Dodgers: It Appears the Dodgers and Adrian Gonzalez Will Play in Mexico

This past weekend there was some exciting news to come from the Los Angeles Times as it was announced the Dodgers will play in Mexico next May against the San Diego Padres.

According to the LA Times, the Dodgers will head to Mexico in early May to play a series against the San Diego Padres.  The exact dates are May 4th to 6th, and the series was initially scheduled to be a road series in San Diego.  There had been rumors in the past couple of months that this was coming and now it is all set pending an official announcement from Major League Baseball.

The Dodgers last played a regular-season series outside of the United States when they opened the 2014 season in Australia against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  That series was a brief two-game series in which Clayton Kershaw emerged with a back injury.  This series is during the regular season, so there is no elevated injury risk.  The Dodgers last played in Monterrey, Mexico for some spring training games in 1991.

The Dodgers and Padres both have a large following in the Mexican community due to their proximity to Mexico, and well-known Mexican baseball players have played for both teams in the past.  The Dodgers currently have Adrian Gonzalez, Alex Verdugo, and Julio Urias who are of Mexican descent, although it’s not guaranteed that any of them will be on the Dodgers next May.  Adrian Gonzalez is fighting to reclaim an everyday role on the 2018 roster, Julio Urias is injured until late next season, and Alex Verdugo is in the crowded outfield mix for 2018.

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Adrian Gonzalez to play in the Mexican winter league

There was also a report that came out on Sunday that Adrian Gonzalez will play in the Mexican winter league this off-season.  Adrian will play for the Charros de Jalisco barring permission from the Mexican league and assuming the Dodgers permitted him to play this winter.  This is an interesting move for the veteran Adrian Gonzalez.

Adrian playing this winter will provide the Dodgers with an early chance to see what Adrian still has left in the tank.  It will also offer Adrian a chance to see how his back holds up to the rigors of playing baseball every day.  If Adrian’s back hinders him once again, then there is a chance the Dodgers release him before opening day, or it’s not inconceivable that Gonzalez could decide to retire himself.

During the Dodgers front office press conference, they mentioned that they are counting on Adrian being an everyday player next season.  Whether that comment was made to elude questions, for the time being, is something that remains to be seen.  The Dodgers could move Cody Bellinger to left or center field if Gonzalez returns to form, but at this stage of Gonzalez’s career, that has a low probability of happening.

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There is no doubt that the Dodgers lineup would be even deeper next season if Adrian Gonzalez returns to 80% of what he once was but after a dismal showing in 2017 I would not bet on that.  The Dodgers are most likely going forward with the idea that Adrian Gonzalez will not be an every day player in 2018 and if he somehow ressurects his career then that would be a good problem to have to address.