Barring the addition of one of the star-level bats remaining in free agency (think Carlos Correa, Kris Bryant, Freddie Freeman), the Dodgers could still make a play for a veteran utility man, who wouldn’t have to play every day, but could capably pinch-hit and fill-in at multiple positions around the diamond. Turner to age gracefully into a bat-only role. Assuming there will be a designated hitter in the National League, the Dodgers could add a third baseman while allowing J. Matt Beaty and Zach McKinstry are bench options on the Major League roster, while Cody Bellinger and Mookie Betts give manager Dave Roberts extended flexibility because of their ability and willingness to move to the dirt on occasion.Īll that said, there’s still room for another bat. With Taylor back in the fold for a reasonable $15M per, the Dodgers can feel relatively stable with their infield group. The health and age questions surrounding this group made the re-signing of Chris Taylor all the more crucial. For now, Trea Turner, Lux, Justin Turner, and Max Muncy make up a star-studded, if injury-prone starting infield. We could see a similar saga play itself out next winter, as the Dodgers could turn to Gavin Lux and/or Jacob Amaya rather than commit to a mega-contract for Turner.īut that’s tomorrow’s problem. President of Baseball Ops Andrew Friedman values flexibility in his roster construction, and that’s evident in his handling of Seager. Seager seemed destined to walk after the acquisition of Trea Turner at the trade deadline, though without him they’ll be pressured to pony up for the speedy ex-National, who is a free agent after next season. That said, by the time the playoffs rolled around, his year was done.īottom line: there are significant losses represented on that list, most notably thus far, Seager, Scherzer, and to a lesser extent, Knebel. That places him third on the team in innings, so he did his par. Kershaw did his part, contributing 22 starts with a solid, if not Kershawian 3.55 ERA/3.00 FIP across 121 2/3 innings. It’s also somewhat misleading, as Pujols, Kershaw, Duffy, Hamels, et al, aren’t exactly in their prime, nor were they inner circle contributors to the club in 2021. The career talent present on the Dodgers’ list of departing free agents is somewhat remarkable. Walker Buehler, SP: $4.25M (arb eligible again in 20).Daniel Hudson, RP: $7M (includes $1M buyout on $6.5M team option for 2023). Blake Treinen, RP: $9.5M (includes $1.5M buyout on $8M team option for 2023).AJ Pollock, OF: $13M (with a $10M player options for 2023).Chris Taylor, IF/OF: $60M through 2025 (includes $4M buyout for $12M team option for 2026).Justin Turner, 3B: $22M through 2022 (includes $2M buyout on $16M mutual option for 2023).Mookie Betts, OF: $337.5M through 2032 (including $120M in deferred payments from 2032 to 2044).The Dodgers were once again a tier-one baseball club in 2021, but their streak of eight consecutive division titles came to an end, and their efforts to repeat were quashed in the NLCS.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |