After the 2016 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers needed an everyday second baseman, so they turned to the trade market.
They were linked to Brian Dozier of the Minnesota Twins for a while, but instead completed a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays to acquire Logan Forsythe in exchange for prized pitching prospect Jose De Leon.
Forsythe had a rough offensive season for the Dodgers in 2017, so he came back in 2018 looking to prove that wasn’t who he was as a player and that he could return to his previous form with the Rays.
That didn’t end up being the case though as Forsythe was actually worse offensively in 2018 than he was the season prior. In 70 games for the Dodgers, Forsythe hit just .207/.270/.290 with two home runs and 13 RBI.
He willingly moved from second to third base to help replace the injured Justin Turner, but the position change caused a handful of errors and then an injury of his own that forced him to miss a month of action.
When the non-waiver trade deadline rolled around, the Dodgers looked for an offensive upgrade at second base and everything came full circle as they finally acquired Dozier from the Twins.
This time, Forsythe was a part of the deal as they sent him to Minnesota along with Minor Leaguers Devin Smeltzer and Luke Raley.
Forsythe improved with the bat after the trade, hitting .258/.356/.292 with six doubles and 14 RBI in 50 games for the Twins. Overall in 120 games on the season, Forsythe slashed .232/.313/.291 with a pair of home runs and 27 RBI.
2018 Highlight
Perhaps Forsythe’s best game of the season offensively came on July 22 against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. He reached base four times, going 3-for-4 with a walk while scoring two runs and driving in another in the Dodgers’ 11-2 win.
2019 Outlook:
Forsythe was in the last year of his contract in 2018, so he is now a free agent on the open market. At 31 years of age, teams may be hesitant to commit to him long-term, but Forsythe could potentially land somewhere on a one-year deal with the chance to turn his career around.
