The Baltimore Orioles are looking to add another outfielder to the fold, and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Andre Ethier appears to be on their radar.
Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports has reported that the Orioles have "engaged in trade talks with the Dodgers regarding Andre Ethier, according to an industry source." That Ethier would be the subject of trade talks is nothing new this winter, as Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported in November that the Dodgers had put him on the trade block.
Ethier has perhaps been deemed expendable by the team after posting his worst season in the majors, hitting just .249 with four home runs and 42 RBI in 2014, all career-low marks. Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times still thinks the Dodgers could retain him, however:
"It appears the Dodgers plan to give phenom Joc Pederson every opportunity to win the center-field job, which in theory would move Yasiel Puig back to right, leave [Carl] Crawford in left and Ethier one unhappy man. Even if Pederson has a strong spring, it would seem foolish to begin the season without a reasonable backup should he falter. Which could point to them yet hanging onto Ethier.
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Plus, the Orioles have other options as well and may not want to take on Ethier's rather large contract, per Kubatko. Baltimore is also considering Colby Rasmus and Nori Aoki, per that report.
And so Ethier might very well find himself in the same position that he was in during the 2014 season—on the bench and unable to get regular playing time. It isn't the ideal situation for the player, certainly, but there are enough factors to suggest the Dodgers will have a hard time getting a solid return for the 32-year-old.
