Category: Los Angeles dodgers

 

 

; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder James Outman (33) celebrates with shortstop Chris Taylor (3) after hitting a walk-off double in the 10th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium.

; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder James Outman (33) celebrates with shortstop Chris Taylor (3) after hitting a walk-off double in the 10th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a stellar offseason.

 

For a team coming off a World Series championship, they have retooled the roster with the perfect mix of veteran leadership, international talent, key players from the title run, and pitching standouts.

 

And they may not be done quite yet.

 

With a clear overflow of talent on the roster, there still appear to be a few moves to make to pare down the team and fit the MLB-mandated 26-man roster by Opening Day.

 

Unfortunately for Dodgers faithful, this may come at the expense of an All-Star who has helped bring two titles to Los Angeles, as Maren Angus-Coombs of dodgersnation.com named Chris Taylor as a potential trade candidate for L.A.

 

Taylor started his MLB career with the Seattle Mariners and made his way to the Dodgers in the midst of the 2016 season. He has been a fan favorite ever since.

 

Helping the team get to the Fall Classic four times in Dodger blue, there is no question regarding Taylor’s productivity over the course of his Dodgers tenure. A utility man in every sense of the word, he has logged starts in every position around the diamond that isn’t first base, pitcher, or catcher.

 

As the Dodgers continue their historic offseason, they have recently brought back future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, as well as another utility man in Kiké Hernández.

 

Thus, a clear spot for Taylor unfortunately doesn’t exist on the current roster. However, his contract has a few interesting stipulations, according to Angus-Coombs.

 

“While he does not have a no-trade clause, his contract does include two other things: A $2 million assignment bonus with each trade, plus his 2026 option increases by $1 million if traded after the 2024 season and before start of the 2026 season,” Angus-Coombs wrote.

 

These are essentially peanuts compared to some of the other blockbuster deals the Dodgers have shelled out, but it is worth considering if Taylor is moved as his new team would likely not see his contract as very team-friendly. Thus, the Dodgers would likely need to eat a good amount of the money to make a deal work.

 

Other candidates that could be traded include Andy Pages and James Outman, whose coming off a struggle of a season in 2024. However, both have minor league options, which makes it easier to keep them around.

 

 

 

Now that the Los Angeles Dodgers have added Kiké Hernández, pending a physical, they have quite a predicament on their hands – too many players and not enough roster spots.

 

To make room for the utility man, the Dodgers will have to clear space on the 40-man and the 26-man rosters. Clearing space on the 40-man roster will be easy as they’ll just move someone to the 60-day injured list. Making room on the 26-man roster will prove to be much more dofficult.

 

This is what the Dodgers know before spring training even starts. The active position player roster will include Will Smith, Austin Barnes, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Kiké Hernández, Teoscar Hernández, Michael Conforto, Tommy Edman, and Miguel Rojas ,leaving two spots open for Hyseong Kim, James Outman, Chris Taylor and Andy Pages to fight for.

 

The Dodgers just signed Kim this offseason and if he proves himself in camp then he will stay with the big league club, which leaves the other three to be potentially up for grabs on the trade market.

 

Taylor and the Dodgers agreed to a four-year, $60 million contract when he reached free agency following the 2021 season. While he does not have a no-trade clause, his contract does include two other things: A $2 million assignment bonus with each trade, plus his 2026 option increases by $1 million if traded after the 2024 season and before start of the 2026 season.

 

Pages was almost traded once. It was back in 2020 when the Dodgers tried to send him, Joc Pederson, and Ross Stripling to the Los Angeles Angels. The deal fell through, Pages was called up in April 2024, and he never looked back.

 

The outfielder is young and has plenty of upside after finishing the season slashing .248/.305/.407. Pages has accrued 155 days of major league service time and has one option year left after being optioned in both 2023 and 2024.

 

 

Outman finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting two years ago, losing to Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, but his sophomore season was a complete slump.

 

The outfielder’s offensive numbers took a significant hit in 2024, slashing .147/.256/.265 as his home run and walk rates declined while his strikeout rate increased. He ended up playing more games in Triple-A (69) than in the majors (53).

