The Cardinals have been connected to free agent center fielder Dexter Fowler throughout the offseason, and the club made him an initial offer Monday during a meeting with his representatives, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports. That’s at least the second offer Fowler has received – the Blue Jays have reportedly proposed a four-year deal in the $60MM neighborhood. Fowler is seeking $18MM annually on a multiyear pact.
More from Rosenthal:
- It’s likely the Dodgers and free agent third baseman Justin Turner will work out a new deal, which is the two sides’ hope, according to Rosenthal. It could come at a lower cost than expected, notes Rosenthal, who points to a lack of clear fits for Turner’s services. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicts Turner will return to the Dodgers on a five-year, $85MM accord.
- With teams reluctant to surrender a first-round pick to sign free agent outfielder/designated hitter Jose Bautista, it’s possible the 36-year-old will sign with a club that has a protected selection, contends Rosenthal. The only teams that wouldn’t have to give up a first-rounder for Bautista are those that finished in the bottom 10 in the standings last season. Bautista could be limited to signing with an American League team because of the DH, and Rosenthal points out that the Twins, Rays, Athletics and Angels are the AL franchises with protected first-rounders. However, there’s not a logical landing spot in that group, Rosenthal observes. Sources told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi that Bautista’s “market is picking up,” so he might not have to settle for a deal with a low-tier club.
- Free agent right-hander Tyson Ross, who has been recovering from thoracic outlet surgery since October, is likely to sign with a team that’s adept at “handling and rehabilitating pitchers,” Rosenthal writes. One such club is the Padres, who non-tendered Ross last week in lieu of paying him an estimated $9.6MM in 2017. San Diego and Ross have mutual interest in a reunion, though, and Rosenthal notes that Ross’ affinity for Friars pitching coach Darren Balsley could help their cause. Other possibilities for Ross include the Cubs – who have tried to acquire Ross in the past – as well as the Indians, Pirates, Mariners and Giants, per Rosenthal.
What about Nationals for Ross?
They’re going after Sale (most likely). Why would they need Ross in an already stacked rotation, with or without Sale? Unless you mean Ross to the bullpen, but I assume he’s looking to find a role as a starter.
I think the Pirates make the most sense for Ross.
Tho I was joking below, I completely agree I think the Pirates would be a perfect fit for Ross. With a year of Searage, Cervelli, and PNC park, Ross has an easy path to bouncing back and cashing in after a one year deal.
Ross to the Cubs with Bosio and elite rehab facilities in Arizona is a no brainer.
Fowler won’t go to the Cards. Say it ain’t so!! Lol
I hope you’re right.
Please, no Fowler!
I don’t want to give up the draft pick!
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Ross to the Pirates with Searage and elite rehab facilities in Bradenton and Pittsburgh is a no brainer.
hopefully mo is just doing this offer as a formality to appease fans that want fowler
As a Cardinal fan I don’t want Fowler for $18M a year. Trade options are more realistic
Sign Carlos Gomez and wait for Bader to be ready.
I’d prefer this idea over Fowler
Trade options may not necessarily be more realistic with the asking prices of players on the block right now
I’d prefer a short term player rather than a long commitment to an expensive aging player.
exactly. I do not want to commit to Fowler for 4-5 years. He’s a solid player, but I don’t think he’s a good fit (we want better defense in CF and I’m not sure he’s an improvement over Grichuk). I would rather try to get Gomez on a 2 year deal while we wait for Bader. If Bader keeps developing and pushes for a spot, Gomez shouldn’t be too difficult to move.
They want better outfield defense. Fowler and Grichuk together is a big defensive upgrade from Holliday or Moss with Grichuk.
But yeah. Fowler is not worth committing that kind of money. I’d much rather keep flexibility for a better fit in a couple years.
Yes, it is better OF defense than having Holiday out there. But how good will Fowler be in CF when he’s in his mid-30s? He’s had one above-average defensive season (according to metrics), and he even claims it was a result of positioning.
I understand the whole notion of “better outfield defense,” but really, moving Grichuk to LF and putting any decently capable CF out there is an improvement over having power, corner OFs (Holliday, Moss, etc.)
He doesn’t need to be an improvement over Grichuk, he needs to be an improvement over Holliday/Moss. An OF of Grichuk, Fowler and Piscotty is very good defensively.
