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

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.