FanPost

Trade proposal from a Met fan


Hello there, Dodger fan people. I have a trade proposal for you. It's one that I've been pushing quite heavily over at Amazin Avenue, and one that I think would benefit both sides. But I figured that getting another perspective would be useful and interesting, so I'd like to share it with all of you.

So: your team is clearly going all-in on winning this year, what with the buttloads of money being spent and all. The one significant hole on what otherwise looks to be an incredibly solid team seems to be on the left side of the infield. Barring a surprise performance from someone, I'd imagine that your GM is going to be looking for an upgrade. On the other hand, the outfield seems to be pretty stable; there are three guys with big-ass contracts and then a potentially elite prospect down on the farm in Puig. Meanwhile, over in Met-land, the outfield situation is sorta kinda mind-numbingly awful. We could use help in that regard, while you could use help at third base. Therefore, I propose a deadline trade of Daniel Murphy for Joc Pederson.

Murphy is a natural third baseman, but has had to move around a lot to find a place in the lineup due to the presence of David Wright. His best season came in 2011, where he spent the majority of time playing at first and third, his two best positions; he put up a fWAR of 2.8 in 109 games. In 2012, he had to move to second base full time to get into the lineup, where he naturally struggled defensively; that, and an uncharacteristically low amount of power, led to him only putting up a 1.3 fWAR, despite still hitting pretty well overall. Looking forward, he looks to be a guy who'll give you a high .200's/low .300 batting average, .350 or so OBP, 10-15 homeruns with plenty of doubles, etc. That, along with a shift to a position that he's more comfortable at, should make him a very valuable player for the Dodgers; think somewhere between 2.5-3.5 fWAR. And it's not a half-season rental or anything; he'll still be under control for two seasons after 2013.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers give up a prospect who I believe is very underrated, but one who they can afford to give up, given their current outfield situation. They cover up one of their biggest holes and add to their legitimate chances of winning it all this season and for the next two seasons. And honestly, I'm not sure how they can do much better at the position; I'd imagine the Padres wouldn't trade Headley to a division rival, so that's not an option, and I can't think of any superior third basemen who they could reasonably hope to acquire in the non-distant future. One other option could be to acquire a shortstop and move Ramirez to third, but the only option I could see then would be Asdrubal Cabrera, who A) would cost more, and B) the Indians might not be willing to give up. Maybe there's another option that I'm just not seeing. But I think that this deal would provide both teams with exactly what they need, given their current situations.

But that's just me. Please tell me what you think. Be honest, but fair.

This is a fan-written post that is in no way affiliated with or related to any of the authors or editors of True Blue LA. The opinions reflected in this post do not necessarily reflect those of True Blue LA, its authors or editors.