The Dodgers have been looking for a shortstop to replace Hanley Ramirez, and they have now found one in Jimmy Rollins. ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that Los Angeles pried Rollins away from the only organization he's ever known, the Phillies, on Wednesday at the winter meetings. No return has been announced for the Phillies yet, though, they were seeking young pitching according to Ken Rosenthal. It might also be a three-team deal, per Rosenthal.
Phillies trade Jimmy Rollins to Dodgers, per reports
The career-long Phillies shortstop is headed out west to fill a 2015 vacancy in Los Angeles.
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Rollins still played quality defense in 2014, even though he was a 35-year-old shortstop, and his bat revived enough to produce his best season since 2011. Rollins hit .243/.323/.394, which doesn’t sound like all that much, but was around the league-average and 11 percent better than your average shortstop at the plate. Offense is down, and shortstops are bad: Rollins was better than good enough, and sometimes that’s all you can ask for out of short.
The Dodgers lost Ramirez to the Red Sox on a long-term deal, but didn't want a long-term replacement, as they have prospect Corey Seager waiting in the wings. Seager now has a veteran the Dodgers can likely rely on in front of him for a year, and then, when Rollins is eligible for free agency after 2015, Seager can take over so long as his development has gone as planned. Rollins will earn $11 million in 2015, which in Dodgers speak translates to "pocket change."
The Phillies have their own shortstop prospect to look forward to in 2016 in J.P. Crawford. As they’re likely rebuilding, who ends up at short isn’t as big of a deal as it was for the Dodgers, but moving Rollins likely means Freddy Galvis gets a chance to stick for a year. You might remember Galvis as the guy manager Ryne Sandberg was threatening to play over Rollins last spring.
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