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Dodgers' 3 biggest remaining needs after signing J.D. Martinez
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been relatively quiet this offseason as other teams splurge in what has been a competitive arms race. With Trevor Bauer's contract and suspension appeal up in the air, the Dodgers have had to be cautious with what the team does so they can reset their payroll to avoid another luxury tax penalty.
Los Angeles has still brought in some new faces this offseason, though. The team took a smart flier on former ace Noah Syndergaard on a one-year deal. Another one-year deal was agreed to with J.D. Martinez, who is now reunited with Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc.
It's clear that the Dodgers have a different approach for the 2023 season as the team is going to give several young prospects a run on the big-league club. That being said, there are still some needs that the team should patch up before Spring Training gets underway.
Dodgers' 3 biggest remaining needs after signing J.D. Martinez
3. The Dodgers need a bench bat that hits left-handed pitching
While the Dodgers still have a good lineup without Trea Turner, the team's ability to hit left-handed pitching is absolutely worth questioning. The lineup isn't even that left-handed heavy, but the right-handed bats that the Dodgers have are almost all reverse-splits guys.
Mookie Betts, Will Smith, Trayce Thompson and Chris Taylor all hit right-handed pitching better than left-handed pitching last season. That is what made the J.D. Martinez signing such a good one as he's still one of the best hitters in baseball against southpaws.
Having that left-handed specialist to bring off the bench has been a staple of Dodgers teams in the past. David Freese was that veteran option years ago, Enrique Hernandez was the utility version of that for years, and, even last year, Hanser Alberto was meant to be that guy.
The Dodgers can't go their third straight season without a threatening option in this department.
2. The Dodgers need one more back-end bullpen arm
The Dodgers are not going to have a traditional closer in 2023, which is going to be strange to get used to. Kenley Jansen locked down the position for a decade, and last year the team still had a traditional closer in Craig Kimbrel.
The Kimbrel experience could not have gone any worse than it did, though, and with the current state of the payroll, it makes a lot of sense for the Dodgers to go by committee instead of spending big on a marquee name.
As it stands right now, Evan Phillips is the best high-leverage reliever that the team has and it wouldn't be totally shocking if the Dodgers eventually turn to him to be the full-time closer. Phillips does not have much competition for the role, after all.
Blake Treinen is under contract still but his availability is completely up in the air after having shoulder surgery in November. Brusdar Graterol, Alex Vesia, Yency Almonte and Caleb Ferguson are all options as well, but nobody there has a long track record of consistent success.
Los Angeles could get a big boost from JP Feyereisen — who the team traded for — later in the season, but that's not a guarantee. Regardless, after losing both Chris Martin and Tommy Kahnle in free agency, the Dodgers need a late-inning arm.
This might be a need that the team waits until the trade deadline to fill. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Dodgers trust their guys early on before exploring the trade market in July when relievers become the most available asset.
1. The Dodgers desperately need another outfielder
The Dodgers non-tendered Cody Bellinger, who signed with the Chicago Cubs. It appeared that the team's first choice to replace Bellinger was Kevin Kiermaier, who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays.
To be fair, the Dodgers already have their Bellinger replacement on the roster (and it's not Jason Heyward or Bradley Zimmer). James Outman is ready to make an impact at the big-league level and he most likely will be better in 2023 than Bellinger was in 2021-2022. That's not a hard threshold to cross, but the ceiling is high for Outman, who should be taken seriously for National League Rookie of the Year.
The need for an outfielder remains, however. Mookie Betts is locking down right field, but left field is still up in the air. The team's current options are Trayce Thomspon and Chris Taylor ... but Taylor is best used as a versatile utility infielder. With Trea Turner gone, he'll likely spend more time in the middle infield depending on the lineup.
Thompson was a nice story last season but he absolutely shouldn't be trusted to be an everyday left fielder. His strong performance in a small sample size is a bit misleading and the numbers under the hood are concerning. It's hard to trust a guy who has been a journeyman his entire career and had a 36.5% strikeout rate last year.
It doesn't have to be a superstar, but getting someone who can be a more reliable option than Thompson would be ideal. Thompson should be a bench bat/rotational outfielder, not your everyday left fielder.
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