Dodgers Way Team Makes A Big Splash on the Hypothetical Trade Market

J.D. Martinez, Outfielder

I would like to note that the Dodgers aren’t in any dire need to make a big splash as we did in this hypothetical trade. At 20 games over .500, they are already looking like the team to beat out of the National League, and a big reason for that has been their white-hot offensive production.But let’s dive into J.D. Martinez and why he would help the club.

Martinez is a 29-year-old right fielder who’s contract is due to expire at the end of this season. Martinez is hitting .301/.393/.667 with 12 home runs and 27 RBI in only 36 games this season. Those stats translate to a 1.1 WAR in just a quarter of the season.

J.D. has been limited this season to only 36 games due to a sprained foot to start the season, but since he’s returned, he’s looked like his usual self in the games he’s played. Martinez brings a great deal of power upside from the right side of the plate to a Dodger lineup that is very lefty-heavy regarding power numbers.

The Dodgers right-handed hitters have hit 44 home runs compared to the 51 homers hit by left-handers. While those splits don’t look anything game changing, it’s worth noting that bench players have hit the majority of those right-handed home runs.

Yasiel Puig currently leads the Dodgers’ righties with 12 home runs and Chris Taylor is a close second with 9. Outside of those two everyday players, the rest of their everyday lineup has less than six from the right side of the plate. Adding a power bat like Martinez, who has hit 20+ home runs in his past three seasons brings balance to the middle of the order.

Slotting Martinez fifth in the order gives a nice left-right-left-right lineup turn around (2-5) could bring a big boost to the team RBI numbers. This also brings a power bat behind Bellinger to protect him who has already seen five intentional walks this season.

Martinez would move from right to left field and would allow Taylor to reassume his role as the everyday centerfield now with Pederson gone. Martinez has a WAR better than Pederson by a full point if you’re wondering what the drop off is. When comparing the two defensive play this season Martinez also ranks slightly better than Joc with a league average defensive runs saved rating.

Marinez has a high 55% hard hit rate this season and has a higher walk rate, slash rate, and wRC+ rating better than Joc (169 to 97). All signs show that statistically, Martinez will improve the Dodgers offense while not sacrificing much on defense.

Although he’s in a contract year, the Dodgers could also look to resign him to a long-term deal. At only 29-years-old the Dodgers could very well ink him to a four-year deal similar to one that they gave Turner this offseason and keep him in the lineup with Seager, Turner, and Bellinger. Martinez is making an $18.5m this season and could see a contract along the lines of 4-years $80m. But if he gives the Dodgers that extra boost to win the World Series, we think he’s worth it.

Joc Pederson, Outfield

Well to start, in order to acquire a big piece like Martinez you either need to deplete your farm system or offer up some major league talent. We all know how Andrew Friedman values his prospects and we’re witnessing firsthand why that’s a good approach. So, unfortunately, this meant a need to part ways with an MLB talent like Joc Pederson.

Pederson has been viewed as a lost prospect since his 2014 call-up. Once touted as the Dodgers best prospect, he’s really struggled to live up to his 25-25 potential. Perhaps worse for Pederson is that he struggles to make contact and suffers from a low career batting average of .223 with a 27.7% strikeout rate.

We know the potential to hit home runs is there as evident from his back to back 25 home runs seasons, but the all around production hasn’t quite been there for Pederson. Although he’s the oldest of the young highly touted prospects that the Dodgers’ have on their roster (25), he still has plenty of time to put all his tools together.

But if you’re the Dodgers and have a Championship window that may be narrowly closing because you have an aging ace in Clayton Kershaw, do you wait it out for the chance he puts it all together?

I’ll also add the fact that Pederson is another left-handed hitter. With Seager, Bellinger, Grandal, and Utley all potentially being in the lineup at once, Pederson doesn’t add a lot of versatility. Which is also part of the problem for Joc, he’s turning into a platoon player.

I love Pederson more than most Dodger fans, but if he offers the possibility of bringing in a rental bat to win this year, I’m afraid he needs to be a casualty of the owner’s urgency to win.

Willie Calhoun, Second Base 

As we’ve mentioned before when creating the Dodgers future prospect lineup, Willie Calhoun is one of the better Dodger prospects they have. In fact coming into the season, Calhoun ranked in the top 5 in our prospect rankings for the Dodgers. So why move him?

Calhoun likely won’t make an impact this season because of the Dodgers depth and Logan Forsythe holding down second base.

Calhoun’s potential window to break onto the Dodgers MLB roster will be next season if the Dodgers don’t elect to resign Logan Forsythe. The chances of the Dodgers resigning Forsythe are slim, and in my opinion, the front office will only do so if it’s at a discounted rate.

That being said, our team was willing to part ways with Calhoun because they have that depth that much of the MLB so badly desires. Assuming Forsythe is gone and Calhoun is moved this trade deadline this opens up an everyday roster spot for Chris Taylor.

Taylor who is currently shuffling around the field in the outfield and the middle infield will be the leading candidate to take the starting second base job come 2018. This allows an opening in the Dodgers outfield for the perhaps most polished prospect, Alex Verdugo, or even Rob Segedin.

Taylor’s flexibility to play in both the infield and outfield allow the Dodgers to trade prospects from either the infield or the outfield. It would come down to who the front office feels is ready for a starting role and at this point, Alex Verdugo has shown enough to fall into that role.

This is no knock on Calhoun by any means. He’s a solid run producer with surprising power for his size. But this move would be a fallout of the win now mentality.

Would the Dodgers actually make this big of a splash?

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Probably not. The club is 20 games over .500, and the offense is in the middle of perhaps their best run since 2013. There’s no need for the Dodgers to make a big move that could potentially jeopardize the future of the organization.

The club is 20 games over .500, and the offense is in the middle of perhaps their best run since 2013. There’s no need for the Dodgers to make a big move that could potentially jeopardize the future of the organization.

It wouldn’t be the first time the Dodgers were linked to a big name bat or pitcher that’s on the market. But we’ve seen time and time again that Andrew Friedman is reluctant to sell the farm for one season’s success.

Although J.D. Martinez would be that extra bat to push the Dodgers’ lineup over the edge, I don’t think he’s by any means more important than sacrificing the future of a few young players that are still under control by the Dodgers for the next four years.

I don’t think Martinez being a “rental” player would be a deciding factor in this decision. We’ve seen Friedman make trades for rentals with expiring contracts before and still give up a few prospects (Josh Reddick and Logan Forsythe). I simply just don’t see a big need at the moment.

The Dodgers are dominating their opponents and are doing so without being at full strength with Gonzalez on the DL and Pederson, Forsythe, and Puig struggling. However, even with that they still find themselves atop the NL.

Sometimes the best move a club makes is the move they don’t make.

Next: J.T. Elite?

What do you think? Do you think the Dodgers should make a move for J.D. Martinez? Do you think they should part ways with Joc Pederson? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter and Facebook. We’re curious to see who you see as a potential upgrade.