Dodgers: 3 reasons Trevor Bauer signing derailed 2021 season

2. Dodgers’ Depth Was Affected

Speaking of letting those players go, we’re referring to Joc Pederson and Kiké Hernandez, both of whom were postseason revelations. Pederson is in the World Series right now with the Atlanta Braves and Hernandez made MLB playoff history with the Boston Red Sox.

We know it was impossible for the Dodgers to keep both. Hernandez would’ve been especially difficult because he wanted more playing time in the form of a starting job, which was something the Dodgers couldn’t offer with Cody Bellinger in center field and top prospect Gavin Lux in need of a promotion.

But Pederson could’ve easily fit. In fact, he told reporters after Game 2 of the NLCS that he actually approached the Dodgers last offseason and said wanted to stay and make it work. Everyone continues to rebuke that with “but Joc wanted to be a starter, it wouldn’t have been possible,” while ignoring what Pederson himself said.

And Mookie never would’ve re-signed in Boston anyway, right? Listen to yourselves.

And even so, that argument doesn’t hold any weight. Joc “in a starting role” this past season received 429 at-bats. With the Dodgers, he received 450 in 2019, 395 in 2018, 406 in 2016 and 480 in 2015. LA always found time for him. They made the mistake of thinking they could bolster their roster with Bauer and let an October legend take a one-year, prove-it deal in free agency.

They also let Jake McGee and Alex Wood go to the San Francisco Giants, which played a role in LA losing the division and being taxed beyond belief by the time the NLCS arrived.

Don’t sit here and tell us that the front office’s grand plan of creating a super rotation didn’t affect the rest of the team’s depth. Because it did.

1. New Direction at Trade Deadline … and Now What for the Offseason?

Bauer being kicked to the curb in late June forced the Dodgers to go out at the trade deadline and make the blockbuster deal of the decade, acquiring Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Washington Nationals.

OK, to be fair, any Scherzer trade would’ve made sense with or without Bauer, because Dustin May was lost for the year months before and Clayton Kershaw was dealing with elbow issues.

But Scherzer was never going to be enough to carry this entire staff alongside Walker Buehler and Julio Urías, both of whom blew past their career-high innings marks and were clearly worn down in late October. Scherzer, an aging arm himself, dealt with fatigue and couldn’t pitch in Game 6 of the NLCS because of it. The man’s a workhorse, but he’s also 37 years old and hasn’t thrown over 180 innings since 2018.

Bauer’s contract, which will now likely weigh down the Dodgers for two more years, may have played a role in the Turner acquisition because of Corey Seager’s projected offseason price tag. The Dodgers shortstop will hit free agency soon and some are speculating it’ll take a contract in the 10-12-year range to keep him. The Dodgers have given out one contract in excess of eight years, and that was to Mookie Betts, who’s a transcendent five-tool player.

We’re not saying Seager isn’t worthy of the big bucks, but he’s had trouble staying on the field and carries defensive concerns as he approaches 30 years old. With Bauer’s remaining $63 million expected to hamper the team in the short term, do you not think that played a role in the move to get Turner instead of working to keep the status quo with Seager, who was a driving force in helping the team win its first World Series in 32 years?

Getting Turner wasn’t a bad move, but he did cost the team dearly with his terrible postseason, especially when you consider the Dodgers definitely needed a center fielder and/or a backup first baseman much more than they needed a shortstop playing out of position at second base. And that was evident before Max Muncy’s injury. Cody Bellinger was having an all-time horrible season and neither Albert Pujols nor Matt Beaty proved they could handle full-time duties if it came down to it. Bellinger could … but then who would play center field? Gavin Lux, who you resented for a few bad plays out there when he got the chance?

Let’s just say in the offseason the Dodgers don’t pursue Bauer. They opt to keep Alex Wood and go after a combination of Charlie Morton/Robbie Ray/Anthony DeSclafani/Marcus Stroman/Taijuan Walker instead of signing Cole Hamels and trading for Danny Duffy, both of whom never pitched an inning for LA?

Hindsight is 20/20 here, but there were A LOT of other scenarios that could’ve drastically improved the Dodgers that didn’t involve Bauer.

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