As kids, we were often told by our elders that ‘Silence is Golden,’ a term usually said to us in an effort to shut us up. And while there is certainly virtue in this ages old saying, it doesn’t bode well with Dodger fans during the annual General Managers meetings, which kicked off this past week in Orlando, Florida.

Now granted, the GM meetings are not the Winter Meetings, which are held annually in December (this year in Boston) and where most deals are struck. But it is not uncommon for deals to also be made during the GM meetings, including an occasional blockbuster. That being said, things have been unusually quiet – at least publicly and well below baseball’s infamous rumor control radar – in the Dodgers’ camp thus far.

As expected, much of the talk (and rumors) coming out of Orlando this past week centered around Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton who, on Thursday, was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player; something that most definitely didn’t hurt his already ludicrous trade value. And while there is no disputing that the 28-year-old Southern California native and lifelong Dodger fan who slugged an MLB-best 59 home runs during the 2017 season deserved baseball’s most prestigious individual award, the simple truth is that it may have made Stanton’s  13-year / $325 million contract which runs through 2027 (with an option for 2028) now unmovable.

It hard to argue that 2017 NL MVP and So Cal native Giancarlo Stanton wouldn’t look great in a Dodgers uniform.
(Photo credit – Scott Cunningham)

But there is another name that has been on the trade-rumor radar this past week that absolutely positively does involve the Dodgers, that of 33-year-old / 11-year MLB veteran right-hander Brandon Morrow who, after his June 29 call-up to the Dodgers that secured his one-year / $1.25 million contract, was absolutely brilliant out of the Dodgers bullpen, often as the set-up man for Dodgers star closer Kenley Jansen. And even though the soft-spoken Santa Rosa, California native said as recently as last Thursday that he would love to remain with the World Series runner-up Dodgers, he also said that he plans to test the free agent market.

“Things are still quiet, but obviously you’d love to go back to the place where you had success and the Dodgers are set to be good for a long time,” Morrow said, during an MLB Network Radio interview last week. “That’s obviously very attractive, to be with a team that’s going to compete. I think that’s very high on my list at 33 years old. And to get back to the playoffs and getting so close to try and win one, I think that’s probably going to be the leading factor in my decision, to play with teams with a chance.”

When Morrow was signed to a one-year minor league contract by the Dodgers last winter, it came with an invitation to major league spring training camp. Not only did he later make the team, he went on to post a remarkable 6-0 record and 2.06 ERA in the 45 games in which he appeared with the Dodgers.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

You would think that such a statement by Morrow would make Dodger fans giddy, the fact that he openly said that he would ‘love to go back to the place where [he] had success.’ The problem is there have been rumors out of Orlando – almost daily – that several other MLB teams are at least kicking the tires on Brandon Morrow, none more disturbing to Dodger fans than the fact that the San Francisco Giants are rumored to be one of them, along with the Mets, Cubs and Red Sox, among others.

But even though Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi and Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman have employed that ‘Silence is Golden’ thing thus far, there is every reason to believe that the two Dodgers executives simply told Morrow (through his agent Wasserman Media) to go out and shop around for the best offer and then come back to them to at least give them an opportunity to meet or beat that best offer.

If this is indeed the case, do not expect anything to happen before next month’s Winter Meetings in Beantown.

The Hot Stove has officially been lit.

Although Golden, sometimes Silence can be brutally painful … especially during baseball’s Hot Stove season.