The Dodgers are capable of pivoting in virtually any direction, which is just how they like it.
Including the return of Clayton Kershaw, whose deal is pending a physical, the Dodgers are about $45 million under the first luxury-tax threshold of $233 million. And if their history under Andrew Friedman is any indication, they are willing to cut a short-term, high-dollar deal with any top free agent who might be interested — Justin Verlander, for example — though some players obviously are more preferable than others .
One possible scenario: Trade for Brewers second baseman Kolten Wong, a player the Dodgers like, according to major-league sources. Sign one of the big four free-agent shortstops. Play Gavin Lux at third.
The Giants and Mariners, sources say, are also among the teams interested in Wong, who will earn $10 million next season, then become a free agent. The Brewers, who have already traded outfielder Hunter Renfroe and parted with relievers Brad Boxberger and Brent Suter, are expected to move Wong to create an opening for rookie Brice Turang.
The Wong scenario is likely one of dozens the Dodgers are considering. But when it comes to free agency, they rarely operate at the top of the market. Freddie Freeman last offseason was an exception, but his six-year, $162 million contract included significant deferrals. Mookie Betts also was an exception, but his 12-year, $365 million deal was an extension, negotiated without competition, and also had significant deferrals.
So, if the Dodgers are to sign an Aaron Judge, Jacob deGrom or Carlos Correa, it will likely be on their terms. Otherwise, they’ll just figure something else out.
Kolten Wong (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
• In addition to Wong, major-league sources say rival teams are asking the Brewers about trades for their top players — right-handers Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff, and shortstop Willy Adames. The subtraction of one or more from that group is perhaps more likely at the trade deadline, and only if the team falters. But the heightened interest is understandable, considering the Brewers’ cost-cutting tendencies this far.
A trade of Burnes, Woodruff or Adames would be out of character for owner Mark Attanasio, who has avoided taking a step backwards in the past. But the team’s newly promoted GM, Matt Arnold, is no stranger to the unconventional. Arnold worked for the Rays from 2006 to 2015, and was the Brewers’ assistant GM under David Stearns when the team traded Josh Hader last season.
The Brewers intended the Hader deal and their accompanying moves at the deadline to be a reshuffling, not a retrenching, but Stearns later acknowledged that the loss of Hader soured the clubhouse. An offseason move, with players scattered everywhere, would not create as much dissent. But if the Brewers are thinking about making hard decisions, might it be better for them to act sooner rather than later?
If they open the season with Burnes, Woodruff and Adames, they will probably be in some form of contention at the deadline, thanks to the expanded playoff format. And then they might be looking at a Hader scenario all over again.
• In my previous column, I wrote that for the Padres, “adding a shortstop essentially would be trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.” But while the team has other needs — first base, a starting pitcher, bullpen, bench — major-league sources continue to suggest the Padres are indeed in the shortstop market, possibly even for Trea Turner, a player general manager AJ Preller traded to the Nationals as a player to be named in 2015, and has pretty much coveted ever since.
To make it work, the Padres could move Ha-Seong Kim to second and Jake Cronenworth to first, while going with an outfield of Fernando Tatis Jr. in left, Trent Grisham in center and Juan Soto in right. But how much is owner Peter Seidler willing to spend with a luxury-tax payroll that is already within $4 million of the first threshold? And could the Padres outbid the Phillies, who hold several built-in advantages in the Turner sweepstakes?
As a member of the Nationals, Turner was a teammate of Bryce Harper’s from 2015 to 2018 and of Kyle Schwarber’s for the first four months of 2021. He thrived under hitting coach Kevin Long, who was with the Nats for four years before joining the Phillies last season. And his wife, Kristen Harabedian, is from Flemington, NJ, a drive of about 51 miles from Philadelphia.
• Salvador Perez is close with new White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, his former catching instructor and bench coach with the Royals — so close, it stands to reason that the Sox might at least think about asking for Perez in a trade.
