Hot Stove Digest: Twins and Dodgers at impasse for Brian Dozier
Welcome to The Stew’s Hot Stove Digest, our daily rundown of MLB news, rumors and gossip for Hot Stove season. Here you’ll find a quick recap of all the day’s action and other fun stuff from around the internet that we think is worth your time.
NOT HAPPENING: After what feels like months of negotiations, the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers have reached an impasse regarding a Brian Dozier trade. The 29-year-old has been on the trade block for months, and the Dodgers have been viewed as his most likely destination. As of right now, it doesn’t appear the two sides are going to agree on a deal. That doesn’t mean trade talks are completely dead, though. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports notes that talks could rekindle in the coming weeks. Dozier hit .268/.340/.546, with 42 home runs, over 691 plate appearances last season. [@Ken_Rosenthal]
NOW WHAT? With Dozier out of the picture, the Dodgers could turn their attention back to acquiring Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Logan Forsythe or Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler. If the price for those players proves to be too steep, the team could look at free-agent options. Most of the available free-agent second baseman, like Chase Utley and Dustin Ackley, are left-handed, however, and the Dodgers have a preference for a right-handed bat. [Fox Sports]
NOT LIKELY: The Baltimore Orioles don’t seem optimistic about resigning outfielder Mark Trumbo. Baltimore still has interest in bringing Trumbo back, but contract negotiations haven’t progressed. The 30-year-old Trumbo hit .256/.316/.533, with 47 home runs, over 667 plate appearances last year. [MASN Sports]
DRAWING INTEREST: The Twins have shown interest in Korean infielder Jae-gyun Hwang. The 29-year-old hit .335/.399/.570 in the Korean league last year, though offensive numbers are typically inflated in that environment. The San Francisco Giants, Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers have also looked into signing the infielder. [@MikeBerardino]
STILL AVAILABLE: At least four teams are interested in signing free-agent first baseman Chris Carter. The 30-year-old was designated for assignment by the Brewers earlier in the offseason. He hit .222/.321/.499, with 41 home runs, over 644 plate appearances last year. Though clubs are interested in Carter, they may wait until other options at the position are signed before pulling the trigger. [@ChrisCotillo]
HE’S GONE: The Dodgers have designated second baseman Micah Johnson for assignment. Johnson, 26, was acquired as part of the Todd Frazier trade last winter. He spent nearly all of 2016 in Triple-A, hitting .261/.321/.356 over 516 plate appearances. Johnson was DFA’d in order to make room for Kenley Jansen, whose signing was officially announced Tuesday. [@BillShaikin]
DONE DEAL: The Cincinnati Reds have signed reliever Louis Coleman to a minor-league deal. Coleman, 30, posted a 4.69 ERA over 48 innings with the Dodgers last year.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
