James Outman's departure via Twins trade has Dodgers fans wondering what could've been

On July 26, 2023, James Outman showed all of Los Angeles exactly how good he could be in their comeback win over the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Outman, who was in his first full season with the Dodgers, reached base five times in the Dodgers’ comeback win over the Blue Jays that was punctuated by Outman lining a walk-off double to center field.

A little more than two years later, Outman’s Dodgers career ended in an unceremonious trade where the 28-year-old was flipped to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for old friend Brock Stewart. 

While Outman was able to provide Dodgers fans with one last gift by helping the team get Stewart, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that his time with the franchise will always be a case of “what if.” 

James Outman's departure via Twins trade has Dodgers fans wondering what could've been

A former top prospect, Outman briefly appeared in four games with the Dodgers in 2022 before announcing his presence in 2023 with a strong rookie season. In total, Outman finished the year with a .248/.353/.437 slashline with 23 home runs, 70 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting behind Kodai Senga and Corbin Carroll. 

That also ended up being the highlight of his time with the Dodgers. 

Outman opened 2024 as the team’s starting centerfielder, but was demoted to Triple-A in May after hitting just .147 over his first 36 games. He finished the year with a .147 batting average in 53 games. 

He didn’t go much better this year, going 4-for-39 through 44 plate appearances before getting traded. And while those struggles didn’t help him earn a spot on this year’s team, he likely would have been traded regardless, given the other options on the team’s roster. 

Andy Pages has put together a strong season and has a stranglehold on centerfield, while Teoscar Hernández has right field and Michael Conforto has left field (for now). 

Outman hasn’t done anything to prove he earns a bench spot and was just toiling in Triple-A, so Andrew Friedman was smart to deal him away, even if they likely would have wanted more for a guy who was once a Rookie of the Year candidate. 

This isn’t the first time the Dodgers have found themselves in this situation, as former top prospects Michael Busch and Miguel Vargas were also made expendable in recent years due to the team’s glut of major leaguers. 

Outman will now get plenty of opportunities on the rebuilding Twins. He’s also not eligible for free agency until 2030, so he’ll have plenty of time to turn this trade into a win for Minnesota. 

But even if he catches fire with the Twins, it won’t change the fact that this was the right move for the current iteration of the Dodgers.

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