Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2024
Going into the All-Star break, the Los Angeles Dodgers played poorly. Their offensive production has disappointed everyone. If they don’t improve their play, the Dodgers won’t win the World Series.
After the Dodgers spent over $1.3 billion in the 2023-2024 offseason, most baseball-knowledgeable pundits picked the Dodgers to win the World Series. Both Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernàndez have produced more than expected.
Yes, the Dodgers have experienced two major injuries. Their offense misses both Mookie Betts and Max Muncy. With Betts, he will be back sometime in August. He is already playing catch with his broken hand. He will need time to regain his swing, but he will have time before the postseason begins.
Muncy is a different story from Betts. He has been out since mid-May with a strained oblique and suffered many setbacks. As the All-Star break, he wasn’t swing a bat. No one knows when or if Muncy can return.
The Dodgers have an outfield and a third baseman who don’t produce much offensively. Gavin Lux needs to be replaced at second base. With the trading deadline coming up on July 30th, the Dodgers must be active. If they aren’t, they might not win the National League Western Division.
James Outman hasn’t performed the way the Dodgers expected. He was third in the National League Rookie of the Year in 2023. He hasn’t been able to raise his batting average above .156. his power isn’t there, and his defense in center field has holes. The Dodgers need to decide Outman. I think they need to trade Outman.
Andy Pages, another young outfielder, is promising but isn’t a center fielder. His batting average of .257 with 8 home runs is decent. If the Dodgers can keep him out of center field, they can keep Pages.
The Dodgers must decide what to do with Miguel Vargas. Since his promotion, his offense has been a plus with a .246 batting average, 3 home runs, and 9 RBI in very limited playing time. The Dodgers don’t know where to play Vargas because he doesn’t play defense well. They have an excellent DH named Ohtani.
None of Muncy’s replacements can hit. Kiké Hernàndez, Chris Taylor, and Cavan Biggio can’t have a decent average. Their defense at third base isn’t good enough to justify their batting shortcomings. With the uncertainty surrounding Muncy, the Dodgers must find a good third baseman who can hit decently.
After missing the entire 2023 season with a major knee injury, Lux hasn’t rebounded like the Dodgers expected. Lux couldn’t play shortstop during spring training because he had throwing problems, forcing the Dodgers to move Betts from second base. He is hitting .213 with 3 home runs and 24 RBI. Despite playing great defense at second base, Lux must be traded or sent down to Triple-A to regain his confidence in his offense.
Although Lux was a first-round draft pick, he has an up-and-down major league career and would benefit from a change of scenery. Some players don’t thrive in large markets like Los Angeles. Lux appears to be one of them.
To succeed in the postseason, the Dodgers must have players with high batting averages and the ability to make productive outs. With so many teams believing that they can make it to the postseason, the trading deadline will be competitive. The Dodgers must empty their minor league system, or last offseason was a waste of money.
