The Dodgers are at an ‘impasse’ with the Twins and Brian Dozier

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The Dodgers seemed a sure thing in the Brian Dozier sweepstakes, given they were dangling prospect Jose De Leon and teams like the Cardinals seemingly fell out of discussions shortly after entering them. Now, though, talks with the Twins seem to be over, as Ken Rosenthal reported that negotiations are at an "impasse" and that there is no momentum for a trade. The Twins didn’t want to leave Dozier hanging any longer, so it looks like he’ll be staying in Minnesota.

As for the Dodgers, they’re still looking for a second baseman, and it appears as if a trade is still the way they want to acquire one. The names now, though, are the Rays’ Logan Forsythe and the Tigers’ Ian Kinsler. The latter seems like he might be tough to pry away from Detroit, if only because the Tigers’ early offseason whispers about wanting to rebuild by selling off their expensive, veteran assets never materialized into anything. Kinsler is one of their best players, so dealing him but holding onto Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez, and so on would seem a little odd.

Forsythe, however, plays for a Rays’ team that is not only the likely worst of five AL East clubs, but (shocker) also happens to have some concerns about their budget. The Rays have 15 players on their roster who will be arbitration-eligible a year from now, meaning they have a few trades they need to make to clear space for those raises. Forsythe has an $8.5 million club option for 2018, which is a ridiculous bargain for his services, but is also cash that could be spread out among a few arb-eligible players should the Rays want to go that direction. Tampa Bay is unlikely to have money to re-sign Forsythe when that option is up, anyway, so if they’re thinking longer term here, a deal with the Dodgers for prospects makes sense.

• With the Dodgers seemingly out on Dozier, maybe the Giants finally have a real shot at the Twins’ second baseman and his homers.


• If Los Angeles can’t manage to secure either Kinsler or Forsythe, there is a small chance they could turn to the still-available Andrew McCutchen.


• Wally Backman says the Mets have "blackballed" him, as Wally Backman isn’t aware that no one wants to deal with a manager who doesn’t listen to what his bosses tell him about player development.



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