MLB Free Agency: The Best Signings That Won’t Happen
By Jason Reed
1. Matt Wieters – Los Angeles Dodgers
I know, you are probably reading this and wondering what in the world I am thinking, and sure, there is a bit of hometown bias going on. There are more fitting locations for Wieters – Anaheim, Baltimore and Milwaukee, to name a few. However, Matt Wieters potentially signing with the Dodgers and setting up a platoon with Yasmani Grandal could be the steal of the offseason. The Dodgers have had history of wanting a veteran backup catcher, and with Wieters’ ability to hit left-handed pitching, it seems inevitable.
Yasmani is a great power-hitting catcher, don’t get me wrong. However, Grandal is only a great power-hitting catcher when batting left-handed, while his numbers on the other side of the plate are lackluster. Bringing in another switch-hitting catcher in Wieters would make the Dodgers extremely deep behind the dish. Wieters, who would fill a desperate need for hitting left-handers, has a career .273 batting average from the right side of the plate. The Dodgers as a whole batted .213 against left-handed pitching last season. If they want to make a deep October push, they need more bats alongside Logan Forsythe to hit left-handers.
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The only problem is, the chances that this will happen are very slim. While I think it would be a great deal for both parties, I don’t see it happening. Wieters likely wants a starting role, and in Los Angeles he won’t get that. Also, he may be asking for too much money, hence why it has taken so long to find a deal somewhere. With so many other fits that would see him hold down the fort on a daily basis, it is hard to see Wieters in Los Angeles, as badly as I want to see it.