, it just depends on what Milwaukee wants back. If the Brewers want prospects that are close to Major League ready, a package starting with second baseman/outfielder Michael Busch would make sense. Busch is a talented prospect, but his path to the bigs is pretty blocked in Los Angeles.
Two young players who aren’t blocked are Vargas and Outman. Both will be expected to make big contributions next season, and you can almost guarantee they’ll be on the Opening Day roster.
By non-tendering Cody Bellinger two weeks ago, the Dodgers showed a willingness to potentially open more playing time for Outman. That, of course, could change if they add another proven outfielder. Vargas, on the other hand, finished the 2022 season on the active roster and the Dodgers will clear a path for him to get more opportunities next season.
Any update on re-signing Justin Turner? — @HustleBSBLCo via Twitter
Nothing yet. Both sides will remain engaged, however. The Dodgers still need to figure out the pitching and shortstop situation before they can commit a good amount of money to the veteran third baseman.
It is strange that Kershaw’s re-signing hasn’t become official, but I’m told nothing is wrong. It’s just a delayed physical. The veteran left-hander will be a Dodger next season.
How good is Dustin May? A couple of years ago I thought he was gonna be the next big thing, but he didn’t play much last year and nobody is mentioning him as a stud for the upcoming season. — @enooo02 via Twitter
Before having Tommy John surgery in 2021, May was on his way to stardom. Getting that same feeling back was always unrealistic last season. May has all the tools to be a really good pitcher, but he still has a lot to prove, making the ’23 season a pretty important one for the young right-hander.
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