Early into free agency, Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the team would focus on their bullpen and adding a right-handed hitter to the roster this offseason.
To this point the Dodgers’ activity has squarely lied in the bullpen as they completed a trade for Corey Knebel, signed Tommy Kahnle, re-signed Jimmy Nelson and Blake Treinen, and also brought back Brandon Morrow and Brock Stewart on Minor League contracts.
On the position player front, it’s long been held the Dodgers will eventually re-sign Justin Turner. He of course would help balance the lineup, but the club has also had reported interest in Marcell Ozuna. They additionally were linked to DJ LeMahieu before he returned to the New York Yankees.
According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, Nelson Cruz would have interest in signing with the Dodgers if MLB and the Players Association reached an agreement on keeping the universal designated hitter for the 2021 season:
If the NL does adopt the DH, the Dodgers and Braves are among the teams still looking for offense, and both clubs intrigue Cruz, sources say.
Although indications were the universal DH would remain in place this year, the MLBPA recently rejected a proposal from the league that called for it to return in exchange for an expanded postseason. There’s still some belief an agreement could be reached.
However, there’s no clear timeline on when that may come to be despite the start of Spring Training only two weeks away. Furthermore, Cruz reportedly is making progress in negotiations to re-sign with the Minnesota Twins.
Cruz hit .303/.397/.595 with 16 home runs and 33 RBI for the Twins last season and was named the team’s MVP for a second consecutive year. He finished sixth in American League MVP voting, won a Silver Slugger Award and was named to the All-MLB Second Team.
Dodgers would have to shift philosophy if signing Cruz
While Cruz certainly represents the type of right-handed bat the Dodgers have been in search of, his fit with the team would require an adjustment even if the universal DH is back.
Last season the Dodgers used the DH to rotate players and help keep them fresh rather than dedicate the spot to one specific player. Cruz, who hasn’t played the field since 2018, would eliminate some of that flexibility.
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