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3 most difficult decisions Dodgers must make before end of spring training
There's plenty still to sort out for the offseason's champions.
The Dodgers' rotation and Opening Day lineup are inarguably among the best in baseball, made up of 14 of the best players in the sport. And that's not all — more are right behind them; Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw will both be joining at different points during the season to make the rotation even more fearsome.
But nothing is perfect. The Dodgers might not have the same massive, glaring problems that some teams (*cough* Padres *cough*) possess, with very little time to iron things out before spring training ends, but there are still things that LA can improve on and moves they can make to strengthen the roster even further before Opening Day in Seoul.
3 difficult decisions the Dodgers could make before spring training ends
Replace Austin Barnes with a top prospect
Austin Barnes, longtime Dodgers backup catcher, has been flailing for years. His best offensive year was in 2017, the only year he's appeared in more than 100 games, when he hit .289/.408/.486, and his best defensive year was 2018, when he posted an elite fielding run value behind the plate. He hasn't been the same since then, and in 2023 he played 59 games and hit for a .180 average with a .498 OPS.
The Dodgers might feel comfortable keeping him for the time being because Will Smith is so reliable and Barnes still has a year left on his contract extension before a club option hits, but would the $3.5 million they still owe him really be so hard to eat if they DFA'ed him? Such a maneuver would also mean the Dodgers would have a more reliable catching platoon.
The Dodgers have three top catcher prospects at spring training — Dalton Rushing, an NRI and No. 1 Dodgers prospect; Hunter Feduccia, a holdover on the 40-man after being saved from the Rule 5 draft; and Diego Cartaya, the team's current No. 2 prospect. Rushing and Cartaya might need some more time to develop in the minors, but Feduccia is the oldest of the three at 26, and his numbers over 90 games in Triple-A last year looked great.
Who knows why the Dodgers have kept Barnes around this long? Maybe the plan was to wait for Rushing, Feduccia, or Cartaya to be ready to learn the intricacies of the pitching staff. If that's true, then now's the time.
Trade Miguel Vargas
Vargas, the Dodgers' No. 5 prospect in 2022 before he was called up to the majors that year, used to be an apple of LA's eye. After signing as an international free agent in 2017, he jumped up through MLB Pipeline's rankings every year as he mashed his way through the minors. Before his call-up, his batting average never dipped below .300 and he hit 49 home runs, giving the team a lot to look forward to. However, his landing in the majors wasn't graceful, and he hit .170/.200/.255 in 18 games before being sent down again.
He made the Opening Day roster in 2023 as the Dodgers' second baseman. He played in 81 games by the end of the year, but his numbers hardly improved. This year, he's reporting to spring training as a left fielder, despite not playing the position at all in 2023. Moving to left would put him behind both Teoscar Hernández and Chris Taylor, possibility limiting his playing time even further if he even makes the 26-man.
If the Dodgers aren't going to use him, they really should consider moving him in a trade the same way they did with Michael Busch, who had a disappointing showing in the majors with the Dodgers and wouldn't have gotten much playing time with them in 2024. They might value Vargas' positional versatility, but they could also trade for a more experienced utility man with a bigger bat to pair with Taylor.
Trade for Kenley Jansen/sign a closer
The Dodgers have made some noise about getting a bonafide closer back in the bullpen this offseason, but nothing has come to fruition. They showed interest in Josh Hader, but talks apparently just petered out, and they've been linked to former Dodger Kenley Jansen multiple times, but there's been no movement there. LA doesn't need a closer — they have Evan Phillips available for a good deal of that heavy lifting — but it also wouldn't hurt for them to get one. Getting Jansen, probably the best available closing option left on the free agent or trade market, back in LA could move Phillips up in games, creating even more of a blockade for opposing hitters to get around.
Red Sox pitchers and catchers are in Fort Myers as of Wednesday. The Dodgers could get a deal done with Boston, who they've already snaked two players from this offseason, and not let Jansen get too settled in there before shipping him over to Glendale. It would be a homecoming for him, and maybe being back in LA could get him back to his old ways. If not Jansen, then they should still heavily consider adding a backend arm and maybe anoint Phillips their permanent closer.
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