Less than a week ago, an attempt was made to map out the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 25-man roster for Opening Day of the 2017 season. It was messy, complicated and crowded.
And then the Dodgers reportedly agreed to terms with former Seattle Mariners outfielder Franklin Gutierrez and re-signed Chase Utley, both of whom are sure-fire members of the 25-man roster. Just out of curiosity, someone has told Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman he only gets 25 players on Opening Day, right?
Gutierrez’s and Utley’s reported deals are one-year contracts, and they add some clarity to two situations that remained murky: the Dodgers’ outfield and infield.
And yet, somehow, while adding clarity, Friedman and Co. made matters even more unclear. Sure, now we know who the right-handed outfielder and one of the spare infielders will be.
But all that means is we have just as many question marks remaining with even less roster spots available. Heading into last season the Dodgers carried 13 position players and 12 pitchers.
As it stands with Gutierrez and Utley, we can pencil in 10 position players to the roster pretty confidently: Austin Barnes, Logan Forsythe, Adrian Gonzalez, Yasmani Grandal, Franklin Gutierrez, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Chase Utley.
For those counting, that’s two catchers, five infielders and three outfielders, which leaves two critical holes:
- A backup at shortstop and third base
- An outfielder who can hit right-handed pitching
Who might the candidates be? Let’s take a look, from most likely to least likely.
Chris Taylor
The least-sexy name on the list, but there’s no one else on the 40-man roster capable of playing shortstop or third base. While no one wants to imagine a scenario where Justin Turner or Corey Seager isn’t playing, the reality is they can’t play every day ,and the team needs an emergency backup just in case.
Andre Ethier
Second on the list is Ethier for a couple of reasons: first, he mashes righties. Second, he can’t be optioned.
As much as the Dodgers want to field the best team possible, Ethier is far from Carl Crawford-levels of futility, and the Dodgers are not going to pay Ethier $17 million to play for another club.
What’s more, moving the veteran would prove difficult as Ethier earned a no-trade clause last season as a player with 10-and-5 rights.
Andrew Toles
This is where things get interesting. For starters, the Dodgers might ditch the 13th hitter in favor of a 13th pitcher thanks to the glut of starters they have yet to sort out. If that’s the case, they could probably get by with four outfielders in the short-term.
If Los Angeles does opt for another hitter, however, Toles seems like the perfect choice. In fact, if Toles does make the Opening Day roster, he probably will see the most playing time in left field due to his performance last season.
Scott Van Slyke
For Van Slyke, there are two big arguments in his favor — although both have their issues. For starters, the Dodgers seem to need someone who can backup Gonzalez at first base.
The problem? Grandal and Utley have some experience at the position. Grandal has logged 342 career innings at first base, while Utley has played 230 career innings.
The second argument in Van Slyke’s favor is that the ideal backup at first is someone who can hit lefties (Gonzalez batted .244/.293/.310 off southpaws last season). The problem? The sheer math of the roster situation.
Would the Dodgers really elect to go with Van Slyke over Ethier or Toles? Seems unlikely.
Kiké Hernandez
Nobody’s stock took a bigger hit Friday night than Hernandez’s. An outfielder to hit lefties and backup second baseman are two aspects Hernandez brings to the table.
After last season, he could use some time in the Minors to regain his form before seeing the big leagues later in the year.
Trayce Thompson
At this point, it’s difficult to see what Thompson is capable of that the options named above can’t do. He’s the fourth-best hitter against lefties, and Toles provides the same versatility across the outfield.
Moral of the story: Thompson, coming off an injury-shortened season, will either begin the year in the Minors or on the disabled list.
Darrin Ruf
Most people never learned Ruf’s name after he came over from the Philadelphia Phillies in the trade last November for Howie Kendrick. And, well, they probably never will.
Ruf is out of options and faces an uphill battle to make the Opening Day roster. Without a strong showing this spring, he’s probably not long for the Dodgers organization.
Dodgers have plenty of options, but not a lot of room. Then again, they’re not necessarily short of time to sort it all out.
