What are the Los Angeles Dodgers going to do? They'll have a surplus of outfielders yet again in 2016 if they don't trade one of them. Trade rumors have focused on Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford and Yasiel Puig this offseason, but one of those players will soon be able to reject any deal proposed by the Dodgers.
Coincidentally, that's the one player who Los Angeles has been most aggressive in trying to move - Ethier. The veteran will earn his 10-5 rights on April 21, which will give him the power to reject any trade. Those rights mean a player has accrued at least 10 years of MLB service and has spent the last five seasons with the same team.
"And that's a problem for the Dodgers," writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. "His trade value may have increased after his productive 2015, but not enough to draw significant interest at a player his age and still owed $38 million on the final two years of his contract. If a slight number of teams do express interest - no doubt with a caveat that the Dodgers absorb a significant amount of contract - the Dodgers would not want Ethier to be able to nix a potential deal because he has no interest in playing there.
"It would behoove the Dodgers to move him now, while whatever limited options they have available cannot be further reduced by Ethier. Yet if there has been any Ethier trade discussion going on, it has been remarkably quiet. Particularly for a player who has been involved in off-season trade rumors on an almost annual basis."
This has probably been the least opportunistic offseason in recent memory to trade an outfielder. There was an excess of productive free agent outfielders available this offseason, most notably Jason Heyward, Alex Gordon, Justin Upton, Denard Span, Gerardo Parra and others, all of whom have already signed. Yoenis Cespedes and Dexter Fowler are still available, so if there is any interest in Ethier, it will more than likely come after the remaining free agents sign.
As Dilbeck noted, Ethier, 33, is owed $38 million through 2017 and has a $17.5 million vesting option for the 2018 season, which is a lot of money for a player who recently had the worst season of his career in 2014. While that wasn't entirely his fault, it's still something teams will keep in mind if they're considering a trade.
The veteran rebounded in 2015 to post a .294/.366/.486 stat line with 54 runs scored, 14 home runs and 53 RBI in 142 games (395 at-bats), but he was mostly used against right-handed pitchers. If a team is going to acquire a player and pay a decent average annual salary, it's probable they'll want that guy to be an efficient everyday player.
The Baltimore Orioles were one team that inquired about Ethier last offseason, but they've already spent big money to re-sign Chris Davis and are reportedly looking to upgrade their rotation. Otherwise, there hasn't been much interest, which means the Dodgers might have to start offering favorable deals to get a trade done, if they're hoping to get rid of Ethier.
With Ethier, Puig, Crawford, Joc Pederson, Enrique Hernandez and Alex Guerrero as options to play the outfield, it simply isn't worth it for the Dodgers to pay $18 million for Ethier and $21 million for Crawford in 2016 when there are perhaps more cost-effective options on the roster.
