If the Los Angeles Dodgers are able to land Byron Buxton, it’s hard to even imagine what that reaction would look like from MLB fans. However, this trade proposal was brought up in a recent article by Tim Keown of ESPN, and today we’ll be dissecting it.
In that, Keown gave his proposal for this collab article on ESPN that has the Minnesota Twins sending away Buxton to Los Angeles.
Keown wrote, “Enough is never enough for the Dodgers, so this offseason’s installment of making sure they have too much is the acquisition of the best available player at the position they may actually believe they need to upgrade. Move Andy Pages to left, slot Buxton into the top half of the lineup and go for three in a row”.
We’ll dive into this trade possibility a bit more in-depth below, but Keown hit the nail on the head. It’s not a need for the Dodgers by any means, but instead it’s a scenario where the rich just want to get even richer.
More MLB Content From TWSN:
Top 5 World Series Game 7s of All Time
Minnesota Twins Trading Byron Buxton to the Los Angeles Dodgers
Now the mock trade doesn’t give an exact trade scenario, but it would have to be a hefty package. Despite the fact that Buxton isn’t super young, he’s still 31 years old.
More importantly, Buxton is one of the best players in baseball. For this deal to make sense for the Twins, they’re going to need a combination of youth and prospects.
One player that would need to be in the deal is Josue De Paula, the 13th-ranked overall player on MLB.com, and conveniently, he’s also an outfielder. Then add in Zyhir Hope, the 20th-ranked player who’s also an outfielder, and you’re already super close if not already there.
If the Dodgers threw in shortstop/third baseman Alex Freeland, this deal should get done. Freeland is the 45th-ranked overall prospect.
Now, does this deal even make sense for the Twins? The answer to that should actually be yes. Baseball is a team game, and a number of good players is more valuable than just one really good player on a bad roster.
It doesn’t matter how good your star player is if the rest of your roster isn’t up to par. Look at prime Mike Trout for proof of this.
Does Byron Buxton Fit with the Los Angeles Dodgers?
As for the Dodgers, this would just be throwing gas on the fire. They’re sacrificing youth for a player who can help them win right now when their World Series window is clearly open.
You could argue that the Dodgers don’t need anymore help, but why wouldn’t they want to fully commit to winning? Tommy Edman is the team’s projected starting center fielder (per Fangraphs), but Buxton would easily take that role.
Since Edman (30 years old) isn’t a bad player, the Dodgers could keep him as a rotational outfielder to replace Teoscar Hernández (33 years old) in a few years. Or they could get solid trade value for Edman.
Byron Buxton Contract
Right now, Buxton is on a seven-year, 100 million dollar deal that he signed with the Twins. That leaves him to become a free agent next in 2029.
One last important detail is that Buxton has a no-trade clause, but it’s hard to see him not wanting to leave the Twins if a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers is possible.
