In the final days leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline, the Los Angeles Dodgers appeared poised to add reinforcements to their bullpen. Of course, their first trade on Tuesday was to acquire Brian Dozier from the Minnesota Twins.
The Dodgers sent Logan Forsythe and Minor Leaguers Luke Raley and Devin Smeltzer to the Twins in exchange for a second baseman they’d been connected to since the 2016 offseason. At that time, Minnesota reportedly was not interested in a one-for-one swap or package headlined by Jose De Leon.
Once negotiations stalled, the Dodgers pivoted and quickly traded De Leon to the Tampa Bay Rays for Forsythe. He endured multiple slumps and injuries while with the Dodgers, which further factors into Dozier being considered an upgrade.
Although the Dodgers value what Dozier is bringing to the club, manager Dave Roberts explained he is unlikely to start at second base on a nightly basis, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“(Dozier) plays plus-defense, is a grinder-type player – that’s a big acquisition,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s going to play against left-handed pitching. He’s going to play against right-handed pitching quite a bit as well. But to say he’s going to play every day, that’s a little extreme. As far as starts, we have a lot of good players that I think we have to keep involved. But to add him to our roster, certainly makes us better.”
In addition to Forsythe, the Dodgers have used Kiké Hernandez, Max Muncy and Chris Taylor at second base this season. With Justin Turner currently on the 10-day disabled list and Manny Machado needing to play third base, Hernandez and Taylor are needed at shortstop.
While Roberts didn’t explicitly state as much, it stands to reason Dozier and Muncy will essentially platoon at second base. Dozier is batting .247/.351/.371 with six doubles, two home runs and six RBI in 114 plate appearances against southpaws this season.
As part of our efforts to help you understand how we handle the personal information you share with us, and in preparation for the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we’ve updated our Privacy & Cookies Policy. The updated Privacy & Cookies Policy will take effect on May 22, 2018. By using our services on or after that date, you’ll be agreeing to our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy. We recommend that you read our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy in full.
