The Los Angeles Dodgers don’t have many needs this offseason, but one area on their roster that will be addressed is their outfield, as they have only two starting players under contract.
Kyle Tucker presents the best available option on the free agent market, but it’s unlikely the Dodgers get involved in the bidding for his services. The Dodgers do have interest in Cody Bellinger and Harrison Bader, both of whom are free agents. However, they are popular names on the market and could receive contracts exceeding what the Dodgers would offer.
The expectation is the Dodgers will address their outfield via the trade market, and there are multiple players available who they could end up targeting.
One of those available names is Jake Meyers, who the Houston Astros have placed on the trade block this offseason, and the Dodgers are one of the teams that have expressed interest in the center fielder, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com:
Brown wouldn’t address the Meyers rumor specifically, but sources say the White Sox, Dodgers, Reds and Royals are interested in the 29-year-old who’s under team control for two more seasons.
Meyers is a glove-first center fielder with minimal power and good bat-to-ball skills.
He is coming off the best offensive season of his career where he hit .292/.354/.373 with three home runs, 53 runs scored, 24 RBI, 16 stolen bases and a 107 wRC+ while producing 2.3 WAR in 104 games (a pace of 3.6 WAR per 162 games).
But that was the first season Meyers has been an above-league-average hitter when playing in more than 50 games. In 2024, he batted just .219/.286/.360 with an 85 wRC+ in a career-high 148 games.
Since his debut in 2021, Meyers is hitting a combined .243/.307/.371 with 33 home runs, 181 runs scored, 161 RBI, 37 stolen bases and a 91 wRC+ in 465 games, good for 6.8 WAR.
Meyers provides most of his value from his defensive ability. His nine outs above average in center field ranked in the 96th percentile of players. In 2024, he produced 13 outs above average, placing him in the 97th percentile of players, with an elite sprint speed of 28.9 feet/second (89th percentile).
How interested the Dodgers truly are likely relies on whether they believe his bat is closer to his 2024 or 2025 form. Given his track record, 2025 being an outlier is the better bet.
What is the cost for Jake Meyers?
The Astros are looking to acquire pitching this offseason, so an arm would probably be the starting point in any deal. The Dodgers have an excess of starting pitchers they could trade, but they aren’t going to move any of Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan, Gavin Stone, Justin Wrobleski or anyone of that nature for Meyers.
If they truly want to get Meyers, perhaps Bobby Miller would be a starting point for both teams, but even that seems somewhat far-fetched. Regardless, the cost for Meyers shouldn’t be significantly high.
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