Dodgers: Who Helps the Dodgers More? Ohtani or Stanton?

If the Dodgers were to acquire Stanton, then the Dodger offense would be much scarier than it currently is.  Adding a bat like Stanton would take the pressure off the heart of the order and guys like Corey Seager, Justin Turner, and Cody Bellinger.  Between Bellinger and Stanton, the Dodgers would have two players capable of hitting 40 home runs or more.  Eighty home runs from two players would be insane.

Stanton would also provide the Dodger offense with some insurance since Chris Taylor and Cody Bellinger could suffer from a sophomore slump.  If Bellinger or Taylor isn’t able to produce like they did this season, then the Dodger offense would be lacking a bat at the top of the order or in the heart of the lineup.  Stanton would mean less pressure on every hitter in the lineup.  You can also make the case that Stanton would thrive even more in LA since there are great hitters around him to protect him and make sure he sees pitches to hit.

Trading for Stanton would give the Dodgers more trade chips to work with.  Since the Marlins are looking to shed payroll and the salary of Stanton, the Dodgers would not need to trade more than one of their top prospects for him.  With an outfield of Stanton, Taylor, and Puig for many more years to come, the Dodgers could use Joc Pederson or Alex Verdugo to shore up the other parts of their team like starting pitching or the bullpen.

The downside to acquiring Stanton would be his massive contract that still has almost 300 million dollars left on it.  That is a ton of money to invest in a single player, and the Dodgers have not shown the willingness to give that kind of money to a player besides Clayton Kershaw.  However, you could make the case that Stanton will be a bargain several years from now when Bryce Harper or Manny Machado sign contracts worth over 400 million.  Stanton would then be signed at a reasonable rate.