Rendon forces Game 7, will he force Dodgers to sign him?
Anthony Rendon is on top of the world. He had a career year in a walk year, he’s not shying away from the spotlight. The Dodgers should take note of this.
Rendon is leading the Washington Nationals offensively and defensively, with his home run and double helping force a Game Seven against Houston this World Series. He’s made plenty of plays at third base and has had plenty of big hits all postseason long, but in Game Six, the first elimination game of the series, he took it to another level.
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In Game Six, Tony Two Bags went 3-4 with a home run, a double, and a walk while driving in five runs. He also made a strong throw across his body while charging to get a crucial out to extend starter Stephen Strasburg’s outing into the ninth inning.
Even if Rendon isn’t the Most Valuable Player in the National League this year (which he really should be), he is certainly one of the best players in the game today, both in the regular season and in the postseason, which is something most of the Dodgers can’t claim.
Rendon’s postseason performance alone demonstrates how important he can be to a club, especially in a short, high-stress series. He’s somehow been even better in the postseason than he was during his career-best regular season. In both the regular season and the playoffs, he’s hit over .330, with an OPS of 1.000 or better, and with a run scored and an RBI drove in once every six at-bats.
He’s one of the best in the game, plain and simple, and he’ll be by far the best right-handed hitter and best infielder available via trade or free agency this offseason. The Dodgers are one of the best and deepest teams in the game, but their stars are not quite in the right spots. They are either too old to be heavily relied upon both in the regular season and in the postseason (think Clayton Kershaw and maybe now Justin Turner), or not postseason performers (think Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager).
As the playoffs have worn on without the Boys in Blue taking the field since the NLDS, Rendon has been proving his worth every single game. He’s the premier right-handed bat in the game, or at least he’s in the conversation, and he’s a Gold Glove finalist. If the Dodgers have a chance to sign him, they need to do so.