Los Angeles Dodgers bargain lineup of the last decade

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WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 07: Justin Turner #10 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a solo home run in the first inning of game four of the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on October 07, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

The Dodgers are always known to be one of the biggest spenders in baseball but over the last decade, they have had plenty of players who provided big contributions for little cost.

The Dodgers are always thought of as one of the biggest spending teams in baseball and they are often accused of trying to “buy” a championship. While that used to be the case, the Dodgers have turned into a more financially conscious team since Andrew Friedman took over and they have yet to sign a player to a record-breaking contract. The team did make a run at Gerrit Cole but ultimately came up short.

Over the last decade, the Dodgers have had high priced players but they have received big-time contributions from players who were not making massive amounts of money. While the team has not turned into the Oakland Athletics or Tampa Bay Rays, they have found ways to find talent on the cheap. These are the players at each position that were the biggest bargain of the last decade that were not Dodger prospects

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 09: Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates his two run home run in the first inning of game five of the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium on October 09, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Best bargains of the last decade: Infield

Catcher: Yasmani Grandal ($16.8 mil from 2015-2018)

The Dodgers landed Yasmani Grandal in a trade that saw them send former franchise player Matt Kemp to the San Diego Padres. Grandal became one of the best catchers in baseball after arriving in Los Angeles and averaged over twenty home runs a season. In addition to his power, he honed his defensive skills becoming a solid backstop and one of the best pitch framers in MLB.

First base: Max Muncy ($489K in 2018, $575K in 2019)

One of the Dodgers’ best transactions in recent seasons was signing Max Muncy to a minor league contract. Who would’ve thought? Muncy has become an underrated slugger in Los Angeles slugging 35 home runs in each of the last two seasons. He was one of the few Dodgers to produce in the disappointing 2019 NLDS. Max now can’t keep fans from hitting him up for autographs.

Second Base: Jamey Carroll (2 years $3.8 million)

Jamey Carroll was signed to be a backup but due to injuries, he became a valuable part of the Dodgers’ 2010 and 2011 clubs. He hit .290 and .291 in each of his two seasons in Los Angeles and joined Aaron Miles to make up a scrappy infield that was ravaged due to injuries. Carroll was the little man that could in Los Angeles and another bargain signing.

Shortstop: Chris Taylor ($535K in 2017, $575K in 2018)

Another one of the unexpected heroes of the decade is Chris Taylor. The Dodgers acquired Taylor in return for disappointing first round bust Zach Lee. Taylor immediately became a part of the Dodger core and his versatility is uber important to a club that values versatility. CT3 was a key part of the 2017 World Series team and will continue to play a big role in 2020.

Third base: Justin Turner ($8.6 million from 2014-2016)

Prior to signing the biggest contract of his career, Justin Turner was another unheralded signing by Ned Colletti. Turner was non-tendered by the New York Mets and thanks to changing his swing by adding a leg kick, Turner morphed into one of the decade’s most important hitters. Now a household name, Justin provided great value in 2015 and 2016 for the Dodgers.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 09: Kike Hernandez #14 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates his home run in the second inning of game five of the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium on October 09, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Best bargains of the last decade: Outfield

Outfield: Enrique Hernandez ($3.1 mil combined from 2015-2018)

While Hernandez is expected to get a nice raise and make around $5.5 million for the 2020 season he has been a big bargain for the Dodgers over the last few seasons. Enrique was acquired with Chris Hatcher and Austin Barnes in the Dee Gordon trade. All Hernandez has done is become a valuable utility player and he will forever be remembered for hitting three home runs to help eliminate the Cubs in the 2017 NLCS.

Outfield: Yasiel Puig (7 years $42 million dollar contract)

Yasiel Puig was a big international signing for the Dodgers but in the end, he ended up a bargain for the thrills he provided in Los Angeles. From his rocket arm to his majestic bat flips, Yasiel Puig was one of the most interesting players of the decade for the Dodgers. Few players could get Dodger Stadium going like the Wild Horse could.

Outfield: Andrew Toles ($1.4 mil combined from 2016-2019)

Since this article is leaving out Dodger prospects, there really isn’t another non-prospect player that was a big bargain for the Dodgers this decade. Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Cody Bellinger, and Joc Pederson are among the Dodger prospects that turned into regulars in the outfield. Along with high priced contracts like A.J. Pollock and Carl Crawford, the Dodgers haven’t had too many bargains in the outfield this decade.

One player who comes to mind is Andrew Toles who was very good and came at a very cheap price as the Dodgers took a flier on him when he wasn’t even in the league. Toles has been away from the Dodgers and may not ever come back but here’s hoping that Andrew is able to get over whatever is troubling him and make a successful return to baseball. Toles has put together an OPS of .792 over parts of three seasons with the Dodgers.

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 27: Pitcher Alex Wood #57 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the ninth inning of Game Four of the 2018 World Series against the Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Best bargains of the last decade: Starting pitcher and reliever

Starting pitcher: Alex Wood (2.8 mil in 2017 breakout season)

Alex Wood was acquired by the Dodgers in one of the most awkward deals of the decade in which the Dodgers took on the contract of Bronson Arroyo who never threw a pitch for them. LA also managed to ship out international signing Hector Olivera who later got into legal trouble. Wood thrived in Los Angeles and went 16-3 in 2017 and pitched one of the Dodgers’ best postseason games ever no-hitting the Astros through 5 2/3 innings in the World Series.

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.Looking back now at the 2017 World Series and the cheating allegations that have come out against the Astros, that is now an even greater performance by Alex Wood. The changeup was one of Wood’s best pitches in Los Angeles and the Astros’ batters seemed to alert each other when a changeup was coming. Wood is now a free agent coming off an injury-plagued season and could be another bargain for whoever picks him up next season.

Reliever: Brandon Morrow ($1.2 mil in 2017)

The other biggest bargain of the decade for pitchers was Brandon Morrow who signed for just $1.2 million in 2017. All Morrow did was become an integral part of the Dodgers’ World Series bullpen and pitch to an ERA of 2.06 while holding the opposition to a .194 average. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, Morrow seemed to burn out in the World Series as he was used in every single game of the World Series.

Morrow parlayed his strong 2017 campaign into a two-year contract with the Chicago Cubs where he was injured and unable to replicate his success from Los Angeles. While the Dodgers missed Morrow in 2018 and 2019, they did the wise thing by letting him move on as he has always been injury-prone and that continued to be the case in Chicago.

Next. LA's rotation is fine without Hyun-Jin Ryu. dark

If Dodger prospects were included in this article then the bargain lineup and pitching staff would be made up of Dodger prospects but leaving them out this was a much tougher lineup to put together. Who would make up your bargain lineup of the decade? Comment below!

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The Dodgers are always known to be one of the biggest spenders in baseball but over the last decade, they have had plenty of players who provided big contributions for little cost.

Best bargains of the last decade: Infield

Best bargains of the last decade: Outfield

Best bargains of the last decade: Starting pitcher and reliever

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