Now that Rich Hill is officially back in the fold, the Los Angeles Dodgers can begin addressing other needs for the 2017 roster.
With vacancies at third base, second base and in the bullpen, the front office can simply fill the holes in free agency by re-signing the likes of Justin Turner, Chase Utley and Kenley Jansen.
It’s unrealistic to expect this outcome, though, as Turner and Jansen are presumably in high demand with other clubs. In the case that one, if not both, sign elsewhere, the Dodgers will look to replace their void via trade.
One contingency plan that appears to be receiving consideration is trading for a pair of Kansas City Royals All-Stars in closer Wade Davis and outfielder Lorenzo Cain.
However, more recently, the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals are said to have become heavily involved in a potential trade for Davis.
The Royals might be willing to trade some of their best players this offseason due to the new collective bargaining rules which prevent teams from yielding first-round draft picks to sign players that reject a qualifying offer.
Both Davis and Cain are scheduled to become free agents after the 2017 season, making their short-term commitments especially appealing for the Dodgers.
Davis, 31, has evolved into one of the best closers in the Majors since transitioning to the bullpen in 2012.
Over the past three seasons, Davis posted respective ERAs of 1.00, 0.94 and 1.87. During that span he allowed just three home runs in 182.2 innings and never saw his FIP exceed 2.29.
The Dodgers were interested in acquiring Davis prior to the non-waiver trade deadline in August, hoping to pair him with Jansen to formulate a dominant backend of the bullpen.
However, Davis would shortly be placed on the disabled list with a right flexor strain, which explained why his velocity dipped earlier in the month, and thus, scrapped any plans to trade for him.
The Royals’ insistence that Ian Kennedy be taken in a trade for Davis also was a factor.
Despite enduring two separate injuries during the 2016 season, Davis still managed to nearly strike out 10 batters per nine innings (9.8) and accumulated 1.8 bWAR in 43.1 innings.
The trade market for closers, which also includes David Robertson of the Chicago White Sox and Alex Colome of the Tampa Bay Rays, likely won’t pick up until Jansen and Aroldis Chapman sign.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman previously acquired Davis in 2012 during his tenure as Rays general manager, and given Friedman’s interest in re-acquiring him this past August, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a trade come into fruition.
Cain, who was traded to the Royals in 2010 for Zack Greinke, enjoyed a breakout season in 2015.
In 604 plate appearances, the then-30-year-old batted .307/.361/.477 with 56 extra-base hits and 28 stolen bases to go along with elite defense in two outfield positions. He totaled 7.2 bWAR and finished third in American League MVP voting.
Cain followed up his incredible campaign with a .747 on-base plus slugging (98 OPS+) in 2016, batting .287 but seeing his slugging percentage drop almost 70 points.
Like Davis, Cain battled injuries throughout 2016 and only appeared in 103 games. Cain finished the year with 2.9 bWAR and overall, has averaged 4.6 wins since the 2013 season.
While the Dodgers have an abundance of outfielders at the moment, they very well could still use an upgrade in one of the corner spots.
For one, Cain owns a career .308/.363/.474 slash line against left-handed pitching in 717 plate appearances — an area in which the Dodgers vastly struggled with this season.
Cain would also bring a legitimate stolen base presence to a Dodgers’ lineup that currently lacks a running game, along with sneaky power and Gold Glove-caliber defense.
Should Los Angeles acquire Cain, he presumably would become the team’s everyday right fielder, with Joc Pederson manning center field, and a possible platoon in left field.
