CINCINNATI — The Dodgers have already clinched a dropping document in July, coming into play Monday with their worst single-month profitable proportion since Could 2013.
Their league-leading offense has remained caught in a nosedive, rating bottom-four within the majors coming into Monday in runs scored, batting common and OPS this month regardless of some short-lived indicators of life from their lineup final week.
For some time now, the staff has identified it could goal a high-leverage reliever forward of Thursday’s commerce deadline. However abruptly, amid a protracted stoop that even president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman acknowledged he didn’t see coming, the deadline may really feel incomplete with out the addition of one other place participant as properly.
“Relief pitching is always talked about, certainly with what we’re going through,” supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned this weekend. However, he added, “a potential bat” is one thing membership officers are “kicking the tires” on.
As deadline week commenced on Monday, it meant the query wasn’t a lot whether or not the Dodgers would look to bolster their lineup over the subsequent 4 days, however slightly how they may finest complement their already $400-million roster.
One particular precedence that has been more and more emphasised by individuals across the group in latest days: Somebody who cannot solely hit, however extra profoundly improve their outfield protection.
The Dodgers, in spite of everything, know their long-term offensive success relies upon totally on their famous person gamers. Thus far in July, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández have all batted within the low .200s. Mookie Betts and Tommy Edman are hitting .186 and .150, respectively. And Max Muncy has been out with a knee harm (although he may return throughout subsequent week’s residence stand, if not the tip of this present journey).
No affect hitter available on the market can change that actuality. Nobody they add this week can save them if their star-studded core endures comparable struggles in October.
In a shock twist, a few of their finest hitters this month have truly been those that as soon as appeared like apparent candidates to switch on the deadline — none extra so than Michael Conforto, who’s batting .280 with an .855 OPS since June 22 after belting a house run and two doubles within the staff’s sequence finale in Boston on Sunday.
“The first half [of the season] was not me,” mentioned Conforto, the $17-million offseason signing who was hitting a woeful .163 earlier than his latest 24-game surge. “I left a lot of hits out there. There was a lot of work to be done. And I just had to put my head down and keep grinding.”
Now he’s lastly beginning to produce at a stage the Dodgers could be pleased to get from any potential deadline acquisition.
That doesn’t imply, nevertheless, the Dodgers might be dissuaded from in search of outfield assist this week.
As a result of, whilst Conforto’s bat has heated up, his glove stays a evident space of weak point in left discipline.
Dodgers left fielder Michael Conforto, left, fields a ball as middle fielder Andy Pages watches towards the Boston Pink Sox at Fenway Park on Friday.
(Mark Stockwell / Related Press)
For all he did on the plate Sunday, Conforto additionally had two pricey defensive misplays early within the sport, dropping a fly ball within the first inning that burdened Dustin Could’s pitch depend earlier than overpursuing a line drive off the Inexperienced Monster that become a run-scoring triple within the fourth, aiding a Pink Sox rally that keyed their eventual victory.
On the entire this season, Conforto ranks thirteenth out of 16 certified MLB left fielders in defensive runs saved (unfavourable three) and 14th in outs above common (unfavourable 5).
It has illustrated a bigger conundrum going through the staff.
In contrast to final October, when the Dodgers wanted potent offense to compensate for his or her patchwork pitching workers, their playoff run this 12 months might be keyed extra by what they do on the mound.
Barring late-season accidents (a giant “if” given their latest historical past), the membership is shaping as much as have a doubtlessly dominant rotation that includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell (who will return from harm this weekend) and Ohtani (who Friedman believes might be able to pitching “real innings” come the playoffs).
Whereas their bullpen has struggled so far, the returns of Blake Treinen (who was activated from the injured checklist Sunday), Michael Kopech (who’s due again late subsequent month), Tanner Scott (who averted a season-ending elbow harm final week) and Brusdar Graterol (anticipated to return someday in September) determine to rework the group, together with whoever the entrance workplace provides in an anticipated deadline splash.
All of it implies that stopping runs might be the largest key to the Dodgers’ title protection this fall.
And to try this, they may profit from extra reliable outfield protection — the place Conforto’s points have been compounded by Hernández’s regression in proper discipline (he additionally grades out at one of many worst defenders within the majors at that place this 12 months, whereas being restricted by a groin harm) and repeated misreads from Andy Pages in middle (errors which have at the very least been considerably offset by his deadly throwing arm).
That’s why it got here as no shock to see the Dodgers’ curiosity in somebody like Harrison Bader intensify this week, as an individual with information of the scenario however not approved to talk publicly confirmed.
A 31-year-old veteran with the Minnesota Twins, Bader is a premium defender (rating sixth amongst all certified outfielders with 10 defensive runs saved) who’s additionally having certainly one of his finest profession seasons on the plate (.255 common, 12 residence runs, .777 OPS). And as a possible free agent this offseason (he has a mutual choice for 2026), he might be acquired at a comparatively cheap worth — or, maybe, in a bundle take care of a high Twins reliever comparable to Jhoan Durán or Griffin Jax.
Minnesota’s Harrison Bader celebrates after hitting a walk-off residence run towards Tampa Bay on July 4.
(Bruce Kluckhohn / Related Press)
Different contenders, together with the New York Yankees, have additionally been talked about as potential touchdown spots for Bader. However the Dodgers’ curiosity seems to be sturdy.
The Dodgers’ different route could be so as to add an infielder, and transfer Edman to middle discipline. Utilityman Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals is one such choice, as The Athletic reported this week. However Edman has been restricted by a lingering ankle harm (he was given Monday off to maintain managing it). And his most defensive worth is on the infield dust anyway, evidenced recently by his sharp play filling in at third base in Muncy’s absence.
Bader is a right-handed bat, operating counter to the preliminary perception that the Dodgers most well-liked so as to add one other left-handed hitter on the deadline.
However between Conforto’s latest enhancements (even when the Dodgers make one other addition, the left-handed slugger will seemingly nonetheless have a task on the staff), and the truth that backup left-handed- hitting catcher Dalton Dashing just isn’t anticipated to be dealt this week (“I don’t see a world in which he’s moved,” Roberts mentioned of Dashing on Monday), the Dodgers may accommodate something — if it means making a big enchancment to their outfield protection.
