3 moves for the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason
By Kevin Henry
The Los Angeles Dodgers should sign Marcus Semien and move Trea Turner to shortstop
It’s not a question of if the Dodgers will make a splash this offseason, but rather how big of one and who will it be. If Los Angeles can ink Marcus Semien to a deal, plenty of questions about the lineup are solved quickly.
The Dodgers can use Semien and Trea Turner as interchangeable pieces in the middle infield if they like, but having Semien at second (where he just hit an MLB-record 45 home runs for the Toronto Blue Jays) and having Turner settle in at shortstop (taking over for a departed Corey Seager) makes plenty of sense. It’s one of the reasons, in fact, that our friends at BetSided have the Dodgers as one of the favorites to sign Semien this offseason.
As we discussed in this article, Turner made a big impact for the Dodgers in the regular season after being acquired in a trade with the Washington Nationals, but struggled in the postseason. If the Dodgers are confident enough that he can hold down the position and make an impact in October, having Semien’s bat slot in the lineup as well would give Los Angeles yet another weapon and give a completely new look to the middle infield.
Semien, of course, can also play shortstop, giving the Dodgers some versatility there as well.
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With Semien having a qualifying offer from the Blue Jays attached to him, there is a price to pay to acquire him other than the six-year, $138 million deal he is expected to earn. However, the deal makes a lot of sense if the Dodgers are going to lose Seager and need to replace his bat and glove in their lineup.