Dodgers Open to Different Ways to Address Outfield Need, Says Andrew Friedman
12/12/2024 04:13 PM
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ biggest need at this point in the offseason is adding another outfielder.
As of now, the Dodgers outfield picture consists of Tommy Edman, Michael Conforto, Andy Pages, Chris Taylor, and James Outman.
Edman is going to be the everyday center fielder, while Conforto will be in one of the corner outfield spots. However, there’s a clear need for another corner outfielder, which then could push Pages and Conforto into a potential platoon.
The most obvious option on the free agent market right now is Teoscar Hernández, who’s coming off a career year with the Dodgers in 2024.
While a majority of Dodger fans want to see Hernández back in Los Angeles, as of now, the two sides don’t appear to be on the same page.
Read more: MLB Insider Reveals Hold Up in Teoscar Hernández Signing With Dodgers
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said this week at the Winter Meetings that he was “hopeful” the team would bring back Hernández, but didn’t exactly sound so confident.
Read more:Dodgers 'Hopeful' But Uncertain to Re-Sign Teoscar Hernandez, Says Andrew Friedman
He also made it sound like the team is open to different paths in terms of filling the outfield need.
"There's different ways we can get at this," Friedman said. "We can have a team that has a little bit more power. We can have a team that makes a little bit more contact. We can have a team that plays a little bit better defense. There's just a lot of different ways to get at value and production and winning baseball games. So, with that, it opens some things up."
Hernández would fill the power need, as he clubbed a career-high 33 home runs last season. However, he strikes out as much as anyone in baseball — his 188 strikeouts were tied for fourth-most in MLB — and he plays below-average defense. Conforto is also a below-average defender with a high strikeout rate, so the Dodgers could look to fill those two holes with another acquisition.
If the Dodgers wanted to go in the contact direction, someone like Jurickson Profar — who had just a 15.1 percent strikeout rate in 2024 compared to Hernández’s 28.8 — could be an option. If they wanted to go in the defense direction, someone like Max Kepler — who’s an above-average defender in right field — could be an option.
While Hernández remains the best overall option, the Dodgers will do their due diligence as they put together the best possible roster for 2025 and beyond. Outfielders potentially on the trade market include Kyle Tucker, Luis Robert, Cody Bellinger, and Taylor Ward.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