As a Jays fan I don’t want Fowler at 18 mil either!
I’m not a fan of Fowler to the Cardinals but they are having talks with the Royals for Cain, Davis, and Escobar
My Perfect Dodgers Offseason
Feel free to leave comments and opinions
I originally wished to sign Justin Turner, Cespedes, Hill, and Jansen. Then I would work towards shedding salary through trades. However as the Offseason progressess and the Winter Meetings Start I’ve changed course a bit and I would like to post the Dodgers Offseason I would like to see.
Sign Rich Hill to 3 year 48mil (Already Done)
Sign Justin Turner to 5 year 80mil
Sign Kenley Jansen to 5 year 90mil
That alone adds about 50mil to out payroll WITHOUT filling other holes around the roster such as 2nd base, left field, setup man, and a solid no.3 starter.
Through trades I would work to fill these while trying to SHED payroll.
(Note: I will not trade Yasiel Puig or Julio Urias whatsoever.)
Trade Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy to Texas Rangers for Andy Ibanez.
Dodgers get salary relief and a raw trade trip.
Rangers get 2 back of the rotation starters. They are a bit injury prone but they have mid-rotation upside and it’s a starter starved market.
Andy Ibanez is still raw, but has upside and would be about a top 150 prospect. Unless the Rangers wish to use him in a blockbuster for a SP I think this is a reasonable trade.
Trade Pedro Baez to New York Mets for Dominic Smith, Desmond Lindsay, Thomas Szapucki.
Pedro Baez is good and I believe he still hasn’t reached his ceiling he really just made to many bad memories with the Dodgers. Dodgers can get a top 50 prospect, an outfield prospect with a starter ceiling, and an breakout arm. This may be overpay by the Mets but Baez is team-controllable for 4 more years at a cheap cost and they need a stronger pen with all the injuries and Familia’s case.
Trade Andre Ethier, Luis Avlian, Edwin Rios to Toronto Blue Jays for T.J.Zeuch
From the Dodgers opinion Ethier is nothing more than a expensive platoon bat logjamming the outfield. God bless us that he waives his 5-10 rights and heads to a contending team. Ethier can fill in in FA Saunders role while bringing veteran presence lost by Bautista and Encarnacion. Luis Avilan brings solid lefty depth to a bit barren (but surprisingly well performing) Blue Jays bullpen. With all this and Ethier’s salary I ask for just a mid-level prospect with some honing to do.
Trade Alex Wood, Chase de Jong, Brock Stewart to Seattle Mariners for Tyler O’Neill
Dodgers get the #59 overall prospect to use as a trade chip. The Mariners send one of their most beloved prospects but land a potential Montgomery type guy in Wood, a mid-rotation upside starter who will be protected by Safeco Field in Chase de Jong, and a breakout Milb prospect in Stewart. Wood and Oaks should both contribute to the Mariner’s pitching staff in either the rotation or the pen. This is a strictly risky win-now move by the Mariners and I do believe this is the least likely trade of the ones I propose. If this doesn’t work out the Yankees, Blue Jays, or Marlins should have some interest in Alex Wood.
Trade for Ryan Braun, send Milwaukee Brewers Dominic Smith, Walker Buehler, Will Smith, T.J. Zeuch,
0.336/0.404/0.624
This is Braun’s career batting line against lefties. The Dodgers have an obvious need for lefty crushing bats and a hole in left field. Braun’s defense is just about average in left and with good defensive outfielders in CF and RF (Pederson and Puig) it shouldn’t matter that much. Milwaukee gets a 5 player package including Dominic Smith who and become an Adam Lind like player (top 50 prospect), Buehler had injuries but has a top 100 starting arm, Smith is a bit polished offensive catcher, Zeuch is a prospect with some upside, and Oaks is a breakout candidate coming off a breakout season. He’s MLB ready and should get a chance to break the rotation in spring break.
This is more of a focus on quanity than quality for the Brewers but they get various guys with upside while the Dodgers take on all of Braun’s remaining contract which is like a third of their payroll. I think this is a possible idea with maybe Jordan Sheffield or Yusniel Diaz being included.
Sign Greg Holland to 2year 16~20mil
Holland was one of baseball’s best closers before succumbing to injuries. He’s pretty simillar to the Rich Hill signing; however Holland has a better track record.
Sign Tyson Ross to an incentive filled 1year 8mil deal.
