Dodgers: Lorenzo Cain is Glove at First Sight

This off-season looked like it was going to be one where the Dodgers watch from the sidelines.  After freeing up some payroll wiggle room, the Dodgers can now add an impact player this off-season.

The Dodgers acquisition of Matt Kemp was addition by subtraction as they spread out some payroll obligations over the next two seasons instead of this season.  The Dodgers payroll is now projected to be around 181 million dollars which would leave the Dodgers roughly 15-16 million dollars under the tax line.  The magic number is 197 million, which is the number the Dodgers need to stay under to reset their luxury tax.

The new money available for spending this off-season means the Dodgers could possibly add a player to their already loaded roster and the perfect player for them is Lorenzo Cain.  Cain is one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball and can also swing the bat.  Cain hit .300 this year while smacking 15 home runs and stealing 26 bags.  He would give the Dodgers a true base stealing threat a top the lineup and a true lead off hitter.

Chris Taylor was excellent in 2017, but what would make him even better is if he could hit lower in the lineup to have more chances to hit with runners on base.  Not only would this lengthen the lineup but it would make the Dodgers defense much better.  Chris Taylor was serviceable in center field but he was much better defensively in left field.  Per Fangraphs, Taylor had a DRS rating of 0 in center field, but a DRS o 5 in left field.  Cain manning center field would allow Taylor to be an asset defensively in left field and solidify the lineup.

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As it currently stands the Dodgers figure to let Joc Pederson, Alex Verdugo, Andrew Toles, and possibly Matt Kemp all battle it out for the starting job.  Most expect the Dodgers do deal or dump Kemp given his horrible defense and chemistry killing attitude.  If that is the case then the Dodgers have three decent options in Toles, Verdugo, and Joc.  The problem is Verdugo is unproven, Toles is coming off a major knee injury, and Joc struggled outside of the World Series.

By adding Cain the Dodgers could leave Verdugo in the minors for one more year before bringing him up in 2019 when Forsythe leaves and Chris Taylor shifts to second base.   Joc Pederson could bounce back but he could also go back to struggling and then have zero trade value.  After his World Series performance, the Dodgers could deal Joc away and get something good in return like a starting pitcher or reliever.

There is a chance the Dodgers could be fine with what they currently have but there is also a chance that none of their options pan out.  With Clayton Kershaw in a contract year, now is the time to get a sure bet in Lorenzo Cain.  Cain is a veteran who has been on both sides of winning and losing the World Series and would be a great fit to be a leader for the younger players.  Not to mention an outfield defense out Taylor, Cain, and Puig would be one of the best defensive outfields in baseball.  The Dodger infield is already solid so as a team the Dodgers would be one of if not the best defenses in baseball by adding Cain.

Next: A heartfelt good bye to Adrian Gonzalez

Next year’s free agent class has some big names that can play center field but not many of them are good fits.  Charlie Blackmon hits twice as many home runs as he does at Coors field than he does on the road.  Adam Jones rates poorly on defense in center field, and AJ Pollock seems to get injured every season.  Lorenzo Cain is the best move the Dodgers can make this off-season to shore up their squad and be even better in 2018 than they were in 2017.