Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and MLB Network wrote Thursday that Washington Nationals infielder Wilmer Difo could be a trade target for the Dodgers
Heading into the offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been trying to find a second baseman and have been linked to Twins second baseman Brian Dozier in trade rumors. With the Dozier talks stalling, could the Washington Nationals help the Dodgers? Thursday night, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and MLB Network wrote that Wilmer Difo could be a fit for Los Angeles. Here’s more from Rosenthal:
"“Two other switch-hitting second basemen — the Phillies’ Cesar Hernandez and Nationals’ Wilmer Difo -– would be potential fits, but it is not confirmed that they actually are on the Dodgers’ radar."
Difo is under team control until after the 2022 season, so it would probably take a lot for the Washington Nationals to trade him away, especially to a team that beat them a season ago in the NLDS. In addition, the Dodgers are once again one of the contenders in the National League along with the Nats.
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However, Difo would help the Dodgers. Last season, Los Angeles had the worst batting average of any team in baseball against left-handed pitching (.214). While Difo has only a .227 average at the major league levels against lefties (courtesy of Baseball Reference), it is only a 14 game sample size. Last season, he did hit .274 against lefties when he was at double-A Harrisburg.
Right now, Difo is a necessity for the Washington Nationals as a utility player after they dealt Danny Espinosa to the Los Angeles Angels in December. He has the ability to play second base, third base, or shortstop. If the Washington Nationals were to sign a free agent like Stephen Drew, would that pave the way for a Difo trade?
When the Washington Nationals made the Adam Eaton deal with the Chicago White Sox, they got rid of three of their best pitching prospects. If there was one positive to making any deal with the Dodgers, it’s the fact that Los Angeles has one of the best farm systems in baseball to go with the highest payroll in baseball.
True, the Washington Nationals wouldn’t be able to get a prospect like infielder Cody Bellinger or pitcher Jose De Leon, but a trade with LA could add more bats into the farm system or the Nats could make a deal for a Major League player that helps them fill a need.
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In the end, I do think the Dodgers will find their second baseman in a trade, but it won’t be for Difo. With that being said, it’s interesting to think about the possibility of these two contenders making a deal with each other. Plus, something to keep in mind, the Nats have made three trades with the Dodgers since 2013.