Cody Snavely
The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly made yet another free agent signing, this time bringing in left-handed swinging Michael Conforto, according to Major League Baseball insider Mark Feinsand. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic has reported that the pending deal is for one year, $17 million.
Despite the Dodgers continuing to be linked with top-hitting outfielders Juan Soto and a potential reunion with Teoscar Hernández, the team decided to pounce on their outfield depth with the signing of Conforto.
It was also reported by Dodgers insider David Vassegh this past week that the team was aggressively looking to add a left-handed hitting corner outfielder, with much trade speculation by fans pointing to St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar.
After taking a hiatus during the 2022 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, he signed a two-year, $36 million deal with the San Fransisco Giants.
In his second and final year in the Bay, the lefty had a .237/.309/.450 slash line with a 112 wRC+. Despite struggling in the first half of the 2024 season, it ended the year strong with a 140 wRC+ in August and a 132 wRC+ in September/October.
Defensively, Conforto, 31, is near the bottom of the league in OAA, ranking in the 17th percentile, but would do fine in a more forgiving Dodger Stadium outfield.
In terms of a fit, it makes sense why the Dodgers are interested in multiple outfield bats as Brandon Gomes, the Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager, stated that all-star Mookie Betts would be a full-time infielder, meaning they’ll need to stock up in their outfield core.
What this means for the current outfielders on the roster, such as left-handed-hitting James Outman and right-handed slugger Any Pages, remains to be seen. But if the team does indeed still bring back Teoscar Hernández, they could use either of those players in a potential trade package.
However, with the Juan Soto sweepstakes set to end in the next twenty-four hours or so and Teoscar Hernández set to sign soon after, the Dodgers will be active yet again at this year’s winter meetings.
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