Perez, 32, regressed offensively last season from his spectacular 48-homer, .859 OPS campaign in 2021. He will earn $20 million next season, occupying about one-fourth of the Royals’ payroll. He also is guaranteed $20 million in 2024, $22 million in 2025 and a $2 million buyout on a $13.5 million club option in 2026.
Salvador Perez (Peter Aiken / USA Today Sports)
The Royals, however, are not inclined to move Perez, and certainly not to a team in their division. Perez is the last player remaining from their 2015 World Series champions. Club officials see him as an important part of the Royals’ offense and an asset in the development of their young pitchers.
As a player with at least 10 years of service, five with the same club, Perez would have the right to veto any trade. Teams are not even bothering to ask the Royals about him, major-league sources say. Catcher MJ Melendez is drawing interest, but he hit 18 home runs as a rookie, also plays left and right field, and is under club control for five more seasons. The Royals probably aren’t inclined to move him, either.
• Cardinals GM John Mozeliak, when asked about possibly adding a starting pitcher, said, “We have six starters.” True enough, if you include Dakota Hudson. But four of those starters — Adam Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery — are entering their walk years.
Hudson, arbitration-eligible through 2024, and Steven Matz, signed through 2025, are the only Cardinals starters under club control beyond this season. The Cardinals, then, would appear a logical darkhorse for one of the starters at the top of the market — deGrom, Verlander, Carlos Rodón. There is no indication they are in the mix for one of those pitchers, however.
A more likely free-agent target is left-hander José Quintana, who had a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts for the Cardinals after arriving in a trade from the Pirates last season. “They really want to re-sign him,” a source familiar with the team’s plans said.
• The lack of resolution with Judge, deGrom and other top free agents is creating a logjam in the market typical of this stage of the offseason. One club executive, however, cites a contributing factor to the delay — teams trying to trade players with inflated contracts to create more payroll flexibility for their free-agent pursuits.
Among the players who fit the profile and are available, according to the executive: The Yankees’ Josh Donaldson and Aaron Hicks; Mets’ James McCann; Braves’ Marcell Ozuna; Mariners’ Marco Gonzales and Jesse Winker; Diamondbacks’ Madison Bumgarner; and Reds’ Mike Moustakas.
In such cases, teams are willing to include cash in a trade and/or take back another inflated contract, anything to help create greater flexibility for other moves.
• Left-handed reliever Zack Britton recovered from Tommy John surgery in time to pitch in three games for the Yankees near the end of the season, but the team shut him down before the start of the playoffs, citing shoulder fatigue. For Britton, who returned in just over 12 months, it was simply a case of pushing too hard, too soon.
The good news: Britton, a free agent, has started his normal offseason throwing program and should be a full go in spring training. He is seeking a one-year deal as he approaches his 35th birthday on Dec. 22, and teams figure to be intrigued. Britton had a 1.90 ERA in his first two seasons with the Yankees before his elbow trouble began in 2021.
• And finally, here’s an example of how thoroughly some clubs dig into the trade and free-agent markets: The Braves, with Travis d’Arnaud, William Contreras and Manny Piña, possess one of the deepest catching corps in the majors. Yet according to major-league sources, they are one of the teams that has checked in on the Athletics’ coveted Sean Murphy — just in case.
Why would the Braves want Murphy? First and foremost, he’s a good player. Equally important, he would give the Braves the depth to make other moves. Perhaps they could trade Contreras or d’Arnaud for a young shortstop, a young starting pitcher, a corner outfielder. Contreras is more a hitter than a game-caller at this point. d’Arnaud has only one guaranteed year left on his contract, although the Braves hold an $8 million option on him for 2024.
The chances of the Braves acquiring Murphy or completing any of the other moves mentioned above are slim. If they do anything involving a catcher, it will likely be a trade of Piña, in whom they are drawing interest. With Murphy, they’re simply investigating the possibility, and seeing what might happen.
(Top photo of Trea Turner: Denis Poroy / Getty Images)
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