3 ways Dodgers can spend Trevor Bauer’s money in 2022

2. Marcus Semien and Mark Canha

Expect Marcus Semien to get a significant raise on the $18 million he made last year on a one-year pact in Toronto, but … mostly in terms of years of security.

If the Dodgers are so worried about signing Corey Seager and having to move him off short or messing with Trea Turner’s mojo, why not just pay Semien $26 million AAV for five years, move him to second base (where he grades out better anyway), and extend Turner for six or seven seasons? Win-win-win. You’d be getting an elite power/speed/contact combo in the ex-Jays MVP candidate who reportedly prefers the West Coast.

Of course, you would be getting him coming off his greatest season, but … he’s freshly 31. Perhaps he’s peaking, and can keep the window open for another two or three years at least before fading a bit. 45 home runs and 7.2 WAR is hard to argue against, especially because he’s also coming off a third-place MVP finish in 2019 (2020 never happened). Yes, he’s only had two seasons with an OPS+ above 100, but they’ve both just occurred. He might just keep rolling.

As for the rest of the available money? How about a roving, slugging outfield option to lengthen that rotation and round out the bench? Semien’s former A’s teammate Mark Canha is available, and has been practically begging for more exposure on a contender these past few years. He’s posted an OPS+ mark over 111 in each of the past four years, peaking at 146 in 2019. Maybe two years and $14 million to inevitably fill in for AJ Pollock when he goes down and play ~115-120 games?