3 current Los Angeles Dodgers players who will be gone by May 1

Austin Wynns

This may come as a shock to some, but Austin Wynns, a journeyman catcher who couldn't hit water if he fell into the ocean, may not be long for this club.

That's not to say that he doesn't bring value in other ways, because he certainly does. While offense has never been his strong suit, the 32-year-old has developed a reputation as a strong defensive catcher who excels at calling games behind the plate. He is a well-respected backstop and fits the mold of defensive-minded student of the game that all backup catchers used to have back in the day.

Last year, Wynns made a career-high 65 appearances for the division-rival Giants, hitting three home runs and functioning as a backup to Joey Bart in San Francisco. He made it into just one game for the club this year before being designated for assignment and later released.

Two days later, the Dodgers picked him up once Will Smith went down with an injury. It's not that there weren't internal options on-hand to replace Smith, but Wynns was likely the top option. Down in Triple-A, former big leaguers Patrick Mazeika and David Freitas are playing out minor league contracts, but neither have done much in the big leagues and don't quite carry the same weight as Wynns does (which ... is saying something).

Regardless of what Wynns does or does not bring to the table, he's surely going to be cut loose once Smith returns from the concussion IL. He's out of minor league options and seems destined for a return to the open market in the next few days.