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Now That Brian Dozier Is Good Again, How Should The Twins Handle Him?

During the Minnesota Twins’ defeat of the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night, Brian Dozier extended his hitting streak to seven games.

Since his incredible 17-game hit streak to start the season, this is the best Dozier has hit all season. He has also hit three homers, drawn three walks, and scored six runs over the streak. Fittingly, Dozier’s success has coincided (caused?) the Twins’ best week of baseball of the whole season.

Dozier’s rise has coincided with something else: trade rumors. This week it was announced that both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers have expressed interest in Dozier’s services. Dozier was destined to be a trade target no matter how well he was hitting at this point in the season, but living up to his expected second-half success is going to make him more desirable to other teams.

Heading into the season, it already seemed likely that the Twins would trade Dozier, given that they refused to discuss a new contract over the winter, but it now seems likelier. With the Twins still out of playoff contention (though just 7.5 games behind Cleveland heading into Friday!) the front office probably feels they need to be sellers.

The fans mostly disagree, especially in Dozier’s case, but that won’t do much to change the team’s mind.

If Dozier was going to be traded regardless of his success, (keeping in mind that this is all still based in rumors) it’s better that he’s playing well. It will make it harder to see him leave when dreams of what he could do for the team over the next two and a half months are still very visible, but it will also net at least a somewhat bigger return.

Because the front office is surely aware of that, they really should milk Dozier’s value for all it is worth. If the Dodgers and the Brewers remain the two biggest suitors, the Twins have a great setup. Both of those teams are in close races for the National League playoffs. If the Twins can play those two teams against each other to raise the price, everyone will be happier.

Opposing teams are trading for a player like Dozier to hopefully win a few extra games over the course of this season to tip the scales that get them into the postseason.

It seems likely that a player of Dozier’s caliber, with only a few months left on his contract, could net something like one good pitching prospect, and one lower prospect. But maybe the Twins, who, it should be mentioned again, are still close to playoff contention, could land some major league-ready talent for Dozier. Fans would be a lot less disappointed if the bullpen and/or the lineup improved immediately.

Or, the front office could listen to the fans. The whole point of making a worthwhile trade for Dozier is to make the team better. But if Dozier keeps improving these next few months, that’s the team improving right there. Even if they choose not to re-sign him come season’s end, they’ll still be giving the team a chance to make something of this year.

The obvious downside with this strategy is that the team, should they lose him over the winter, would get very little in return for not having the franchise’s best player of the past five years.

But maybe that’s just fine. The Twins would likely get a compensation draft pick. Nick Gordon, one of the Twins’ top prospects, is almost ready for the majors. The hole Dozier’s departure would create would be filled quickly, possibly with no ill effect on the team.

Or, the Twins could just keep Dozier and re-sign him this winter. We could pretend like none of this long-running Dozier-to-the-Dodgers nonsense ever happened. He seems to have a lot left in the tank, and the Twins will be equally close to contention next year. Dozier’s presence would certainly help that cause.

In the end, it’s up to the Twins’ front office to decide, but a few things are for certain. Brian Dozier is currently on the Twins. He is starting to hit the ball really well. The Twins are playing well. Brian Dozier continuing to hit the ball well in a Twins uniform will help the Twins continue to play well.

Charlie Gillmer

Charlie Gillmer is a lifelong Twins fan who spends most nights dreaming of learning a knuckleball and pitching them to a World Series victory.

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