Dodgers adding fading Blue Jays outfielder would be another Andrew Friedman mistake

The Blue Jays placing Kevin Kiermaier on waivers on Thursday wasn't wholly surprising based on what he's been able (or, rather, not been able) to do for them this season, but then you look back at his 12-year tenure in the majors, four Gold Gloves, and one Platinum Glove, and it does seem a little more unexpected.

Kiermaier was forced to endure the misery of waiver limbo until Friday night, when he cleared them and headed back to the Blue Jays organization, but regardless, he doesn't seem long for the franchise, even though nobody wants to absorb his full salary.

With Kiermaier's past successes and his sudden availability, Dodgers fans could hazard a guess that LA's president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is intrigued right about now as the deadline approaches. Any team who takes him midseason will likely be responsible for paying out what's left of his $10.5 million deal this year, but money is no object to the Dodgers, and they do need outfielders...

Let's shut that line of thinking down. Any team that does pick Kiermaier up would be getting a still-elite outfielder, even in his age 34 season, but the Dodgers' outfield problem isn't with its defense, but rather its bats, and Kiermaier won't be able to help at all in that regard.

Dodgers should steer clear of Kevin Kiermaier, who was placed on waivers by Blue Jays on Thursday

Kiermaier has never been known for his bat, but his defense has been so good (and so flashy) that the Rays and Blue Jays have kept him around in spite of his offensive shortcomings. He did have one of his best offensive years last season, when he finished the year with a .265 average and .741 OPS, but everything about his production at the plate has dipped in 2024, and Toronto decided that the defense wasn't worth it anymore.

The Dodgers' outfield has primarily been comprised of Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages, and Jason Heyward this season. None are exceptional defensive players (Hernández ranks in the 10th percentile of position players for his defense, while the other two sit around average) but, again, the problem the Dodgers have with their outfielders, including those on the bench, is offense.

Heyward has been injured twice and hasn't been very productive when he's healthy. Kiké Hernández is hitting .193 and is in the second percentile of all hitters in batting run value. Chris Taylor has enjoyed a nice upswing lately, but is still hitting .156.

There's no way Kiermaier would help the Dodgers in that regard, and he could make a flimsy bottom of the lineup feel even flimsier. No, instead of reigniting talks, the Dodgers should let Kiermaier go by and commit their attention to younger trade deadline pickups instead.