One day after the lockout officially ended and MLB free agency resumed, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts identified starting pitching and bench depth as areas of the roster that were focal points to address.
Since then the Dodgers re-signed Clayton Kershaw for the 2022 season, reportedly agreed to a six-year contract with Freddie Freeman, added Hanser Alberto, and a slew of other players on Minor League deals.
L.A. additionally was connected to Nelson Cruz before he signed with the Washington Nationals, and Seiya Suzuki prior to his reported signing with the Chicago Cubs. They also were said to have interest in Jorge Soler and Jonathan Villar.
Soler remains available in free agency, but Villar has agreed to a one-year contract with the Cubs, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com:
Jonathan Villar’s deal with the Cubs is for one year and $6M, per source. The deal also includes a mutual option for 2023 as well as performance bonuses.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) March 17, 2022
Villar has has spent nine seasons at the Major League level with six different teams. In 2021, he appeared in 142 games for the New York Mets and hit .249/.322/.416 with 18 home runs, 14 stolen bases, a 105 wRC+ and 2.1 WAR.
Although Villar only spent time at third base, shortstop and second base last year, he also has some experience in center field and left field.
Villar is a career .258/.326/.403 hitter with 98 home runs, 232 stolen bases, a 97 wRC+ and 10.3 WAR in just shy of 1,000 games.
Dodgers bench outlook
The Dodgers’ need for Villar seemingly dissipated with the addition of Alonso, who offers similar versatility in the field. L.A. reportedly had interest in Josh Harrison before signing Alonso, but he joined the Chicago White Sox.
As currently constructed, the Dodgers figure to have a core bench group of Alonso, Austin Barnes, Gavin Lux and Chris Taylor. That could include more players if expanded rosters are in place for the first month of the regular season, and dependent on the number of pitchers L.A. will prefer to carry.
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