Dodgers: Time for the Club to Part Ways with Thompson and Font

The Dodgers are nearing their final cuts as there is only one week left until opening day.  The club will need to make the tough cuts and part ways with a couple of players.

With exactly one week left until Clayton Kershaw throws the first pitch of the Dodgers season, it is time for the Dodgers to finalize their roster.  While most of the cuts will be sending players down to the minor leagues, there are a couple of players who are out of options.  Those two are Trayce Thompson and Wilmer Font.

Wilmer Font is coming off an impressive 2017 season with the Oklahoma City Dodgers.  Font posted a 10-8 record with a 3.42 ERA in a very hitter-friendly league.  He struck out an impressive 178 batters in 138 plus innings and was a Triple-A all-star.  Font has struggled this spring, and ultimately he has fallen out of the Dodgers plans.

Even with Brandon McCarthy gone and the Dodgers starting pitching depth trimmed a bit, there are still too many starters that are ahead of Font on the depth chart to justify keeping Font.  Walker Buehler, Ross Stripling, and Brock Stewart all are ahead of Font on the starting pitching depth chart.  At 27, Font is no longer a prospect, and while he would be nice depth to have, the Dodgers have no room to keep him on the opening day roster.

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Trayce Thompson’s time as a Dodger is also coming to an end.  Thompson showed some signs of hope when he slugged thirteen home runs in 2016 and was able to play all three outfield positions.  Since 2016, Trayce has been hampered by various injuries and underwent back surgery last season.  He struggled in the majors last season hitting only .122, and in Triple-A he only hit .212.

Like Font, Trayce Thompson would be another nice insurance option to have on the roster but he has slipped since his 2016 showing, and the Dodgers are loaded with outfielders.  Even if Matt Kemp is eventually dealt away, Andrew Toles, Joc Pederson, and Kiké Hernandez are all ahead of Trayce on the depth chart.  In the minor leagues, Alex Verdugo is ready and raring to go if injury strikes a Dodger outfielder.

The Dodgers are rumored to be shopping Trayce Thompson, but it is unlikely that they will find a team willing to trade for him since the consensus is that he will be released soon.  There are no rumors as of now regarding Wilmer Font, but he is in the same boat as Thompson in that clubs are not going to give up anything for him with his release seeming imminent.

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There is no doubt that Trayce Thompson and Wilmer Font will find another job on another major league team but the Dodgers are as deep as any team in baseball and there is no room for average backup players.  Font and Thompson are marginal big league players in the AAAA mold, so the Dodgers can cut them and not regret it later on.