Outfield
Before you say, “Don’t the Dodgers have too many outfielders already?” let’s take a look at who’s available.
Jason Heyward is unique in the sense that he’s even a free agent at all. He broke into the majors in 2010 at age 20 and is now 26.
He’s also one of the most well-rounded outfielders in the game. While he doesn’t produce the power you’d expect out of a 6’5 245-pound behemoth, he makes plenty of contact and gets on base at a good clip.
Plus, he’s one of the best defensive players in baseball. A scenario in which the Dodgers deal an outfielder (Puig) for pitching and sign Heyward makes a lot of sense.
Then you have the big sticks — Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton. While neither qualify as contact hitters, each presents solid value because of their power.
Upton actually makes less contact and has a higher rate of swinging strikes, but he can also draw a walk here and there, which leads to significantly higher on base percentages than his Cuban counterpart.
Both played surprisingly good defense last year, with Cespedes getting the nod due to his superior arm. Upton is two years younger.
Neither seems like a real option though, and if the Dodgers don’t spend big on Heyward, it seems unlikely they’d pay big money to players with offensive profile Cespedes and Upton have.
As for the trade market, there aren’t many big names that are being rumbled about. Unless of course you include the Boston Red Sox reportedly being open to moving to moving left fielder Hanley Ramirez.
Second Base
As I expected, the Dodgers reportedly agreed to re-sign Chase Utley.
While they’ve been linked to Ben Zobrist, the contract demands for the 34 year old infielder likely exceed what the Dodgers would be willing to commit in terms of salary and, more importantly, years.
And while Howie Kendrick was a solid contributor for the Dodgers last season, the team likely believes Utley could put up similar production at a fraction of the cost. Plus, Kendrick signing elsewhere nets the Dodgers another draft pick.
What To Expect
We’re just now entering the second week of December, so for those of you who are wondering why the Dodgers are taking so long to make a move, hang in there. The front office is about to get busy.
The club’s first priority has to be replacing Greinke. Trading for a younger player who’s under control for several years makes far more sense than taking the contract they offered to Greinke, or scratching out his name and replacing it with Cueto’s.
The focus should be on starters like Carlos Carrasco and Shelby Miller. If a trade for a starting pitcher is made, you can assume it’ll mark the end of Puig’s time with the Dodgers, which leaves a hole in right field.
Filling it with Heyward makes plenty of sense, even if he won’t maintain his defensive value over a six- or seven-year deal.
Don’t expect the club to hand out a three-year deal to a reliever in his 30s. Instead, keep an eye on who’s involved in those starter trade talks. Adding a B-level prospect and getting a good, young reliever is preferable to rolling the dice on a free agent.
What do you think the Dodgers should do at the Winter Meetings? Let us know in the comment section below or reply to Jared on Twitter @JaredJMassey. You can listen to Jared on the weekly Dugout Blues Podcast.
