3 Dodgers deals that didn't happen

The winter meetings are nearly upon us, and with the baseball world congregating in one place - San Diego this year - the rumor mill will be cranked up exponentially over the next week. But first, here are three Dodgers deals that didn't happen this offseason, for various reasons.

No happy return for Martin

Former Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, a two-time All-Star with Los Angeles, signed a lucrative free agent deal with the Blue Jays worth $82 million for five years. With that kind of money, it's understandable Martin didn't return to the Dodgers, especially with rumblings that he was still less than thrilled with his departure after 2010. But though the Dodgers were outbid, their offer to Martin was reportedly a whopping $74 million over four years, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

The Dodgers are serious about upgrading the catching position, it seems. To wit...

No homecoming for Ethier

The Dodgers as we know are trying to unload an outfielder, and the team reportedly had a deal in place Arizona State alum Andre Ethier to the Diamondbacks, with catcher Miguel Montero leading the return for Los Angeles, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports:

The teams recently discussed a trade involving those players, but the deal collapsed when the D-Backs’ ownership declined to give final approval, according to major-league sources.

Under the proposed trade, the Dodgers would have sent Ethier and catcher Tim Federowicz to the Diamondbacks for Montero and lower-level prospects, sources said.

Montero, 31, has struggled the past two years, hitting .237/.324/.358, but it's all relative, as Dodgers catchers combined to hit just .181/.283/.261 in 2014. Combining the left-handed Montero with the right-handed Ellis may have worked, and in case you were wondering Montero ranked eighth in the majors in catcher framing.

Though it didn't work out, that's the kind of bad contract swap that seems like the most likely framework for an Ethier deal. Ethier is guaranteed $56 million over the next three years, with Montero due $40 million over the next three.

Kemp not getting dumped

Because this is a post about Dodgers rumors, it would be incomplete without mention of Matt Kemp. For those wondering why Kemp's name keeps coming up, it's because he would fetch the most in return (outside of Puig, who won't be traded). The Dodgers wouldn't simply be settling in dumping as much of Kemp's $107 million over five years that they can, as Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reported:

The Mariners were close to a deal to land Kemp before the Dodgers, on reflection, insisted that either Taijuan Walker or James Paxton be included in the swap.

There will be moves the Dodgers will make, and there will likely be dozens more rumors before said deals go down. So buckle up and enjoy the ride, no matter how turbulent it might get these next few days.