With the Winter Meetings underway the Los Angeles Dodgers have notable voids at second and third base. The club reportedly has high interest in re-signing Turner, who is the unquestioned top player at his position available.
Meanwhile, second base remains a question mark that can be answered in a multitude of manners. Under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman the Dodgers have valued positional flexibility, which factored into the club assembling a deep roster. Los Angeles has been linked to multiple utility men this offseason.
One was free agent Sean Rodriguez, who signed a two-year contract with the Atlanta Braves. Another is Tampa Bay Rays infielder Logan Forsythe. His name reportedly surfaced during trade talks between the Dodgers and Rays prior to the non-waiver deadline.
According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Dodgers are among the teams discussing a trade with the San Diego Padres for Yangervis Solarte:
Sources: #Dodgers among teams talking to #Padres about Solarte. Possible 3B if team loses Turner; also played 2B and even 1B in 2015-16.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 5, 2016
Solarte hit .286/.341/.467 with 26 doubles, 15 home runs, 71 RBI and a 116 OPS+ in 109 games this season. He primarily played third base (95 games; 89 starts), but also saw action at second base (15; 12) and first base (two starts).
Albeit in a much smaller sample size, 97 innings to 773 innings, Solarte posted a 1.0 UZR at second base, compared to a -0.4 UZR at third.
The 29-year-old is eligible for salary arbitration this offseason for the first time in his career and is projected to earn $2.7 million. Solarte’s expected salary, a modest figure, and multiple years of team control meshes well with the Dodgers’ current vision.
Already moving to lower their payroll in recent seasons, luxury tax (competitive balance) penalties in the new collective bargaining agreement provide further incentive for the Dodgers to shed salary.
