Los Angeles Dodgers: One player that is destined to be traded this winter

The Los Angeles Dodgers have not done anything significant this offseason yet, but it is likely that there are some signings and trades on the horizon.

The Los Angeles Dodgers may not have made the biggest signing in any of the last few offseasons but the team has still been active during the winter. Last winter alone the Dodgers brought in two new players, Joe Kelly and A.J. Pollock and were part of a huge deal with the Cincinnati Reds that shed money and netted the Dodgers two great prospects in return.

Even if the Dodgers do not land the marquee superstars this winter the team is going to make some sort of trade or signing. There is no way that a team that has always been so progressively thinking completely stands pat during the offseason.

With that in mind, many are attempting to predict who is going to be dealt from the Dodgers this winter. Kenta Maeda is the frontrunner as he has already reportedly discussed a trade with the Dodgers as he is unhappy with his role as a part-time starter, part-time reliever.

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Other guys in the starting rotation such as Ross Stripling or Tony Gonsolin can be used as trade bait for teams that need pitching as long as the return is right.

Heck, a lot of people thought and argued for Corey Seager being traded this winter, which is just as ridiculous as it is unfair to Seager, who was an MVP finalist not too long ago.

One name that has not been mentioned that often this offseason is Edwin Rios, who is stuck in-between this season and because of that, will more than likely be used as some sort of trade bait this winter.

When he was still in the minor leagues, Rios was a constant presence on the Dodgers’ top 30 list. While he never reached elite prospect status, he was always someone with pop in his bat that could make some noise at the big-league level.

In 2018 he hit .304 with 25 doubles, 10 home runs and 55 RBIs in 88 games with the Oklahoma City Dodgers. He continued that in 2019 with even more pop, hitting 31 home runs with 91 RBIs in 104 games at the big-league level.

Rios appeared in 28 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in which he hit .277 with four home runs and eight RBIs. The big knock about Rios, at the plate, is that he strikes out too often. He struck out in 38.9 percent of his at-bats in OKC this season and 44.7 percent in his short stint with the Dodgers.

However, he is still a promising, young, left-handed power bat that can play either corner infield position. That is an extremely valuable piece for any team to have, but the problem with Rios in LA is that the team simply does not need him.

Matt Beaty has emerged as the corner infield/corner outfield guy for the Dodgers that can come off the bench and provide some left-handed pop. Beaty excelled in his bench role with the Dodgers in 2019 and that will earn him the same job in 2020.

In fact, the infield as a whole is crowded and might be getting even more crowded if the team decides to bring in Anthony Rendon or Josh Donaldson. And even if they don’t bring in Rendon or Donaldson, the Dodgers would benefit more from a right-handed-hitting corner infield bat to replace David Freese, not a left-handed bat.

Instead of simply stashing Rios in AAA and using him as a depth piece whenever someone gets hurt, the Dodgers could benefit more from including him in trade talks. Perhaps the Dodgers could package him alongside Maeda for a great reliever, someone such as Trevor May on the Minnesota Twins comes to mind.

If the Los Angeles Dodgers don’t trade Rios then he will be the guy that we tout as a sleeper heading into the season. However, while I personally love Rios’ game, I highly doubt he is wearing Dodger blue in 2020.