After surprisingly relying on Chase Utley as the everyday second baseman, the position is among the significant voids the Los Angeles Dodgers must address this offseason. Utley is currently a free agent, and the plausible option to plug in at second base — Howie Kendrick — was traded.
Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi mentioned Kiké Hernandez and Chris Taylor as internal options the club may turn to. However, Los Angeles has also been linked to multiple second basemen outside the organization.
The Dodgers reportedly view Ian Kinsler as a good fit for their roster, but his no-trade clause and desire for a contract extension seemingly make a trade unlikely.
Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier and Tampa Bay Rays utility man Logan Forsythe are also said to be players of interest.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports, the Dodgers have remained aggressive in their pursuit of Dozier:
The LA #Dodgers are the most aggressive team in trade talks with the #Twins for 2B Brian Dozier, and have now piqued Minnesota's interest.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 4, 2016
Coming off an All-Star season, the 29-year-old built on that to enjoy a breakout campaign in 2016, batting .268/.340/.546 with 35 doubles, 42 home runs, 99 RBI, a 136 OPS+, .370 wOBA and 132 wRC+ in 155 games.
Further making Dozier an attractive option for the Dodgers is his team-friendly contract — owed $15 million over the next two seasons, and the fact that Dozier hit .282/.352/.613 with 11 home runs and 21 RBI in 159 plate appearances against left-handers this season.
As for the defensive side, Dozier was middle-of-the-pack among qualified second baseman. He fnished the season with a 0.2 UZR/150, though accumulated a 6.5 WAR, in large part because of his offensive production.
