Winter Meetings Day 2: All about Tony?

Chad Moriyama 12/10/2019 Rumors Leave A Comment

Yesterday saw Stephen Strasburg come off the board at the Winter Meetings, but so far today there hasn’t been all that much movement. However, that doesn’t mean the rumor mill for the Dodgers has been quiet at least.

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The name on everybody’s mind is still Gerrit Cole, who the Dodgers are always linked to but don’t seem to be considered all that seriously in terms of eventual destinations. Complicating things further is the emergence of supposed mystery teams.

Hear there’s a mystery team on Cole. Hard to imagine anyone thinks they are coming in late and outbidding the Yankees and 2 LA teams (even if one’s in Anaheim). No idea the identity of said team, but that’s why it’s a mystery.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 10, 2019

Boras said there are two new mystery teams in on Gerrit Cole.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) December 10, 2019

I'm hearing the Astros and Giants are the likely mystery teams for Cole, though multiple sources have major doubt either will be a serious player for the ace. Yankees, Angels and Dodgers still appear to be the most likely destinations for Cole.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 11, 2019

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like location will be a factor, or at least that’s what Scott Boras is saying.

Late in his press conference, Scott Boras said that geography will not be a significant factor for Gerrit Cole, despite his Southern California roots.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) December 10, 2019

At least the saga will probably wrap up soon.

Boras said that Cole’s free agency could be resolved “in the short term.”
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) December 10, 2019

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The seemingly more realistic signing for Dodger fans to pin their hopes on is Anthony Rendon, as the Dodgers continue to appear serious bidders. News that the Nationals are supposedly pivoting to Josh Donaldson adds to the likelihood that there’s one less team to compete with.

The Nationals remain interested in Josh Donaldson, according to multiple people, and are ready to pivot to Donaldson as a replacement for Anthony Rendon at third base.
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) December 10, 2019

As reported previously, Rendon was one #Nationals player who didn’t embrace deferrals – that’s one reason he rejected team’s reported offer of 7/210-215, sources said. A team cannot say it is “out” on a player – violation of CBA. But chances of Rendon return to D.C. seem slim.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 10, 2019

Unfortunately, in addition to the Rangers, it appears the Angels will be competitors.

#LAAngels are another team that’s expressed interest in Anthony Rendon. So there’s Dodger-Angel battle on 2 fronts: Rendon and Cole (obvs other teams involved as well)
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 10, 2019

The Angels also made a trade that could be them clearing salary for a Cole signing, but failing that it could also be used for a Rendon signing as well.

The Angels have traded Zack Cozart and Will Wilson to the Giants for cash and a PBTNL, source tells The Athletic.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) December 10, 2019

As for what the price range on Rendon will be, it seems like seven years and $210 million is the cost to get in the door.

Boras says clubs have been consistent so far in offering Rendon a 7-year deal. Also says Rendon and Trout are the only players with "6 WAR appraisals" the last 3 years. "So he is literally atop the game, one of the game's greatest."
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) December 10, 2019

If the Dodgers miss out on all of the elite free agents, it’s gonna be hard to stomach this off-season. Even if a trade goes down later, that feels like a bit of a waste of chips because the alternative was the ownership just opening up the wallet.

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Speaking of alternatives, Donaldson and Hyun-Jin Ryu seem like strong candidates as backup plans for the Dodgers, but competition is growing for them as well, with Ryu now drawing interest from the Twins.

#MNTwins are pursuing 3 starters: Ryu, Keuchel and Bumgarner
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 10, 2019

Andrew Friedman has at least said the Dodgers have interest in retaining Ryu.

Andrew Friedman said the club has interest in bringing back Hyun-Jin Ryu.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) December 11, 2019

There are worse backup plans than them, but it’s far easier to see the downside to long-term deals with those two.

Kevin Gausman, who the Dodgers had interest in, recently went to the rival Giants.

Right-handed Kevin Gausman and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a one-year, $9 million contract, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 10, 2019

Hopefully the Dodgers are simply thinking bigger than that.

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In more general news, Friedman acknowledged that the pen is an area of need, and also said that the club has targeted only about 12 players this year.

Andrew Friedman said the Dodgers’ only position of need that is “omnipresent” is the bullpen. He said there is flexibility regarding all other positions. He said there are about a dozen free agents the club has targeted, and expects talks this week will crystalize trade targets.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) December 10, 2019

Well … better land a few of them then, huh?

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Winter Meetings Day 2: All about Tony?

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