SAN DIEGO – Jimmy Rollins would not waive his no-trade clause for either shortstop-desperate New York club. He was willing to do it, though, to play on the opposite coast.
The veteran Phillies shortstop was on the verge of being traded to the Dodgers on Wednesday, a source confirmed to the The Post. A few details remained before the deal could be finalized, a source said.
Last month, an official who had spoken to the Phillies said Rollins did not want to waive his no-trade clause for any club because he was hoping to play his whole career with Philadelphia. Perhaps the thought of contention in Los Angeles vs. likely non-contention in Philly won out. Or the reality that his contract expires after the 2015 campaign and that the rebuilding Phillies might not want him back in 2016. Thus, he would want to avoid looking as if he were kicked out rather than do something on his terms.
Rollins is a pretty ideal fit for the Dodgers. He has one year left at $11 million, has proven he can play under stressful situations and remained a strong player last year with good defense to go along with 17 homers and 28 steals.
In Corey Seager, the Dodgers have arguably the best shortstop prospect in the game. But he doesn’t even turn 21 until April and – as wonderfully as he played at Double-A and in the Arizona Fall League – Seager might not be ready. Rollins could provide a bridge year in 2015 to Seager in 2016.
This may be the first in a series of Phillies deal. They have talked a lot about rebuilding and moving their pricey veterans, but have been viewed within the industry as asking for too high a price on their players. In Cole Hamels and Marlon Byrd, Philadelphia has two other attractive commodities to deal. The player they would like to move the most, Ryan Howard, might be near impossible unless they eat almost all of the two years at $60 million the fading first baseman is owed.
The Braves continue to listen with an open mind about trading Justin Upton and Evan Gattis. They are valuing pitching and second base and talking to the Giants, Royals, Padres and Rangers on both, and the Mariners just on Upton.
There has been a lot of interest in Mets righty Dillon Gee, including by the Twins, who also are intrigued by Bartolo Colon. However, the sides do not see a match. Minnesota is willing to move shortstop Eduardo Escobar, but the Mets were not interested.
Jon Lester is going to the National League. Is that an issue? He is 0-for-36 in his career as a hitter. Perhaps more important, he did not attempt a single pickoff throw to first base last year and is known as someone who does not like to throw to bases.
Lester has learned to vary his hold times and his step-offs to try to limit stolen-base attempts. But the Royals ran heavily and effectively on him in their wild-card win over the A’s. In addition, as a counteraction to the preponderance of shifts, more and more teams may try to bunt when the third baseman plays toward shortstop. That would force the pitcher to have to field the ball more frequently and throw to first base.
As a sign that their farm system is considerably better, the Mets anticipate losing players in Thursday’s Rule 5 draft. One very likely to be lost is righty Logan Verrett, who was 11-5 with a 4.33 ERA last year at Triple-A.
Verrett pitches at 90-92 mph – he can touch 94 – has a good slider, fine control and is considered a good athlete. Those who like him see Verrett as either a back-end starter or someone whose stuff would play in the pen as a setup man.
As executives from other teams continue to wonder if the Nationals will move a significant starter such as Jordan Zimmermann or Doug Fister, they have let teams know a trio of relievers — Tyler Clippard and lefties Jerry Blevins and Ross Detwiler — are available. Detwiler could be of particular interest because some teams may continue to value him as a starter. Washington would like to add a second baseman.