 

While the Dodgers have a ton of depth that will set them up for a long season, that depth is also going to cause some headaches for the front office and coaching staff. Two spots for four players will leave two men very disappointed when decisions are made.

 

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St. Louis Cardinals third base Nolan Arenado (28) reacts in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

St. Louis Cardinals third base Nolan Arenado (28) reacts in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

 

The Nolan Arenado trade rumors quickly died down after the All-Star third baseman declined a trade to the Houston Astros. Since Arenado nixed the trade, there has been little to no traction in finding a new landing spot — despite the rumblings the Los Angeles Dodgers could swing a trade for him.

 

The Astros quickly pivoted from an Arenado trade and signed first baseman Christian Walker. There was speculation the Houston organization would still be interested in the 10-time Gold Glover; however, after the Astros traded Ryan Pressly to the Chicago Cubs, it opened the door for the team to bring back free agent third baseman Alex Bregman.

 

Now, Arenado’s prospects look dim. The reality is he could remain with the St. Louis Cardinals until the trade deadline in July.

 

However, given the numerous blockbuster signings from the Dodgers, could the L.A. organization orchestrate one more and sign Arenado?

 

In a conversation with Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain, ESPN insider Buster Olney gave a huge update regarding the Dodgers’ involvement with Arenado.

 

“He has been on a platter for teams to make a trade for for months,” Olney said. “And I asked about the Dodgers about six weeks ago. And to protect the source I have to sort of phrase it this way. I was told: ‘If the Dodgers wanted him, they would have gotten him.’

 

“It’s not like it’s been a secret that he’s been available, and to this point, it doesn’t look like he’s at the top of their list in terms of an interesting player.”

 

The Dodgers have signed a number of top free agents on the market this winter, so it’s no surprise the defending champions could have also added Arenado. But based on Olney’s comments, it’s evident the Dodgers likely won’t be signing the third baseman.

 

The Dodgers have spared no expense as the team prepares to reach another World Series. The Dodgers’ weakness in the postseason was the pitching staff, but the signings of Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, and Kirby Yates have made the roster look unbeatable.

 

While adding Arenado would be another blockbuster move, it’s certainly not necessary for Los Angeles.

 

The Los Angeles Dodgers are facing a roster crunch.

 

The Dodgers, who officially announced the Tanner Scott signing on Thursday and have another reported signing on the way in Kirby Yates, need to clear two 40-man roster spots to make room for these players.

 

Additionally, the Dodgers are expected to bring back Clayton Kershaw this offseason, and could still make another surprise move before the 2025 season kicks off.

 

Thus, the Dodgers will need to make moves to clear spots on their 40-man roster in the coming days and potentially weeks.

 

To sort out this roster crunch, Dodgers on SI’s Valentina Martinez named three potential trade candidates the Dodgers could move this offseason. The third one would be the most interesting.

 

Chris Taylor, Max Muncy, Will Smith

Chris Taylor #3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with Max Muncy #13 and Will Smith #16 after hitting a home run against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at…

Martinez thinks the Dodgers could look to move on from utility man Chris Taylor, as, at this point, he’s just taking up a roster spot.

 

Taylor, an All-Star in 2021, has struggled to regain his form over the last three seasons. As he enters the final year of his four-year, $60 million deal, the Dodgers could look to trade him, clear his roster spot, and move off of at least some of his contract. However, as Martinez points out, the Dodgers will need to make it enticing to another team.

 

“Taylor is owed $15 million next season, his final year of team control. The Dodgers would certainly have to pay down his salary while also attaching something of value to a team taking on Taylor’s contract,” Martinez wrote.

 

“While it’s unlikely the Dodgers would trade Taylor, the roster would certainly benefit from such a move.”

 

In 2024, Taylor had his worst season as a Dodger, slashing .202/.298/.300 with four home runs, 23 RBIs, 76 strikeouts, and an OPS of .598 across 87 games. It was the first year in his entire Dodgers tenure in which he had a negative WAR.

 

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Taylor’s value has been in his versatility, but with utility man Tommy Edman now locked up for the next five years, the Dodgers don’t exactly need Taylor.

 

Moreover, the Dodgers’ roster would benefit from adding a different utility player in Kiké Hernández, who’s much better than Taylor at this stage of his career.

