Los Angeles Dodgers: All of the biggest busts of the 2010s

Despite seven-straight NL West titles and two World Series tries, the Dodgers front office has made plenty of mistakes over the last decade.

That has meant a long track record of successful trades and signings for the front offices of Ned Colletti and Andrew Friedman, even if neither could bring a parade to LA.

From deadline acquisitions like Yu Darvish and Manny Machado to salary-dump deals that brought Adrian Gonzalez back to the West Coast, the Dodgers have made plenty of notable moves over the last decade. Headliners like Manny Ramirez and Hanley Ramirez found homes in LA for the early part of the decade, while homegrown stars like Matt Kemp and Dee Gordon found themselves being shipped off during the middle part of the decade.

These marquee names were largely out-of-towners who came in to try and help supplement the prospects that had graduated up to the big league level, like Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen early in the decade, and Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, and Walker Buehler over the last four seasons.

Big names and high-profile prospects aren’t all that’s helped the Dodgers rise to the top of the NL West though. Rehabilitation projects and fresh starts for players like Justin Turner, Brandon Morrow, and plenty more.

But even with all of the success and bargain-bin acquisitions, the decade has seen plenty of front office gaffs and blunders (though none could rival the 2008 season of Andruw Jones). For every Chris Taylor or Max Muncy, there have been plenty of notable mistakes, often with large price tags attached.

In this article, I’ll give a brief run-through of all of the notable Dodgers busts (not including minor league prospects), going around the diamond by dividing things up into the infield, the outfield, and the pitching staff. The divisions are meant to help organize things, and also to demonstrate just how many mistakes the front office has made.

Let’s get into it.

All-Decade Busts: The Infield

Brian Dozier- Meant to help stabilize the roster during the tumultuous 2018 sprint for the postseason, the previously-powerful second baseman fell on hard times at the plate. The former AL All-Star hit just .182 with five home runs during his 47 games with the Boys in Blue, finding himself on the bench during the majority of the postseason (in his seven playoff plate appearances, he failed to reach base).

Alberto Callaspo- The five-foot-nine utility infielder played in 60 games for the Dodgers in 2015 before being released. In those 60 games, he had less than 150 plate appearances, none of which yielded a home run. At least he hit .260, even if he finished his stint with the team (and as a major leaguer) without reaching double digits in runs or RBI.

Howie Kendrick- In one of the stranger front office maneuvers of the decade, Kendrick was part of a series of moves that saw the Dodgers send Dee Gordon to the Miami Marlins and prized pitching prospect Andrew Heaney to the (LA) Angels of Anaheim. Both of these players ended up making their presence felt with their new teams, but the same could not be said of Kendrick, at least until he knocked the Dodgers out of the 2019 NLDS. As a Dodger, Kendrick had a promising 2015 season that was cut short by injuries (nine homers, six steals, .295 AVG in 117 games, good for 2.4 WAR), but in 2016, the veteran second baseman hit just .255, the lowest single-season mark of his career, putting up a meager 0.8 WAR (his worst full-season mark).

Logan Forsythe- After a career-year with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016 (20 home runs and .263/.333/.444 triple-slash), the second baseman was dealt to the Dodgers as a consolation prize for Brian Dozier and to replace Howie Kendrick. Forsythe failed to live up to the hype though, hitting just eight homers in over 800 plate appearances in LA. Before being sent off to Minnesota in 2018, Forsythe did have some big moments during the 2017 postseason, but those don’t make up for the regular season lackluster performances he put together.

Honorable Mentions- Austin Barnes, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utely, James Loney 

All-Decade Busts: Relief Pitchers (and Scott Kazmir)

Jim Johnson- Johnson came from the Atlanta Braves with Alex Wood all the way back in 2015. At six-foot-six, Johnson was not only one of the tallest relievers in the majors, he also was amongst the best. Across the 2012 and 2013 seasons, Johnson racked up over 100 saves, good enough to earn All-Star game recognition and to lead all of baseball in saves in both seasons. The imposing former closer pitched in 18 regular-season games for the Dodgers with a 10.13 ERA that was largely due to a 25% HR/FB rate.

Brian Wilson– A classic Dodgers bounceback candidate, Wilson had not pitched in over a year before LA picked him up, thanks to the second TJ surgery of his career. In his small stint with LA in 2013, Wilson was lights out, with a 0.66 ERA in 13.2 innings, but in 2014, it all came crashing down. After a dominant stretch the season before, 2014 saw Wilson walk rate double, which ballooned his ERA from 0.66 to 4.66, ultimately ending his MLB career.

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Sergio Romo-  Another former Giants closer, Romo is one of the few players on this list who is still in the MLB. Romo pitched just 25 innings for the Dodgers this decade as a 2017 addition, and despite striking out more than 11 hitters per nine, his 6.12 ERA and 4.32 BB/9 marks meant he did not fit in with a team looking to win a World Series. Romo’s stint in LA was the worst in his career, especially in terms of ERA and BB/9, as he never had numbers anywhere close to these even after he left LA.

Brandon League– One of the worst signings of the decade, League’s performance varied wildly over the course of his time with LA. After coming over from the Seattle Mariners via trade in 2012, League finished up the season with a 2.30 ERA while with the Dodgers. League went on to pitch two more seasons with the Dodgers, with a dreadful 2013 and a solid bounceback in 2014. In 2013, League’s ERA soared above 5.00, largely due to the long ball. Despite allowing zero homers in 2012 and 2014, League allowed a HR/FB rate of over 19% in 2013, which helped knock him out of the closer’s role and (a few seasons later) out of the MLB.

Scott Kazmir- One of the worst starters of the decade for the Boys in Blue, Kazmir, like League, landed an expensive extension with LA that served to backfire in the faces of the front office. In 2016, Kazmir pitched far below expectations, following up his resurgent 2015 season with a 4.56 ERA in 26 starts with the Dodgers. After missing all of the 2017 season, the lefty was dealt to the Atlanta Braves during the 2017-18 offseason in a salary dump move for LA.

Honorable Mentions- Sergio Santos, Yimi Garcia, Paco Rodriguez, Javy Guerra

Ultimately, the Dodgers had more success during the 2010s decade than many fans give them credit for, but certainly, despite all of the acclaim, the Dodgers front office displayed time and time again that they were only human.