Following the offseason departures of Yasmani Grandal, Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig, the Los Angeles Dodgers were said to be seeking a right-handed bat that would help balance out their predominantly heavy left-handed hitting lineup.
On Thursday, the Dodgers reportedly found a solution in the form of longtime Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder A.J. Pollock. The 31-year-old agreed to terms with his former divisional rival on a four-year contract worth $55 million.
According to Beth Harris of the Associated Press, Pollock’s multi-year pact with the Dodgers includes a potential opt-out clause after the 2022 season and a player option for the ensuing year:
The agreement includes a $10 million player option for 2023 with a $5 million buyout that would make the deal worth over $60 million for five seasons. Pollock could opt out after the 2022 season and $45 million, becoming a free agent again, if he meets specified plate appearance thresholds.
Pollock is coming off a third consecutive injury-ridden season with the Diamondbacks in which he was limited to only 113 games. Despite this, he still managed to slug a career-high 21 home runs and sported an overall .800 on-base plus slugging for the year.
While a specific threshold wasn’t revealed, the 2015 All-Star would evidently need to stay on the field in order to accumulate enough plate appearances and have an opportunity to test free agency following his age-34 season.
By signing Pollock to a value that exceeds $50 million, the Dodgers will additionally lose a draft pick and $500,000 in international signing money.
