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.