According to LaVelle E. Neal, the time is fast approaching that they will make a deal for Brian Dozier, or will decide to keep him for the 2017 season. It sounds very much like the Dodgers have been the only serious contender, so Neal’s article seems like a message intended only for them, but perhaps also for all of us. Something will happen soon. Or it won’t.
One has to speculate that the Twins, if they are intent on trading him, as I am inclined to believe they are, that the Twins are tying desperately to expand the market for the All Star second baseman. Any other team rumored to be interested in Dozier, aside from the Dodgers, has quickly denied involvement in the rumors. This whole “final offer” thing smells either another ploy to extract more from the Dodgers, or the Twins getting tired of the conversation.
The Twins asking price likely wasn’t as high initially as Twins fans would have thought, but rose as the deals for Adam Eaton and Chris Sale came through. The Twins then asked for more, and the Dodgers haven’t moved. It’s possible that the Dodgers likely aren’t moving from their or offer based on the original valuation, in which case the two sides aren’t very close yet.
Or it’s possible that the Dodggers, recognizing their position, have never been enthusiastic about acquiring Dozier, and the offer has always been tepid. By the end of the week, it seems as though we will find out that the Dodgers were either negotiating in good faith, patiently waiting for the Twins to come around, or that Los Angeles was never really interested to begin with.
If the latter is the case, it will be a white knuckle ride through the first half of the season, hoping Dozier continues his hot streak, otherwise the offers going forward are going to be even more discouraging.
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