Dodgers: Projections in the Outfield Favor LA Adding At Least One More Outfielder
For the Dodgers, Mookie Betts can do it all but perhaps it's still not enough. The loss of Cody Bellinger was a tough pill to swallow, despite his hitting woes, and the Dodgers have yet to find a true replacement for the former MVP.
The Dodgers seemed to at least be in the conversations surrounding Aaron Judge earlier this offseason and perhaps there was hope of the team landing another top free agent outfielder. Of course, none of that panned out and instead the Dodgers are left with Trayce Thompson and James Outman to man the outfield positions next to Betts.
Jason Heyward provides the non-risk signing that some pundits raved about, but this still leaves some glaring concerns. Enough concerns to make experts believe that the Dodgers will make another move to fill out the outfield (via Fan Graphs).
Where ZiPS remains concerned is the non-Mookie outfield positions. Trayce Thompson did terrific work in 2022, and there’s a lot to like about James Outman, but ZiPS is definitely not sold on them necessarily being plan Bs.
The Dodgers seem prepared to roll with their current group.
The LF/CF mix of Thompson, Outman, leftover infielders, Jason Heyward, and a dash of JDM and maybe Bradley Zimmer feels a lot more like the backup plan rather than the one you start April with. It really feels like there should have been a big offseason addition at at least one of these positions.
While options remain limited this doesn't close the door for the Dodgers to at least make a big trade before the deadline. The Dodgers still have plenty of money to work with so chances are something is brewing in the near future.
