The Dodgers are going to have another tough decision soon
They have a few weeks to decide
The Dodgers made the difficult (but right) decision to release Austin Barnes this week. They likely are going to have another tough decision in the coming weeks.
Both Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez are currently on the injured list. Both players are close to returning, but it could still be a few weeks until both players are back. Once both players return to the Dodgers’ lineup, assuming everyone else is healthy, LA will be forced to make an extremely difficult decision.
With those two returning, they’ll have to clear two roster spots. The first move is an easy one, as James Outman will be sent back down to the minors. The next move…. boy, oh boy.
What do you do with Hyeseong Kim?
The move SHOULD be an easy one, especially after what we witnessed this week. After the Dodgers made the shocking move to DFA Austin Barnes, anyone should be on the chopping block. Barnes was referred to as ‘The Captain’ by teammates. He handled the pitching staff. Everyone loved him. If you can get rid of him, nobody should be off-limits.
Chris Taylor — I love you dude. You’ve done so much for this team and most importantly for this city. You will be a Dodgers legend and you will be given a standing ovation every time you return to Dodger Stadium. One day you will be inducted into the ‘Legends of Dodger Baseball’. With that being said, we’ve reached the end.
As you all know, Taylor is in the final year of his contract. This is the end of the road for him. He’s already barely playing. When he does, the production is horrific. In 35 plate appearances, Taylor owns a .457 OPS and 30 OPS+. He doesn’t have enough PA to qualify, but his Baseball Savant page is one of the worst I’ve ever seen.
Kim has been unbelievable since being called up. The sample size is small, but the results have been better than anyone could have imagined. In 30 plate appearances, Kim is hitting .429 with a 1.038 OPS and has a 195 OPS+. Obviously these numbers are going to come down, but this is one of the greatest starts we’ve ever seen from a Dodgers rookie. In just 12 games he’s already accounted for a 0.4 fWAR, a 162-game pace of 5.4 That’s an All-Star caliber player.
Kim’s value was going to be on the bases and in the field. He’s already flashed the leather numerous times and has showcased his speed. If he’s hitting, he’s a guy you need to have in the lineup as much as possible.
Well, once Edman and Teo return there won’t be any room for him. So, what do the Dodgers do?
Barring an injury, the Dodgers have two options. Either send Kim back down to Oklahoma City where he’ll get consistent at bats until he’s needed once again in LA. Or, have the difficult conversation and cut ties with Chris Taylor.
The Dodgers SHOULD release Taylor….. but I have a feeling they won’t. Yes, they just released Austin Barnes, but that one seemed like a necessity at that point. Dalton Rushing was ready and you weren’t getting anything from Barnes. You couldn’t hold your top prospect down in the minors for the rest of the season. It was now or never.
Taylor is getting a start a week, if that. He comes in late as a defensive replacement. He’s not costing the Dodgers games at all. As of right now, he’s not blocking anyone.
With a fully healthy lineup, I’m not sure how many at bats Kim will be getting anyways. The Dodgers already refuse to let him face left-handed pitching. Of his 30 plate appearances this season, 30 of them have come against righties. If a lefty is on the mound, Kim will be on the bench.
Well, who are you going to bench? The only choice is Michael Conforto. In this scenario, you slide Andy Pages to left field, put Tommy Edman in center field and Kim is your second baseman against righties. Conforto has been a lot better against LHP this season, as he owns a 118 wRC+ against southpaws compared to a 64 wRC+ against righties.
It’s actually odd, because the Dodgers are barely letting Conforto face lefties. He has 124 plate appearances against righties, compared to only 30 against lefties. He’s been significantly better against LHP, yet the Dodgers don’t fully trust him. So, he’s gonna play all the time against righties.
Sure, they could give him a day off more often to get Kim in there, but I don’t think they’re going to want to do that. He’s going to be starting for the most part. Hell, they gave him $17 million this offseason. So in this scenario, how many starts is Kim getting a week? Maybe two? Is it worth releasing Taylor if that’s the case?
I still believe it should happen, but I could see the Dodgers using this as their reasoning for keeping Taylor.
Even if Kim doesn’t get as many at bats, his value is still immense. You can pinch-run him late in the game. You can improve your defense by putting him in at second base. Overall, the team is better with Kim.
It could still be a few weeks until the Dodgers have to make this decision. They don’t have to figure it out until both Teo and Edman return. By the time that happens, there could be another injury and they won’t have to worry about this decision. If both are healthy, though, the Dodgers are going to have to make the call.
I’m guessing they will kick the can down the road…send Kim to OKC and delay the inevitable DFA of Taylor.
Damn. The Blake Jinx strikes again!