3 Available Players Still Within Reach of the Los Angeles Dodgers

Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi are not done yet. The duo in charge of the new Los Angeles Dodgers’ front office has had a busy week, but the roster is still not quite settled. With the Matt Kemp to San Diego trade finally completed (maybe? Hopefully?), the Dodgers roster is more settled, but they have additional payroll flexibility.

Once $15 million of Kemp’s $21 million is subtracted from the Dodgers’ current payroll obligations (LA is sending money to San Diego to help the Padres pay for Kemp), their estimated payroll will be down to about $220 million. While that is still high, it is lower than it was expected to be, and it is higher than it will be should the Dodgers trade additional high-priced outfielders (as Eric Stephen of True Blue LA clearly believes will be the case).

The Situation

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Matt Kemp was traded to San Diego.

That being said, though, the Dodgers currently have an entirely full 40-man roster, and the Kemp trade will be an even swap in terms of 40-man slots (Kemp/Federowicz for Grandal/Wieland). If the reported Jimmy Rollins trade goes through, they will have to designate someone else for assignment.

More relevant, however, is the Dodger depth chart. Assuming the reported trades process in the forms we currently expect them to, they will be without many available holes to upgrade. They will have two quality catchers (Grandal and AJ Ellis), a starting infield of Adrian Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick, Rollins and Juan Uribe, the five outfielders remaining on the roster (Yasiel Puig, Ethier, Carl Crawford, Scott van Slyke and presumably Joc Pederson), and utility players Alex Guerrero and Justin Turner. That leaves 12 spots for pitchers, which is the most common number.

An Ethier trade would open a roster spot, but my guess would be that it is filled by either Erisbel Arruebarrena, the best defensive shortstop in the Dodger organization, or new acquisition Chris Heisey. What this general picture means is that barring trades that involve the exportation of a big league position player, the front office is unlikely to add any hitters. It does not preclude the addition of pitchers, however.

Jimmy Rollins, SS

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Rollins is still within reach of the Dodgers—a concept that was in serious doubt early on Thursday. With the reported hip issues that surfaced during Kemp’s physical, the trade bringing Zach Eflin—a part of the reported Rollins trade—to Los Angeles was in jeopardy. Now that the Padres have agreed to the deal, however, the Rollins trade again appears safe.

The former MVP provides a league-average bat (102 wRC+) and surprisingly competent defense given his age (36). Assuming nothing else gets derailed, he should be a suitable placeholder as the Dodgers wait for top prospect Corey Seager.

Max Scherzer, RHP

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

I’m going to use this space to discuss the Dodger pitching staff, since Scherzer—the 2013 AL Cy Young Award winner—is a known commodity.

If the Opening Day roster looks like what it does today, the Dodger rotation is set: Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson. However, both McCarthy (had never made 30 starts until last year) and Anderson (has not thrown 100 innings since 2010) have significant injury histories. Therefore, it would not be surprising to see the front office add to the rotation.

James Shields, RHP

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Shields will be cheaper than Scherzer, so he is the likelier addition. However, his reduced price tag is because of red flags that the Dodgers may want to avoid. Shields will be 33 years old on Opening Day, so even a relatively short four-year contract would take him through his age-36 season.

If the Dodgers choose to pursue additional big name free agents, starting pitchers are the likely route. The new front office has demonstrated an unwillingness to spend big on relievers, a smart path—as demonstrated by the short shelf life and volatility of relief pitching. Therefore, if we see another significant splash, it is likely to be either Shields or Scherzer.