Ross has ace-level stuff it’s just that he’s injured. Like Holland above this is a healthy risk I would take.
Dodgers trade for Logan Forsythe, Tampa Bay Rays receive Yusniel Diaz, Jordan Sheffield, Kyle Farmer
Dodgers get a solid, durable 2nd baseman with a .278/.343/.475 career line against lefties and a
.273/.347.444 overall line over the past 2 years; which is when Forsythe took of offensively. He’s about average at defense but with a strong defensive infield, the Dodgers don’t need huge defensive contribution from Forsythe. He has 1 year a club option left. In turn Tampa Bay gets the #93 overall prospect in Yusniel Diaz, who can patrol any outfield position while holding 4 tools. Sheffield is a decent starting arm who is still on the young side, and Farmer is a offensive catcher the Rays should be interested in.
Dodgers get Wade Davis from the Kancas City Royals, send Tyler O’Neill, Andy Ibanez, Desmond Lindsay.
Wade Davis would be probably the best setup man the Dodgers have had in recent years (sorry Joe Blanton). Last year was a bit of a down year for him after becoming a full time closet and he still pitched to a 1.87 ERA with a 9.76 K/9 and a 1.13 WHIP. With One year and 10mil remaining, he can net the 2015 Champs: top 60 OF prospect O’Neill who is known for his smooth adjusments and aditude, Ibanez, who as noted above has smooth skills and profiles as a middle infielder, and Lindsay who had starting center fielder potential. The prospect names might not be satisfying at first but if you dig a bit deeper these guys all fill possible future holes for the Royals and all have regular starter projections.
Dodgers send Jose de Leon, Alex Verdugo, Willie Calhoun, Yadier Alvarez, Starling Heredia
to Chicago White Sox for Chris Sale
And with that we join our LA neighbors at the bottom of the farm rankings.
Ok let’s go through this. You all know Chris Sale, and what he’s worth. The Dodgers acquire a ace-level SP who might have made the difference this postseason. The White Sox get a prospect haul of JDL, who has ace-potential (Prospect Ranking #32), slugging corner outfielder Alex Verdugo (#45), Calhoun (#87) who might have one of the best bats of MiLB middle infielders, Alvarez(#91) who throws 100 as a starter, and teen outfielder Heredia (NR).
If this isn’t a good enough hall switch in Cody Bellinger (#31) for JDL. White Sox seem to like him much more.
The Nationals are supposedly offering the White Sox baseball’s no.1 pitching prospect as a centerpiece for Sale. I don’t know if the Dodgers can beat a package like that, but if possible I vote to sell the farm.
Through all this the Dodgers payroll rises about 35~55mil. However they get a roster of
Rotation
1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Chris Sale
3. Rich Hill
4. Kenta Maeda
5. Julio Urias
Bullpen
Kenley Jansen
Wade Davis
Greg Holland
Grant Dayton
Yimi Garcia
Adam Liberatore
Chris Hatcher
Josh Ravin
Vidal Nuno
Lineup (Not perfect just a peak)
1. Logan Forsythe 2B
2. Corey Seager SS
3. Ryan Braun LF
4. Justin Turner 3B
5. Adrian Gonzalez 1B
6. Yasmani Grandal C
7. Yasiel Puig RF
8. Joc Pederson CF
I do believe that with all these moves the Dodgers have the best chance at a title they’ve ever had recently for 2017~2018. But with everyone locked up for beyond 2018 and a depleted farm system the future does not look bright. I suppose ALL these players can be traded again if the Dodgers fail to win a title. But it probably isn’t gonna happen. Not under this Front Office.
By all means take my proposals seriously and feel free to tell me any opinions you have on them. They might seem unrealistic but my message is that Dodgers fans have spent to much time saying “Oh if we had just traded for Hamels, Oh if we had signed Cueto etc.” With past untouchables Seager and Urias now performing it is time to go all in for a title. Let’s talk again after becoming 2017 champions.
You probally worked hard on this, but it’s longer than the article and it’s just a comment, if you wanted people to read it your only chance is to wait for the Dodgers to make a trade and post it on that one.
Your moves have no chance of happening. The rangers aren’t going to take on salary and give up ibanez. The Mets aren’t trading Smith. Yeah none of the trades are even possible. The Dodgers have the system for maybe one big trade and that’s about it. The signings are more realistic but your not moving big contracts and getting superior prospects.
