3 Deals Farhan Zaidi Needs to Be Chasing at the Winter Meetings

The winter meetings are the offseason’s premier gathering ground for front office executives, agents and other assorted members of the baseball community. For that reason, it is the breeding ground for many eventual transactions, and there’s no particular reason the Los Angeles Dodgers should be any exception.

Despite a bloated payroll ($202 million), the Dodgers roster is not as loaded as it has been in recent years. The departure of Hanley Ramirez and the continued employment of nearly every member of the 2014 bullpen not named Kenley Jansen means that there are still some serious holes to fill.

With that being said, options abound for new general manager Farhan Zaidi. Three aces headline the market—and a team can never have too much pitching—and veteran shortstops appear to be available in a trade. The following recommendations are what I believe to be both the Dodgers’ top priorities and most feasible route.

1. Signing Jon Lester

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On the surface, the rotation does not appear to be the team’s most pressing need. After all, this is the organization that employs reigning NL MVP Clayton Kershaw and two other starters with 2014 FIPs below 3.00 in Zack Greinke and Hyun-jin Ryu. However, Lester would provide additional depth to a team that started Kevin Correia and Fausto Carmona for 12 games last season.

A recent report from WEEI's Rob Bradford and Alex Speier (h/t Yahoo Sports' Mike Oz) has linked the Dodgers with Lester, so he appears more likely to be in L.A. next year than either Max Scherzer or James Shields.

The lefty is obviously a great pitcher who would be an excellent addition to the Dodgers staff this year, but he also provides an insurance policy in case Greinke decides to opt out.

2. Trading for Jimmy Rollins

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This route is more dependent on Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. than it is on any Zaidi decision. With Hanley Ramirez now in Boston and Corey Seager expected in the majors soon, the Dodgers do not need a long-term solution. Thus, Jimmy Rollins is an option.

Rollins will not be around past this year; his contract is up after 2015. And while he is no longer the MVP candidate he was several years ago, he is still a worthwhile big-league shortstop. In 2013, he posted a wRC+ of 102 (with 100 being league-average)—and that was not out of the norm, either, as his 103 mark in 2011 and 101 mark in 2012 indicate. 

He would be an excellent option to bridge the gap between the departed Ramirez and Seager.

However, his availability is not guaranteed. Over the past couple years, the Phillies have chosen not to trade valuable-but-aging players such as Chase Utley and Cliff Lee, and they could choose to make the same decision with regards to Rollins. But if Rollins is available and Zaidi deems the price to be right, the two teams seem to be a match.

3. Trading for Alexei Ramirez

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Ramirez is less likely to be traded than Rollins because the White Sox have been aggressively adding veterans. With the recent signings of Adam LaRoche and Zach Duke, Chicago does not appear to be in the process of tearing down—which makes it unlikely that it would move their starting shortstop.

However, Ramirez is 33 years old, and he has one year left on his contract (plus a $10 million option). So given those facts, it wouldn’t be entirely shocking if the White Sox decided to move him; after all, he’s affordable enough for other teams that he has some trade value.

If the Dodgers were able to pursue Ramirez, they would get a valuable, but inconsistent, player. FanGraphs rates him as a positive defender each year since 2009, but his bat has seen some wild swings in value. He’s a below-average hitter (career wRC+ of 91), but as long as he isn’t atrocious, he is an above-average player overall.

Note: Advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs.