How 'bout that!
A rumor thrown against the wall actually turns out to be true. I guess a broken clock is right at least twice a day, eh?
The big news reported out of the Winter Meetings this afternoon is that the Dodgers have now supposedly secured a veteran to play shortstop. Confirmed through various sources online, but not yet ackowledged by the respective ballclubs, is that Philadelphia infielder Jimmy Rollins will now wear Blue.
In return, the Phillies are reported to have received two minor league pitching prospects, but at this time those names have yet to surface. Those details should be coming along soon.
Jimmy Rollins is a gamer, a winner and one of the best defensively at shortstop. He has won four Gold Gloves, has been an All-Star three times and is a former NL MVP. Today, at 36-years old, Rollins has started to show his age. Still, he remains one of the best at his position and retains much of the speed that allowed him to steal 453 bases over the past 15 seasons with the Phillies.
On a side note, Rollins will rejoin former base-stealing coach Davey Lopes in Los Angeles, so we may very well see a more active Rollins on the base paths. Also, in 2013 he ranked last in WAR, but rebounded nicely the following season with a 3.9 WAR - for 3rd best in the league.
As for how this deal fits for the Dodgers going forward, Rollins' contract provides the kind of stopgap the Dodgers have been searching for as they wait patiently for Corey Seager to be ready. He has just one year remaining on his contract that pays him $11Mil.
Overall, I gotta say that I like this deal very much. Rollins can provide the kind of leadership a disjointed clubhouse oftentimes needs, and he still has the skills on the field to be very useful to the club. Best yet, we aren't tied to him for an expanded period of time.
You can follow Jimmy Rollins on twitter (@JimmyRollins11) and instagram (jrollins11). He also has a facebook page that you can follow here.
In celebration of Rollins' arrival to the Dodgers I made the above two fantasy card for him; using both the 1971 and 1987 Topps Baseball card designs. The card on the right is probably my favorite. It's of a very young Rollins (provided through mlb.com).
Below are the career stats for Jimmy Rollins, via Baseball-Reference:
UPDATE: Reports are swirling that it's Zach Eflin (from the Padres trade) and Dodger 2nd round pick from the 2013 Draft Tom Windle for Jimmy Rollins.
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