It’s not *that* outlandish. This is one of the more reasonable, well thought out takes involving trades that I’ve seen. Yes, Visions, those trades are unlikely and when thinking from the perspective of other teams, while possibly all say “no”, I don’t think he/she is too far off on compensation in some instances. As an M’s fan I love O’Neill a bit too much but the compensation he offered is not implausible and we desperately need pitching, as does Texas. I’ve seen much worse on here (on a regular basis). Some reasonable ideas, OP. Don’t listen to haters but maybe tweak compensation slightly and really put yourself in opposing GMs when thinking about trades. Not bad at all though!
That’s the problem I’d love to get Ibanez for Kaz and McCarthy but the trades are too Dodger centric. I’m not trying to hate. The problem in a great many of these trades are trading players with negative value for top prospects that hold value. For example if you’re trading Kaz and McCarthy you should be expecting nothing more than salary relief and maybe an A ball lottery ticket. And if you honestly get that run and jump for joy. You also might be able to get an expiring contract like Watson for Baez, Ravin, and a guy like Rhame, etc. But Baez holds little value as he has no secondary pitch. Yeah he can run it up there with pretty good velocity but he’s not a first team division need. I wouldn’t put the Mariners package past DiPito because DiPoto is well DiPoto. That type of package is probably better suitable to use in a Solarte type deal. Ethier is one of the players that holds more value to the Dodgers and little else to other teams.The Blue Jays also have a Rios clone and just flat better hitter in Tellez. But yes they aren’t the worst trades I’ve seen. They just are very wishful thinking. That’s why I say these trades have no chance.
Wow you really thought this out. All of them are viable trades too
The Texas one is FAR from viable.
If only dumping bad contracts were this easy, I think we would see a lot of it. But we don’t. It doesn’t matter how little you are asking back. You are going to have to eat a big portion of those contracts to move them, unless you are taking contracts back.
Well thought out, but some are just a little off. I don’t think the Mariners trade O’Neill for that and I don’t think your offer for Sale will beat the Nationals. It currently is rumored that they are offering Giolito and Robles, which would be the #3 and #10 prospects in baseball. Some of the other ones like the Rangers trade that involve salary dumping to acquire prospects I think might be a little off too.
Overall, very well thought out though. I think a lot of those are close.
As a dodger fan this has my stamp of approval. Maybe swap Dozier for Forsyth. But this would be a dream.
Can I get a TL;DR
What drugs are you on?
That was way too long of a post, and you probably spent more time typing that then Dodgers would spend considering half those trades. Great effort though, quite amusing.
As a Dodgers fan, I appreciate the extensive thought you put into your post. I may be the minority on this, but I strongly prefer to trade for Chris Archer than Chris Sale. There are already 3 lefties in the rotation (Kershaw, Urias, Hill) and I believe some lesser combination of your proposed White Sox/Rays deals could net both Archer and Forsythe. Overall though I do dig your enthusiasm and thanks for bringing some outside the box ideas to the forum!
Way too long, why don’t you go start a blog somewhere.
as a blue Jay fan we don’t want your garbage keep him
He has a place in the hearts of Dodgers fans because of what he did during the McCourt Era. But clearly provides little to no value on a Major League ballclub
Who reads that??
Bautista goin to the twins phillies or reds
What’s wrong with .270 21 homeruns yanks
Cubs go get Ross. They can bring him back slowly with Montgomery being #5 starter . Goes back to pen when Ross returns.
grichuck, 0 errors in cf last year.. only 1 in his career.
Brian Downing broke Al Kaline’s record for longest streak of no errors in the OF. It does not, by any means, tell you that Downing was a better OF. Same is true of Grichuck. He has sure hands in the OF and gets to what he can get to. Cardinals just want someone who can get to more.
You won’t be charged with errors when you can’t even get to the damn ball.
Grichuk can get to the ball. That’s one of the reasons why he grades well in centerfield–his range is above average, and his Defensive Runs Saved number in center was 7, which puts him among the better centerfielders in the league.
The Cardinals’ defense in center last year was dragged down by Hazelbaker and Pham, who played a combined 366 innings in CF last season.
