Earlier this week I tweeted out that the asking price for two of the best left-handed relief pitchers in the game had reached exorbitant levels, and that I wouldn't be surprised if the Los Angeles Dodgers turned their attention to Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Felipe Rivero.
I'm told asking price for Brad Hand & Zach Britton is too high right now. Wouldn't be surprised if #Dodgers land #Pirates LHP Felipe Rivero— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) July 21, 2017
Naturally, this did surprise the fans in Pittsburgh who stubbornly believe that Rivero is the greatest closer in the game, and could fathom no possible future, in any universe, that he would play for anybody else.
Sorry Bucs fans, you're wrong.
Rivero was acquired from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline last season in exchange for former Pirates closer Mark Melancon.
In less than a year, Rivero has ascended from a lefty specialist, to one of the best relief pitchers in the game.
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But before we delve deep into Rivero, let's first rewind so that all fans of baseball can understand how we got here.
The Dodgers have the best record in baseball and are the betting favorite to win the World Series this year.
With the trade deadline less than 10 days away, the Dodgers front office is searching for an elite left-handed relief pitcher that they can partner with closer Kenley Jansen to formulate an eighth and ninth inning one-two punch that hasn't been seen since the 2014 and 2015 Kansas City Royals.
Mark Feinstand of MLB.com was one of the first to list the three top left-handed relievers that the Dodgers were "looking hard" at.
Source: Dodgers are "looking hard" at the lefty reliever market. Justin Wilson, Zach Britton, Brad Hand all on their radar.— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 20, 2017
According to my sources, and as already been reported by ESPN, and Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports and other outlets, the Dodgers have inquired about Britton and Hand.
Britton is one of the best closers in baseball over the past three seasons, and has 120 saves since 2014 with an ERA of 1.38 to go along with 215 strikeouts and 55 walks.
The Orioles left-hander was 47-for-47 in save opportunities last year and finished with a 0.54 ERA.
However, Britton has been on the disabled list with a forearm injury and has pitched in only 12 games. Britton is under contract for the 2018 season at a hefty price tag of $11.4 million.
Reportedly, the Orioles are asking for at least three prospects from the Dodgers in return for Britton with Alex Verdugo, Yadier Alvarez, and/or Willie Calhoun among the names at the top of the list.
The Dodgers are cautious to send three of their trop prospects to Baltimore for a pitcher who just cameoff the disabled list, and since his return has a 5.14 ERA with four runs allowed on 10 hits in just seven innings pitched.
As they turn the tires on Britton, the Dodgers attention shifted to San Diego left-hander Brad Hand, who was named an All-Star this season and has an ERA of 2.30 with 60 strikeouts and a 1.00 WHIP in 47 innings with the Padres this season.
Hand is just 27 years old, and finally seems to be coming into his own as a relief pitcher after he struggled in 2014 and 2015 with the Miami Marlins.
Once again, sources confirmed that Padres' General Manager, A.J. Preller, told the Dodgers front office that the asking price for Hand starts with Alex Verdugo and would require more prospects on top of that.
At one point, the price for Hand got so high, that an anonymous executive told Yahoo's Jeff Passan, that Preller wanted more for Hand than the Dodgers would ask an opposing team in a hypothetical trade for Clayton Kershaw.
Anon exec to @JeffPassan: “I don’t think the Dodgers would ask more for Kershaw than A.J. is for Brad Hand.” https://t.co/K4sL4wwm1H— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) July 21, 2017
That brings us to my tweet, and the reason why I was trending in Pittsburgh for most of Friday.
Michael J. Duarte, @michaeljduarte is now trending in #Pittsburghhttps://t.co/2PqWv20pk3 pic.twitter.com/ltTUCk7V3b— Trendsmap Pittsburgh (@TrendsPGH) July 21, 2017
League executives, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, have told me that if it's going to cost Los Angeles Alex Verdugo and at least two more top prospects for an elite left-handed reliever, that they wouldn't be surprised if Dodgers' President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman, goes after Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Felipe Rivero.
For those that aren't familiar with Friedman, he's a baseball analytics genius with tremendous foresight and creativity when it comes to transactions. Unlike most executives in baseball, Friedman is always thinking two, three, and four moves ahead. He's constantly thinking big.
In 2015, Friedman famously traded for a left-handed starter on the Atlanta Braves by the name of Alex Wood, in addition to Luis Avilan, and closer Jim Johnson for Hector Olivera, Paco Rodriguez, a prospect, and a draft pick.
At the time, the Dodgers needed a top of the rotation starter who could slot behind Kershaw and Zack Greinke in the playoffs. Wood was not that guy, but Friedman saw something in him that he liked, plus the fact that he was relatively cheap, and under team control until 2020.
Flash forward to Friday, where before his first loss of the season to the Braves, Wood was a perfect 11-0 on the year with a 1.56 ERA and being named to his first ever All-Star Game last week.
If that wasn't example enough, before the 2016 season, Friedman traded three prospects to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Todd Frazier, and then immediately sent Frazier to the White Sox for four prospects including Frankie Montas, and Trayce Thompson.
