Los Angeles Dodgers: Four possible additions that are not Bryce Harper
By Josh Ejnes
Nick Markakis
Before we talk about Markakis, who made his first All Star team last year and hasn’t had much free agent buzz going, let’s talk about Alex Verdugo. As mentioned earlier, Verdugo isn’t off limits when it comes to trading with the Dodgers, but maybe he should be. The 22 year old Verdugo looked OK in limited big league experience last year, but he crushed AAA, slashing .329/.391/.472 in 91 games for the Oklahoma City Dodgers. He might not be ready to be a big league star quite yet, but we have every indication that he’s getting there.
Which leads us to Nick Markakis, who is the best option for a team that’s looking for a strong veteran outfielder to supplement an up and coming talent. For most of his career Markakis has been at best a fringe all star and at worst league average; he’s never been a real MVP candidate but his all star appearance last year was long over due. He slashed .297/.366/.440 in 2018, and played in every single Braves game. Markakis will be 35 next year, so he’s getting up there in age, but it doesn’t seem in anyway to be an issue as far as durability is concerned.
Right now, the Dodgers look like they’re going to split time between Verdugo and Andrew Toles in right field; this might be a good duo to use in 2022, but for now they’re a bit too raw. This creates a sort of complex situation for the Dodgers, who want to put a strong player in right this year but don’t want to block their young players in the not too distant future.
Markakis is a great choice for this role because he brings consistent play without the kind of playing time expectations a perennial all star might have. He’d also bring a veteran presence to an extremely young outfield that’s currently anchored by Cody Bellinger and Joc Pederson. Markakis made just over $11 million with the Braves last year, so it’s unlikely that his contract demands for the future will be high enough to cause concerns for a Los Angeles Dodgers team looking to avoid luxury tax trouble. He’s the perfect stop gap option that will keep them contending while they wait for the outfield of the future to mature.