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We’ve made it to the end of the year, but not to the end of the Brian Dozier trade gossip. If the Minnesota Twins have their way, however, that rumor mill won’t be turning much longer. The team has asked interested ball clubs to make their final offers for the second baseman in the next few days, according to a report from LaVelle Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. If they don’t get a proposal that pleases them right now, the Twins will prepare for the season with Dozier at the keystone and potentially seek to move him at the trade deadline instead.
There’s some risk involved with that plan, of course: Dozier’s trade value spiked pretty dramatically in the second half of last season, and it could plummet just as fast. Through April and May last year, his season looked not just ordinary but even less productive than his usual, hitting .202/.294/.329 with five home runs. And then from June to August, he looked like maybe the best-hitting second baseman ever, with a .305/.370/.655 line and 27 homers.
As his power surged, so did his trade value, and that’s exactly why he has so many viable suitors now. A comparatively weak first half in 2017 won’t erase that value, but it can certainly diminish it — especially when "a comparatively weak first half" means a first half where Dozier looks simply like the Dozier we saw for three years before his three months as a super-slugger.
But that waiting game only comes into play if the Twins don’t get an offer that they like this week. The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the frontrunner for Dozier for the better part of a month now, and they’re still the option that makes the most sense. According to Neal’s article, the Twins would want a trade to include young right-handed pitcher Jose de Leon along with another of the team’s top prospects.
But while the Dodgers are reportedly willing to move with de Leon, they "haven’t blinked" on Minnesota’s request that they package him with someone else. The San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and Washington Nationals are all positioned as other options here, though in terms of both their need for a new second baseman and what they could offer to get him, none makes quite so much sense as the Dodgers. Another option, of course, is waiting — and if they can’t get exactly what they want, it sounds like the Twins might be content to do just that.
- After rounding up the most forgettable stories of the year yesterday, Grant Brisbee picks out a few of his own that he’d like to remember today.
- For the first time in … a long time, top prospect lists now mean something to Chicago White Sox fans.
- Steven Wright may not be part of the Boston Red Sox’s rotation next season, but he can still play a major role in the bullpen.
- Carlos Martinez is eligible for arbitration this year, and Viva El Birdos is making the case for a contract extension for the young starter.
- What should New Year’s resolutions look like for the New York Yankees’ infield? Pinstripe Alley takes a look.
- The rumor of Matt Wieters to the Atlanta Braves has been getting some traction in the last few days, but it might not make much sense.
- Over on Beyond the Box Score, Luis Torres goes over his statistical struggle with Vladimir Guerrero’s case for the Hall of Fame.
- It was obviously a great year for the Cleveland Indians; next year could be even better.