Should the Minnesota Twins Trade Brian Dozier?
I threw out a question the other day on Twitter asking if the Minnesota Twins should look into trading Brian Dozier while he’s hot. I got several responses ranging from absolutely to not a chance. Bear with me and see if you agree that Trading Brian Dozier might be a good thing for the Twins.
Should the #Twins look into trading Brian Dozier while he’s hot? Bring up Jorge Polanco so he can play the rest of the season in #TheSHOW?
— Robb Dahlen (@TwinsTakes_com) July 6, 2016
The Minnesota Twins are in a spot where they should think about improving this team in any way possible. They have prospects that are ready or very close to ready for a shot at significant playing time on the Twins roster.
One of them is Jorge Polanco and he’s been playing 2nd base for basically the entire time he’s been with the AAA club this season, 48 out of 49 games. The other game he started at SS and he had an error in that game. He has 5 errors at 2nd base this season.
He’s better defensively at 2nd base than he is at SS but that can probably be said about most shortstops since 2nd baseman are closer to 1st and they usually have more time to make a shorter throw to 1st than a SS does.
Brian Dozier was once the SS of the future for the Twins not that long ago. He couldn’t handle the position defensively so he was moved to 2nd base and he became a great player. He just had a historic stretch in June where he had an extra-base hit in 11 straight games to set a franchise record for the Minnesota Twins.
In 27 games during the month of June, he hit .369/.435/.728 going 38-for-103 (115 PAs) with 19 of those hits going for extra bases (9 doubles, 2 triples and 8 HRs) with 19 runs scored, 3 stolen bases, 11 walks and 14 strikeouts. He was also hit by a pitch. He has started to hit the ball the other way, too.
There’s other reasons the Twins might want to try to trade #2…uhhh…too. He’s 29. He’s struggled in the 2nd half of the last two seasons. Some of that is likely due to injuries. I guess the big question is, should the Twins be trying to build around a 29-year old 2nd baseman?
That’s not the only question, though. Add in the way the Twins have played for the majority of this season. Their record has eliminated them from making anything out of this season. Doesn’t that mean they should see if the prospects are ready to make the jump?
Brian Dozier should have a lot of trade value right now because of the way he hit the ball in June. The Twins could take advantage of that and try to help a weakness, presumably pitching since that is obviously their biggest problem right now. But, of course, you try to get any kind of great prospect in a trade. The Twins have needs at other spots, too. Catcher and shortstop are certainly areas they could use a high-end prospect in, especially someone who’s almost ready.
The Other Side of the Argument
You know, the side that says the Minnesota Twins should not trade Brian Dozier and build the team around him. I get that side, too. He’s a top of the order bat with power who can steal bases, play above average defense and is one of the best baserunners in the league. He’s only 29 years old in only his 5th season in the Major Leagues and he’s on a team friendly contract for the next two seasons. He’s also becoming a leader on this team, is a great teammate and is great for the organization on & off the field.
Also, there’s the argument that the Twins need some veterans on this team. You can’t just go 100% youth movement. Sometimes that youth doesn’t work out or it takes a little longer for them to adjust to the major leagues. So, you’d have a veteran at 2nd base with Dozier, a veteran at 1st base with Mauer, an available veteran at 3rd with Plouffe (if he’s not traded) and a veteran at SS in either Nunez or Escobar.
If you take Dozier out of that mix, does it make a huge difference? It’s hard to say without actually seeing it happen and, obviously, without knowing what other moves the Twins could make in the next few weeks. If they move Trevor Plouffe, Eduardo Nunez, Kurt Suzuki, Ervin Santana and Ricky Nolasco, that leaves a very young team.
The oldest infielder would be Joe Mauer. The oldest outfielder would be Robbie Grossman. The catcher would be Juan Centeno or John Ryan Murphy. The oldest starting pitcher would be Phil Hughes then Kyle Gibson. The oldest relief pitcher would be Glen Perkins (if healthy) then Brandon Kintzler.
Now if you trade all of those guys but don’t trade Brian Dozier, you still have a veteran leader in the infield for the next two seasons.
The Bottom Line
For me, it all comes down to if the Minnesota Twins can be competitive in the next two seasons, with or without Brian Dozier on the team. A bad 2016 makes it appear difficult to compete in 2017 but a good finish in the next 75 games could make that change. 2018 seems possible but, by that time, you would also think Jorge Polanco has shown if he can be a starter for this team. Also, prospects you get in trades could play into 2018.
My opinion is trade anyone and everyone except Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Trevor May, Tyler Duffey and Jose Berrios. The Twins should be Open for Business, listening to any and every offer presented to them as they’ve said they are.
What are your TwinsTakes on the Minnesota Twins Trading Brian Dozier?
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