The trade market for Minnesota Twins star second baseman is heating up. In addition to the Los Angeles Dodgers Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Radio in Minneapolis is reporting that the list of interested teams now includes the St. Louis Cardinals.
Dozier update: told LAD still very much in it. Here's the new wrinkle: STL very much in it, + Nats & Giants remain in dialogue. #MNTwins
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) December 26, 2016
If the Twins are interested in selling Dozier, it’s certainly not a surprise that all of these teams are interested. Frankly, it’s surprising that these are the only four teams involved.
Dozier will turn 30 during the 2017 season. In 2016, he had a career year, slashing at .268/340/.546 with 42 home runs, 99 RBI and 104 runs scored while playing for a lowly Minnesota team. From 2014-16, he slashed at .249/.330/.469, averaged 31 home runs a year and hit no fewer than 23 in any one season. That is fantastic production for a second baseman.
He is also under contract through the 2018 season and owed $15 million total. For a slugging second baseman, that’s a bargain basement price.
If a National League team is going to unseat the Chicago Cubs atop the Senior Circuit in the next few years, it will likely be the Cardinals, Dodgers, Washington Nationals, San Francisco Giants or New York Mets. So, it makes sense that four of those teams are interested in acquiring Dozier.
Obviously, landing Dozier wouldn’t be easy. The Twins should set a high price tag. But if he’s available, any team with championship aspirations should at least be in pursuit.