Dodgers: Comparing pros and cons of rumored third basemen targets

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HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 30: Anthony Rendon #6 of the Washington Nationals hits a solo home run against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning in Game Seven of the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 30, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

Over the past few days, the Dodgers have been rumored to be interested in signing both Anthony Rendon and Josh Donaldson.

These two third basemen are arguably the top two players at the hot corner that are available via free agency, and maybe in general. If the Dodgers could acquire either of them, it would surely be a beneficial move for the defense, for the lineup, and more than likely for the clubhouse as well, as both players are veterans who have led teams into the postseason before.

The Dodgers failed to get past the Washington Nationals in the 2019 postseason. Even though the Nats went on to win the World Series, they really, on paper, should not have beat the Dodgers. Even so, the Dodgers and the front office certainly must feel pressure coming from the fans to improve at all (reasonable) costs.

Both of these free agents would only cost cash and a late second round draft pick, which is far less than a player of their caliber would cost on the trade market. This makes for the perfect storm. The team has a chance to fill their needs without making use of a trade market that would not be likely to be especially kind to a front office known to bring the best out of undervalued players.

The front office needs to make use of a bountiful market for hitters, especially third baseman, that exists this offseason, but they should be sure to be aware of the positives and negatives that surround both of the aforementioned players.

In this article, I’ll break down the established pros and cons of each (past and present) super-star third baseman.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 09: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Atlanta Braves hits a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fourth inning in game five of the National League Division Series at SunTrust Park on October 09, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

Pros for each slugger

For Rendon, there are plentiful reasons he’d make a great sign for the Dodgers. Here’s how I wrote about him after Game Six of the World Series:

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).

Rendon obviously solves the Dodgers problems on basically every important level. He’s a postseason performer, he’s a powerful righty bat, and he plays third base, which is a position that the Dodgers could serve to upgrade defensively. There is not much else that the team needs him to improve upon.

For Donaldson, he fits in favorably as well based on the same criteria used to argue for Rendon. He hits from the right side with power that is far above league average, and he plays a solid defense as well. Here’s how I supported Donaldson once the rumors broke:

Fangraphs had Donaldson at a 4.9 WAR in 2019, his best season since his 5.1 WAR season with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017. Last season, to compile all that WAR, Donaldson hit 37 home runs with 190 runs+RBI with a .259/.379/.521 triple-slash line. He even made a positive contribution on defense for the NL East champions, as he had his best defensive runs saved season since 2014 with the Oakland Athletics. He really is a stud, and a veteran right-handed bat with plenty of power and defensive skill.

There’s no way to separate either of these players from their 2019 success or their long track records of success in general. But both players do have some negative aspects that have gone overlooked since the rumors broke that really should not go overlooked.

HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 29: Anthony Rendon #6 of the Washington Nationals throws out the runner against the Houston Astros during the eighth inning in Game Six of the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 29, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Cons for each player

Even though both players have plenty of pros, each comes with somewhat significant cons.

Rendon’s negatives come mostly due to his likely contract size. He is predicted to be guaranteed a deal that is, conservatively, six-eight or more years of around $30-$35 million in average annual value. That is a price tag that scared the Dodgers away from former-Nationals All-Star Bryce Harper last winter. There are arguments to be made that Rendon is even better than Harper, so it really is likely Rendon will get a nice, juicy contract.

The Dodgers current front office does not pay out mega-deals, plain and simple. So despite all of the buzz surrounding Rendon and the Dodgers, the front office is likely just doing its due diligence and is not really actively pursuing Tony Two Bags.

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Donaldson does not provide the mega-deal concerns since he’s not likely to earn more than a three-year deal. But still, having the Bringer of Rain under contract for his age 34, 35, and 36 seasons could become problematic later in the deal, or even right away, sort of like what happened to A.J. Pollock.

The only counter I could bring against that argument is that Donaldson was far superior to Pollock in the two seasons before 2020, and that his injury history is far less extensive and less recent. Donaldson also does not play a position like a centerfield that is predicated on speed. Donaldson’s arm is fully intact, as are his quick reflexes, based on last season, and as third baseman like Adrian Beltre would tell you, those sorts of skills don’t just rapidly diminish for most stars. There certainly is a risk of this happening though.

For both players, there could be a problem surrounding how well they’d fit into the team’s fabric. While both are leaders and both have been considered positive influences in their respective locker rooms in the past, clubhouse chemistry certainly is finicky. Adding a big star to lighten the load of stars currently on the team implies both change and past failures, something that may not be positive for some players.

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Regardless of the risk, the Dodgers should certainly continue to engage in talks with both of these free agents to see if a reasonable and equally beneficial deal can be struck.

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