4 star free agents Dodgers can sign when lockout ends

3. Kris Bryant

Another one to file away in the “Without Max Muncy…” column.

Even though Kris Bryant never became an iconic Giant (impossible when you don’t advance past the NLDS), it still always feels good to steal a top free agent away from the other 100-win team in your division. Though Chris Taylor’s return lessens the need for both outfield and infield help, Bryant’s versatility makes him uniquely valuable. He can play left field in AJ Pollock’s stead whenever the presumptive starter hits the IL. He can fill in at third base, giving Justin Turner either a half-day’s breather at DH or a full day on the bench. Though it’s less than ideal, KB can also fill the first base slot vacated (presumably) by Muncy for the beginning of the season.

Bottom line, a player like Bryant will start 140+ games when healthy, and he’ll do so all over the diamond. It’s less of a natural fit in LA than the other names on this list, but talent is talent, and there’s a good chance Bryant will be among those scrambling when the curtain rises again on a slumbering offseason.

Steve Cohen might want him. He might be the final jewel in the Mets’ bizarre offseason, which has left their rotation with … potentially a pair of aces, and potentially a pair of injury risks. If Uncle Stevie doesn’t feel like playing around anymore, though, the Dodgers should enter the conversation for the most versatile superstar left on the market — and he’s coming off a bounce-back, 3.3-WAR, 124 OPS+ season to boot.