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The Dodgers made it to game seven of the World Series, but the off-season waits for no one. The Dodgers must decide by the end of Monday whether to bring Logan Forsythe back.
On Sunday the Dodgers made one of their first moves of the 2017 off-season by declining their option on Andre Ethier, which in all likelihood will end his Dodger tenure. By the end of Monday, the Dodgers must decide whether to exercise their 8.5 million team option on second baseman Logan Forsythe. This move will shed some light into what the Dodgers plan on focusing on this winter.
If the Dodgers bring Forsythe back then, that means they will likely start him at second base for the 2018 season. While Forsythe had a subpar 2017 regular season overall, he mashed lefties for the Dodgers and provided a good backup third baseman for days that Justin Turner needed to rest. In the regular season, Forsythe hit .224 with an OPS under .700. Against left-handed pitching, he was much better and hit .290 with a .870 OPS. Forsythe was one of the reasons that the Dodgers did not struggle against southpaws in 2017.
Logan Forsythe was also one of the better players for the Dodgers in their run to winning the National League pennant. In the post-season, Forsythe hit .297 with a .435 on-base percentage. He also provided his usual solid defense and even stole two bases in the playoffs after only stealing three bases all season. How Forsythe performed in the post-season figures to carry more weight to the Dodgers than how he performed in the regular season. After all, the Dodgers are trying to win a World Series title, not the title of the best regular season team.
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If the Dodgers do not bring Forsythe back then it could mean that they plan to pursue an upgrade in free agency, or on the trade market. It could also mean that they could possibly shift Chris Taylor into the every day second base role if they decline Forsythe’s option. Taylor is originally a middle infielder although he shifted to the outfield and played a decent center field. On the trade market , he biggest name figures to be Dee Gordon as he is supposed to be part of new owner Derek Jeter’s off-season purge. It’s hard to see the front office bringing Gordon back after trading him away a few seasons ago.
Another interesting trade target could be Brian Dozier. The Dodgers were linked to Dozier all of last year’s off-season but the Twins were not motivated to deal him away, yet. With Dozier being eligible for free agency after the 2018 season, the Twins could be more reluctant to trade him away if they cannot extend his contract. Neil Walker and Zack Cozart are another pair of middle infielders on the market but both will likely command more than ten million a season which makes Forsythe a solid option for 8.5 millon.
The Dodgers once again have a surplus of outfielders with Andrew Toles coming back for 2018, and they already have Joc Pederson, Alex Verdugo, Trayce Thompson, and even Cody Bellinger could be an outfielder in 2018 if Adrian Gonzalez makes a miraculous comeback. Chris Taylor is also listed as an outfielder for now so the Dodgers could let Taylor take the second base spot if they think a pair of their other outfield options will bring more to the table than Logan Forsythe in 2018.
Next: No World Series title, but a glorious ride for the 2017 Dodgers
The Dodgers should bring Logan Forsythe back for the 2018 season. He broke a toe in his foot early in the 2017 season and tried hard to play through it and impress his new organization which likely led to his subpar regular season performance. Once the playoffs came around he seemed healthy and revitalized and played a big part in the Dodger’s post-season success. Even in the World Series loss he was very good. Regardless of what the Dodgers do with Forsythe’s option, we will get our first glimpse into the Dodgers 2018 plans by what they choose to do with his option.