Los Angeles Dodgers: Still Searching for Second Baseman

Now that the Los Angeles Dodgers’ talks with the Minnesota Twins about Brian Dozier have stalled, what options do they have to fill their hole at second base?

At the beginning of the offseason, it seemed all but certain that the Los Angeles Dodgers would make a trade for Brian Dozier. Dozier was coming off a great second half of 2016, which helped him have a career year in terms of home runs despite being generally the same in other statistical areas. He was a good fit for the Dodgers, who really desperately needed a second basemen. Now, according to Ken Rosenthal, those talks have stalled.

The Dodgers are still in need of a second baseman. Brian Dozier appears to no longer be an option, but talks could resume midseason if the Dodgers are unable to make a move before Opening Day. However, the best scenario for the Dodgers is to add a second baseman before the start of the season. They could go one of two ways to add a second baseman: trade for one or sign one. The Dodgers have both the money to spend in free agency and the prospects to entice teams in trades.

If the Dodgers want to avoid giving up talent like Jose De Leon in a trade, they could go the free agent route. The options aren’t fantastic out there, but there are some improvements over Enrique Hernandez. The best second basemen currently on the market are Stephen Drew, Luis Valebuena and Daniel Descalso. None of those three produced more fWAR than Chase Utley did last season at age 38.

For that reason, the Dodgers may not rule out bringing Utley back for another season. However, Rosenthal mentions that the Dodgers have a close professional relationship with Utley and would prefer not to sign him only to have to DFA him later in the season due to performance. Another hiccup in the free agent route is that none of the best free agent second basemen bat right-handed, which the Dodgers are looking for.

If the Dodgers truly want to get a difference-maker at second base, they’ll have to do it via a trade. Two non-Dozier names stand out as the best candidates. Ian Kinsler of the Tigers and Logan Forsythe of the Rays. In both cases, the teams would have to be convinced that adding young talent from the Dodgers would be beneficial to their goals. That my be difficult to do with two teams that don’t appear to be rebuilding in any sense of the term.

The Detroit Tigers are aging, so perhaps they could be easily coerced to part with the 34-year-old second baseman in exchange for young talent like Jose De Leon and Willie Calhoun. Kinsler didn’t have quite the same power numbers as Dozier last season, but he still managed to produce 5.8 fWAR (just 0.1 less than Dozier).

He slashed .288/.348/.484 in 679 plate appearances. He also hit 28 home runs with a .196 ISO and 123 wRC+. It was a good offensive season for Kinsler, who has always been a gifted hitter. The age is a bit of a concern, but the Dodgers are focused on winning in the very near future. However, Kinsler does have a no-trade clause and, according to Rosenthal, will exercise it unless an extension is in place with the team he’s being traded to.

Even if the Dodgers have to commit a few more seasons to Kinsler, it would be a good trade for them. Kinsler would provide well above average value to the Dodgers over the next few seasons at a position where they sorely lack. If they don’t want to give the extension to Kinsler, they will have to turn their attention elsewhere. That means calling the Rays about Logan Forsythe.

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Like the Tigers, the Rays aren’t rebuilding. In fact, they’ve made some interesting moves to improve their roster with the additions of Mallex Smith, Colby Rasmus and Wilson Ramos. Ramos won’t be available for a good portion of the season, but it seems as though they think they can be competitive. That type of thing doesn’t lend toward trading away a good infielder under the age of 30.

If the Dodgers were able to coerce the Rays into a trade by tempting them with near-MLB-ready players like Jose De Leon, Forsythe would be a great addition. He didn’t have quite the season that Kinsler or Dozier had, but he was still an above average hitter that would provide a valuable upgrade at the position. He slashed .264/.333/.444 in 567 plate appearances while also hitting 20 home runs and producing a wRC+ of 113. Defensive statistics don’t like Forsythe all that much, but he can at the very least handle the position.

The main reason that the Dodgers would go after either Kinsler or Forsythe is that they are right-handed bats. The Dodgers crave righties right now. They would get a talented right-hander in either situation. That would provide both balance in their lineup and another above average hitter to the lineup that already has Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez.

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The Dodgers are aware of the need within their team at second base. It’s the one gaping hole on the roster right now, outside of perhaps a setup man in the bullpen. They know they need to go out and get a second baseman if they want to avenge their NLCS loss from a season ago. It seems that they are ready to do just that. Their attention was on Dozier, but now that talks have stalled they must turn their focus elsewhere. If they can get Kinsler or Forsythe, they’re one of the best teams in all of baseball.