When asked why he didn't simply keep Frazier, Friedman told reporters he already had an everyday third baseman in Justin Turner, a baseball journeyman who had been previously waived by the Orioles and released by the New York Mets.
Turner was also named an All-Star for the first time and is leading the Majors with a .371 batting average.
Thinking ahead, Friedman would later trade Montas and Jharel Cotton at the deadline to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Rich Hill and Josh Reddick.
The point of all this is that Friedman understands that prospects are extremely valuable and has the foresight to acquire them in exchange for players that could grow into stars (i.e. Chris Taylor, Wood, etc.)
Rivero is one of those guys. If the asking price for an elite left-handed arm is at least Alex Verdugo (53), Yadier Alvarez (26), and Willie Calhoun (86), then why not make the same offer, or throw in a fourth Baseball America Top 100 prospect like Walker Buehler (77), and go big for Rivero who has a 0.70 ERA, a 0.697 WHIP and is under team control until 2022?
Now here's where the fun begins. After my tweet stating as much, the backlash from Pirates' fans began as they foamed at the mouth like a rabid raccoon ready to bash me with cries of "blasphemy!'
Here are some of my favorite responses:
Are u on meth or crack ?— Leo Walter (@leogwalter) July 21, 2017
I'm told asking price for Brad Hand & Zach Britton is too high right now. Wouldn't be surprised if #Dodgers land #Pirates LHP Felipe Rivero— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) July 21, 2017
You. Are. On. Crack. Have a nice day.— Kris Anderson (@KrisAnderson18) July 21, 2017
it would take all of the Dodgers MLB stars and 100 million to even start talks. No way Rivero is leaving and someone is drunk to think so— Piratesfan24 (@piratesfan24) July 21, 2017
Apparently.. no clue how these people get the jobs they have— Ryan Homan (@RyHoman) July 21, 2017
I can't believe you cover baseball. Might be the dumbest thing I've ever read. lol— Jon Ryan (@jonmey14) July 21, 2017
I mean the vitriol from these fans alone would lead you to believe I suggested they trade Roberto Clemente, Honus Wagner, and Barry Bonds for a Broadway musical.
Now, I don't expect Pittsburgh sports fans to know anything about the Dodgers farm system, but trust me; it's good. If you've never heard the names of Verdugo, Calhoun, Alvarez, or Buehler, then I'm not surprised if you think, as one Twitter troll wrote to me, that Pirates' General Manager, Neal Huntington, would "hang up immediately" if asked if Rivero was available.
Unfortunately, that's not the case and as so many put it, Huntington would be "crazy" or "high" or "drunk," to not listen to an offer that would bring in a haul like that from the Dodgers.
Earlier this year, Cody Bellinger was No. 3 on Baseball America's Top 100 prospect list and he's now a National League MVP candidate in his rookie season. Two years ago, Corey Seager and Julio Urias topped the list.
To put those prospects in perspective, the Dodgers have five on the list, and each of them is expected to be a starter in the big leagues. The Pirates have three on the list.
For those in the Steel City that believe I magically manifested this trade scenario out of thin air, think again. In addition to myself and NBC LA, the Dodgers interest in Rivero has been reported and corroborated by Bleacher Report, as well as USA Today's Bob Nightengale who predicted:
Prediction: [Dodgers GM Andrew] Friedman goes massive, and acquires Pittsburgh Pirates left-handed stud Felipe Rivero for, yes, top outfield prospect Alex Verdugo, and perhaps expands the package by including Willie Calhoun and Yadier Alvarez, too. Verdugo could be a star, but Rivero is absolutely filthy, yielding a .088 batting average with only five hits in 17⅓ innings since his first save on June 10. He would provide the Dodgers with the nastiest right-left bullpen combination in baseball.
Looking ahead, I realize that this, like most news during the trade deadline, is mostly speculation, and during this time there are literally thousands of calls made by GMs across the league to gauge interest in players and prospects.
Does any of this mean with certainty that this or any other trade for that matter is going to happen? No, of course it doesn't. The purpose of the tweet and this article is mainly for discussion and speculation, and as I originally wrote, to "not be surprised," if it does happen.
In fact, the Pirates find themselves riding a recent six-game winning streak and are just two games out of first place in the NL Central. This recent surge could possibly throw a monkey wrench in all this.
After struggling in the first half, the Bucs are back to .500 and have Starling Marte back (although not for the postseason), and might end up being buyers at the deadline rather than sellers.
With that said, Friedman does not like to pay high costs at the trade deadline, and I for one do not want to see any of the team's top 100 prospects sent elsewhere for a team that is on pace to win over 110 games and win the division regardless of who they acquire at the deadline.
Friedman did most of his spending in the offseason, and if he is going to make a move, he would rather overpay for a guy like Rivero than for Britton or Hand.
If the Dodgers and Friedman do end up doing something at the trade deadline, don't be surprised if it's something big.