 

Trading Taylor won’t be easy, as the team would need to pay down his salary while also likely attaching a prospect to entice a team to eat the money. Still, the roster would be better off without Taylor, despite his incredible past contributions to the organization.

 

 

 

 

The Los Angeles Dodgers have shaken Major League Baseball to its core with a flurry of offseason activity. And they still might not be done yet.

 

The biggest name still to be traded before Opening Day of the 2025 season could be St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado. The eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glover has been looking to get traded all winter, and the Dodgers are on his list of preferred destinations.

 

The Dodgers would have to move Max Muncy to second base to facilitate an Arenado trade and float new signing Hyeseong Kim into a full-time utility role, possibly missing out on everyday playing time.

 

Would they consider doing so for a Hall of Fame player who appears to be entering his decline?

 

In a YouTube video published on Monday, content creator Jim Riley of BALLCAP Sports proposed a hypothetical trade that would send Arenado and $8.5 million in cash considerations to the Dodgers for starting pitcher Tony Gonsolin and utility player Chris Taylor.

 

“At this point, you’re not going to miss Tony Gonsolin,” Riley said. “At this point, Chris Taylor is someone you don’t need. And you can get Nolan Arenado to play third base, one of the best defensive third basemen in the game still.”

 

Arenado, 33, had a .719 OPS/101 OPS+ last season, his worst offensive year since he was a rookie in 2013. He’s due to be paid $64 million over the next three years before deferrals, but the Dodgers are so far over the luxury tax at this point that they may not mind paying.

 

Taylor, meanwhile, is due $13 million this year with a $12 million club option for 2026. Gonsolin, who hasn’t pitched since the summer of 2023, is making $5.4 million in his second-to-last year of team control.

 

It would be a bold swap for the Dodgers, but LA could easily decide they’re happy with what they have on their infielder. And if Taylor isn’t going to get consistent playing time, they could try to trade him for prospects instead.

 

Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park.

Japan starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (14) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Mexico at LoanDepot Park.

The Los Angeles Dodgers traded outfielder Dylan Campbell to the Philadelphia Phillies in order to get more international bonus pool space for Roki Sasaki. Campbell was a fourth-round pick from out of Texas in the 2023 draft.

 

According to MLB insider Francys Romero, the Dodgers gained between $750,000 to $1 million in international bonus pool money in return.

 

Sasaki sent shockwaves through the baseball world when he announced on Instagram that he would be signing with the Dodgers. Of the three finalists in the Sasaki sweepstakes, the Dodgers had the least amount of money in their international bonus pool—that is no longer the case after the trade with Philadelphia.

 

Ahead of Sasaki’s coveted announcement, it was reported the Dodgers were exploring potential trade options as a way to bulk up their offer to the Japanese phenom. Lo and behold, the trade transpired less than an hour after Sasaki announced he would be a Dodger.

 

Even before the announcement, several baseball fans opposed the idea of the 23-year-old joining the reigning World Series champions. Their complaints ranged from “the Dodgers are ruining baseball” to “Dodgers signing Sasaki isn’t fair.”

 

Nevertheless, Sasaki’s decision to come to Los Angeles is a testament to the Dodgers organization. The Dodgers have never been afraid to spend big, but in the case of Sasaki, the front office has to switch gears from businessmen to salesmen.

 

The Sasaki situation was unique since he joined MLB as an international amateur, meaning he was limited to signing a minor-league contract with a signing bonus. Sasaki will reportedly receive a $6.5 million signing bonus from the Dodgers, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.

 

The Dodgers couldn’t outbid their competition in the Sasaki sweepstakes, but instead had to sell Sasaki on why the Los Angeles organization was the premier team to join.

 

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said signing Sasaki was a “huge priority” for the Dodgers this winter. The organization has continued to ride the wave of success.

 

Now, Sasaki joins a rotation with a handful of aces in Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Shohei Ohtani. Signing with any other team would’ve meant Sasaki would’ve been the face of an organization, a ton of pressure for a young, developing pitcher.

 

Sasaki gets to hone his craft with a Dodgers organization known for their pitching development and learn from his successful teammates in the starting rotation.