The Los Angeles Dodgers finished last season as the worst hitting team against left-handed pitching. With a need at second base, the club’s reported targets this offseason have been right-handed batters who excel against southpaws.
However, Los Angeles has also been connected to Toronto Blue Jays free agent Jose Bautista and Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen. Either of the two would also bring balance to the Dodgers lineup, but outfield isn’t necessarily an area of need. That being said, there is room for improvement.
“As you get into January, there’s a lot of conversations that have been ongoing now for a little while,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said during Wednesday’s press conference at Dodger Stadium.
“Those things start to come to a head more and it’s starting to whittle down to where we have a better feel for what’s more likely.”
As for whether the club is hopeful to acquire a right-handed hitter or more specifically, a second baseman who bats right-handed, Friedman didn’t prioritize one or the other but acknowledged there’s a clear connection.
“It’s somewhat interconnected,” he said. “I think in an ideal world, we’re looking at a situation where we can add a right-handed bat, but not just because the guy happens to hit right-handed. Where that is on the field will vary some.”
Much as he did during an end-of-season press conference, Friedman again stated a belief the Dodgers will improve against left-handed pitching this season based on bounce-back performances from multiple players.
“We had a number of outlier-type seasons with a lot of really talented guys against left-handed pitching, and we feel like naturally we’ll be a bit better,” Friedman said. Nonetheless, the Dodgers aren’t likely to simply stand pat.
What form the answer comes in remains to be seen, and the Dodgers aren’t one to close themselves to various opportunities. “We still have a decent amount of the offseason remaining and obviously we’re still working to figure out different moves,” Friedman said.
