After spending the 2016 season with Howie Kendrick and Chase Utley manning second base, the Los Angeles Dodgers looked to upgrade at the position with a more viable, everyday option. Their focus last winter appeared to lie squarely on Brian Dozier.
He was coming off a strong campaign, and beyond filling a need at second base, fit the mold of a right-handed bat the Dodgers lacked in 2016. After prolonged trade talks with the Minnesota Twins stalled, the Dodgers quickly pivoted and acquired Logan Forsythe.
The Tampa Bay Rays received pitching prospect Jose De Leon in the one-for-one swap. Forsythe was lauded for his steady approach at the plate, ability to bat leadoff, and strong clubhouse presence.
Although Forsythe wasn’t under contract for as many seasons as Dozier, he was under team control through 2018. As such, the Dodgers elected to exercise their club option on Forsythe for next season, per Chris Cotillo of SB Nation:
Source: Dodgers exercise $8.5M option on Logan Forsythe.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) November 6, 2017
While the 30-year-old struggled during parts of the regular season, retaining Forsythe appeared a likely scenario when examining the crop of available second basemen.
Moreover, Forsythe began to hit his stride down the stretch of the season and carried that momentum into the playoffs. He batted .224/.351/.327 with 19 doubles, six home runs, 36 RBI, a .307 wOBA and 90 wRC+ over 119 games in his first season with the Dodgers.
In 14 playoff games (11 starts), his first time playing in the postseason, Forsythe hit .297/.435/.351 with two doubles and six RBI.
The Dodgers previously declined their option on Andre Ethier, adding him to their pool of players who became a free agent.