Cubs give Lester and Bryant and rizzo for Ross and solarte
Cubs would never do that trade dude!!!!Lester,Bryant and Rizzo aren’t going anywhere. They are part of who made the cubs who they are now and Bryant and rizzo will be cubs for a long while!!! Go cubs go
I predict that Bautista will get signed to a 10 year, $350 million contract by His Wildest Imagination.
Pirates should get Joe Ross in the deal for Cutch and then sign Tyson Ross.
And get Cody Ross and David Ross to come out of retirement.
Don’t forget about Boston’s Robbie Ross. Then they should convert Robbie Ross back into a starter just so they have three guys named Ross in their rotation. You’ll always know who’s pitching on any given day….. Ross.
Then make trades for Ross Detwiler, Ross Stripling, and Ross Ohlendorf if he’s still playing. Wouldn’t be right to just have guys with the LAST name of Ross.
Sure hope the Cards don’t get Fowler!
He’d be a step up from Grichuk, Hazelbaker……. Pham….. Holliday. Man, outside of Piscotty I didn’t realize how ugly the Cards’ OF situation is. You may not WANT Fowler, but it sure looks like you NEED him. Outside of Fowler are there really any better options? Are you really convinced with Ian Desmond? Even despite Desmond’s comeback season Fowler was still better offensively than Desmond IMO. Both are mediocre fielders. Does Jose Bautista get you excited? Those are the only two I’d say that are as good if not better than Fowler who are available. 4-year $72M isn’t exactly a contract that will kill you. If that kind of contract kills the Cards that org. has bigger problems. How does one of the teams with the bigger fan bases in baseball, who sells out a ton if not all their games not have enough money to compete with the big dogs in terms of payroll? Money should never be a concern for a team with the clout the Cardinals have. I don’t get why they pretend to be this mid-market team. Is it for sympathy?
Explains why Cardinals fans seem to be the most eager to get McCutchen.
>>>”Money should never be a concern for a team with the clout the Cardinals have. I don’t get why they pretend to be this mid-market team.”
Up until their new TV contract, the Cardinals had one of the smallest TV contracts in baseball, because their television market is one of the 10 smallest in MLB. They pulled the vast majority of their revenue from ticket sales..So while they have a massively strong fanbase, they didn’t have one of the two major sources of revenue that teams like the Dodgers or Yankees have.
That small tv market is also the reason why their new deal–$1 billion over 14 years, starting in 2018–is smaller than, say, the Phillies’ $5 billion, 25-year deal, and is more in line with the deals that the Padres and Diamondbacks got.
Based on the size of the St. Louis metro area, they actually should be a small-market team. The support they get allows them to operate like a mid-market team.
I’d be down with Ross coming to the Cubs only if it’s on an amazing deal. He made $9.5M last year to start 1 game. If they can get him on a 1 year $7M deal great. If not, no thanks. Cubs don’t need to start collecting pitchers with arm injury concerns. This goes for their rumored interest in Wade Davis as well – a dude who had 2 DL stints last year due to elbow injuries and has lost 1 MPH on all of his pitches. Over the last 3-4 years Ross’ velocity has been on the decline as well. Couple of years ago Ross was a 94-95 MPH pitchers. Now, about 92 MPH. Not a promising trend for a somewhat wild pitcher as it is.
$60 M a yr for Fowler should be fair enough as he’s seeking 18 and the Jays offer would give him $15 M a yr. That’s not too far from what he’s seeking if you ask me !!!
Edwin could also return but I assume it will have to be a backloaded contract !!!
Willing to bet Fowler doesn’t take anything less than $66M. OR he’ll counter with 3 years at $57-60M.
Ross fits with the Dodgers’ pitching prototype.
Fowler would be ok without draft pick. A trade with,Tampa foe ,Longoria and ,kiermeyer, or ,KC for ,Cain and ,Davis would be much better. Even Gomez and Dyson would work. But Longoria or Turner would have to come out of that. Rosenthal needs to be a starter, maybe trade ,Waino and a package for fro Trout and Pujols. They would have to eat lots of Pujols contract. Fowler should be last on our mind. McCutchen and Marte for Gridchik and Carpenter and a pitcher could be another one. But it’s time for a splash. Cubs are not going anywhere. A Cargo deal is long overdue too. Come on MO!
I am not a fan of Bautista and I do not see a fit whatsoever but I do know that he mashes at Target field.
cardinals would be better off signing Gomez or Desmond or trading for some. they don’t need fowler