Here it is. Clearly, it’s the trade that was holding up the market, and the floodgates are about to open.
The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired LHP Scott Alexander and minor league INF Jake Peter in a three-team trade with the White Sox and Royals.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 5, 2018
In the trade, the White Sox received LHP Luis Avilan, RHP Joakim Soria and cash considerations, while the Royals received INF Erick Mejia and RHP Trevor Oaks.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 5, 2018
Three-team trades are frequently complicated, even if not always sexy (this one is not all that sexy). But to break it down, the big piece in the deal from where I sit is Scott Alexander, a lesser-known lefty reliever that was connected to the Cubs at the Winter Meetings, and over whom we did some fawning:
The 28-year-old lefty broke out as a reliever for the Royals in 2017, posting a nice 2.48 ERA over 69.0 innings, though the 20.9% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate are relatively mediocre. How’d he do it? With the 11th best soft contact rate among all relievers, and the BEST groundball rate – an obscene 73.8%. *WANT*
And now the Dodgers have him for the next five years of cost control. Grumble.
The Dodgers also get 24-year-old infield prospect Jake Peter, who was a no-power guy until a sudden breakout for a half-season at AAA this past year in the White Sox system. On first glance, he does not look like a significant prospect, but definitely a non-zero inclusion.
So, what did the Dodgers give up to get all of that? Well, the good news as far as your primary concern may go (did the Dodgers just save money under the luxury tax cap so that they can spend big on Yu Darvish?), is that the deal appears to be cash neutral for them:
#WhiteSox getting $2M from #Dodgers and $1M from #Royals in three-team trade, sources tell The Athletic. Deal essentially cash-neutral for LAD; @MLBTradeRumors projects Avilan to earn $2.3M in arbitration. KC saving $9M of Soria’s remaining $10M obligation.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 5, 2018
There’s your obvious reason for the Royals making the deal – money saved to be deployed elsewhere, perhaps in their quest to retain Eric Hosmer. They also get Oaks and Mejia, who are, like Peter, non-zero AAA-level prospects who might be useful, but not guys you’d know.
The White Sox? Well, they get a couple good short-term relievers they can shop around, or pocket until the trade deadline. They only used cash and Peter, so they were kinda something of an intermediary in this deal to make it work between the Royals and Dodgers.
Like I said: complicated, but not terribly sexy. I love this deal for the Dodgers, though, and I do not love that I love it.
At least it’s something to talk about beyond the latest from the rumor mill or next week’s arbitration figures. Which, don’t get me wrong, there’s good stuff in there. But *actual* moves … I’m ready for them. Lots of them. It’s time.