Dodgers: 5 free agents to target if MLB gives NL the DH spot

Marcell Ozuna

Marcell Ozuna would be the perfect multi-year option for the Dodgers.

Marcell Ozuna is another player that has been tied to the Dodgers this offseason. In fact, I recently wrote an article detailing how Ozuna could be a plan B option if the team is unable to re-sign Justin Turner.

Ozuna is not a good fielder, but he still could play left field, opening the door for Chris Taylor to move over to third base in place of Turner. Then again, Ozuna is much more likely to come to LA if the universal DH is adopted, as the Dodgers would be able to field their best possible lineup.

Ozuna coming to LA without Turner would lead to A.J. Pollock being the everyday left fielder with Taylor and Zach McKinstry as the team’s utility players. Taylor and Edwin Rios would split time at third base, giving the Dodgers a deep lineup against both righties and lefties.

Like Cruz, Ozuna can rake. He was one of the best hitters in the entire league last season and probably should have been a finalist for the National League MVP award. The slugger led MLB in home runs (18), RBIs (56) and total bases (145). He hit .338 with a 1.067 OPS.

Ozuna played all 60 games as well. Just assuming he played all 162 games as the DH (which is possible but unlikely), Ozuna was on pace to hit 48 home runs, drive in 151 RBIs and record 391 total bases.

Like I did with Cruz, I do have to mention the potential drawbacks. There’s the possibility that the Dodgers get locked into a multi-year deal with Ozuna and he does not produce at the level that is expected of him. After all, his performance in 2020 doesn’t at all define his career track record.

Ozuna hit a much more modest 29 home runs with 89 RBIs and a .800 OPS in 2019. Prior to 2020, he had just one full season with an OPS above .900. His numbers from 2013 to 2019 look awfully similar to a player that the Dodgers recently traded away.

In that span, Ozuna hit .272 with a .784 OPS, 148 home runs and 538 RBIs in 931 games. In that same span, Yasiel Puig hit .277 with an .823 OPS, 132 home runs and 415 RBIs in 861 games. Just some food for thought.

Edwin Encarnacion

The Dodgers could snag Edwin Encarnacion on the cheap.

It’s easy to look at Edwin Encarnacion’s 2020 season and shudder at the thought of the Dodgers signing him. He was not good. Like, really not good. He hit .157 with a .627 OPS, 10 home runs and 19 RBIs.

Encarnacion just could not get going and he’s at the age where regression is prominent, like with Cruz. However, there’s one benefit of taking the risk on Encarnacion and seeing if he can regain his old form in LA: it would allow the team to re-sign Justin Turner.

Encarnacion is not going to get a big offer after coming off such a bad season. The Dodgers would have the funds to not only re-sign Turner but also bring Encarnacion in on a cheap deal to provide DH at-bats.

Spotrac places Encarnacion’s market value at $5.4 million, but I would be shocked if he got that much. I could see him getting a one-year, $3 million deal with the Dodgers if they were really interested.

Encarnacion still has some pop in his bat and he was good in 2019, when he slugged 34 home runs with 86 RBIs and had an .875 OPS. He could essentially be the right-handed version of Joc Pederson for this team, providing power and a high OPS.

While Cruz or Ozuna would slot right in the middle of the order, with JT back, Encarnacion would be pushed farther down the order, and that’s just fine. Just imagine a Betts, Seager, Turner, Muncy, Smith, Bellinger, Encarnacion, Lux, Pollock lineup against left-handed pitcher. Deadly.

Ryan Braun

How about a trade for Ryan Braun, Dodgers fans?!

The Dodgers (in recent years) have been known for bringing aging veterans aboard to fill a roster vacancy or bench spot. Chase Utley was a mentor for several seasons, then it was David Freese, and then it was Russell Martin in 2019. The Dodgers did not really have that in 2020, but could they bring it back in 2021?

What if they bring in Ryan Braun, who’s eternally hated by Dodgers fans? Not only did Braun steal Matt Kemp’s MVP award in 2011 with worse numbers, but he then tested positive for PEDs.

That’s all water under the bridge now, though. Perhaps this is finally the offseason where the Dodgers bring in the guy that has been connected to the team in trade rumors for years.

Braun, like Encarnacion, did not have a good 2020 season. He hit .233 with a .769 OPS after a really good 2019 campaign. To be fair, it was a 60-game season and a smaller sample size.

Braun’s best days are obviously behind him, but he still can be a really valuable masher off the bench against left-handed pitching. The Dodgers don’t really have that right now.

The Dodgers would also make this move in tandem with Justin Turner, and Braun could be the DH against southpaws while someone such as Edwin Rios could be in the lineup against right-handed pitching.

His role would be near-identical to Freese’s in 2018, except Braun would benefit playing more as the DH. The Brewers are in an odd spot right now and could be convinced to make a move and re-tool a bit.

Adam Duvall

Adam Duvall was mashing before getting injured and missing the NLCS vs the Dodgers.

The Atlanta Braves lost Adam Duvall early in the NLCS against the Dodgers when he injured his oblique on a foul ball in his first at-bat of the series. He’s now a free agent and with Cristian Pache waiting in the wings, chances are Duvall will be elsewhere in 2021.

He would be an interesting DH option for the Dodgers. My one problem with Duvall is that he’s pretty much another version of AJ Pollock, but if the team can get deeper with another bat, it might as well go for it.

Duvall shouldn’t get a big contract offer and could be another cheap alternative. He’s another player that would likely only receive a one-year deal worth $3-4 million.

He’s another example of the big power bat who does not hit for average but could provide some pop to the back end of the Dodgers lineup. Over his last 98 games played, Duvall has slugged 26 home runs and 52 RBIs to go along with a .248 average and .852 OPS.

Again — essentially a right-handed version of Joc Pederson.

Duvall should be able to put up those kinds of numbers on a loaded Dodgers team and would primarily play against left-handed pitching, which is where he has been better the last two years. He’s not as bad against righties as Joc was against lefties, though, so that’s a plus.

Another low-cost option that could turn out to be a steal for LAD.

Dodgers should swipe Trevor Story after Nolan Arenado thievery

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