It has been reported that the Dodgers are once again expressing interest in Colorado Rockies third basemen Nolan Arenado. This comes after Arenado has expressed interest in leaving the Rockies after the team’s failed attempts at getting to the postseason.
Now acquiring Arenado will not be an easy task for the Dodgers, as Arenado has an opt-out clause after the 2021 season and his current contract is eight-years for $260 million which is actually something the Dodgers can take on after next season. It was reported by MLB Network insider J.P. Morosi that the Dodgers have money coming off the books with Clayton Kershaw, Kenley Jansen, and Corey Seager who is likely to fetch a big free-agent deal with his agent being Scott Boras. Morosi mentioned that will likely come down to whether the Dodgers want to keep Nolan Arenado and try to renegotiate his contract to forego the opt-out or try to extend Corey Seager. While Dodgers fans have come to love their shortstop in Seager, acquiring a player of Arenado’s caliber would be huge for the Dodgers and would be an incredible get for the team that isn’t settling for just one championship.
There are a few scenarios the Dodgers could go to acquire Arenado from the Rockies and let Seager go in free agency next off-season. First, the Dodgers would have to come up with a huge package of prospects to get the Rockies to even think about dealing Arenado which we’ve seen with Bryce Harper and the Nationals, if the offer isn’t good enough then the Rockies may be comfortable keeping him. I put together some trade proposals through a popular trade simulator which accepted the trade of Nolan Arenado to the Dodgers for Josiah Gray, Mitch White, and Kendall Williams. I also had the Rockies give the Dodgers $70 million which helped balance out the trade-in terms of money, obviously, the trade could be more detailed than that, but the Dodgers would be giving up their number one overall prospect as well as their number nine prospect along with their twenty-third best prospect, all of them are pitchers that the Rockies desperately need. For fans that are concerned about giving up too much, the Dodgers’ strength is their farm system depth and giving up two pitchers that are big-league ready and one in Williams that still needs development should be a trade that could benefit both sides.
As for the Dodgers, they would be getting one of the best third basemen in baseball that has California routes and could catapult the team’s overall momentum to get another title. Arenado wants to win now and just like Betts, he might be willing to work out a contract that keeps him in a Dodgers uniform for a long time. He will no doubt be hungry for a title of his own which is a benefit for the Dodgers as people might be worried about the dreaded World Series hangover in which the previous World Series winners struggle to perform. The Dodgers would be getting a five-time all-star from 2015-2019 and if there was an All-Star break in 2020, he might be getting another All-Star nod. He’s an extreme competitor while playing in Colorado and could help light a fire underneath the Dodgers should their bats struggle at any point in the season. His numbers combined through both the 2019 and 2020 seasons go like this, his slash line was .300/.362/.548 with an OPS+ of 120 which shows his value as a hitter.
The Dodgers would unfortunately part ways with Corey Seager after the 2021 season once he becomes a free agent. While they have the financial strength to take on big contracts, every team gets punished for having too much talent, and Seager warrants a strong payday in free agency. It may be hard for Dodgers fans to let him go, but the reality is that Dodger fans shouldn’t accept just one World Series victory, especially one that people keep saying doesn’t count because of the shortened season (It does by the way). But Seager would have an opportunity to start over with another team and help them in their quest for a championship, while the team will be unknown, any team would extremely benefit from his talent offensively as well as defensively. While his time with the Dodgers will be remembered, Corey Seager may be the odd man out of Los Angeles just because his skills are so talented that he deserves a big payday. For the Dodgers, their hunt for another championship would continue on as their fan base and front office shouldn’t be settled for just one.
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
Jacob Cisneros is a writer for Dodgers-LowDown. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram @_JacobCisneros.