After 67 games this season, the Dodgers have maintained their current position. Of those games, they have won 42, which is four more than their average from a year ago. They are level with their 2021 standings and one win below their 111-win year prior to that.
Success during the regular season has been a constant. They are able to make judgments based solely on how they will appear in October, as opposed to merely getting there, unlike a large portion of the rest of the sport.
Which begs the actual question: How does the roster appear when it arrives? The yearly trade deadline is on July 30 and there are less than 50 days left. This has solidified the emphasis.
Bottom of the order
On Saturday, Gavin Lux left Yankee Stadium’s visiting manager’s office feeling uplifted. The 26-year-old second baseman was asked to speak with Dave Roberts as a matter of reinforcement rather than as a disciplinary step. It has not been a good first season with a torn ACL in his right knee. His inability to play defense cost him the starting shortstop position. He was maintained in the lineup for his bat, but when he got up on Saturday morning, his OPS was.538. Roberts’ takeaway remained straightforward: You are doing a lot of things well.
“I think the last like month or so I’ve felt a lot better and obviously the results haven’t shown (it),” Lux said Saturday after leaving Roberts’ office. It’s clear that if Lux is going to be a productive hitter again, it won’t be with his power but his bat-to-ball skills. The key, Roberts emphasized in that meeting, is “trying to attack the outside part of the plate.”
Lux hits against the Cincinnati Reds in a game last month. (Katie Stratman / USA Today)
“Just trying to drive the s––– out of the ball to left field,” Lux explained. Sunday, he collected a season-best three hits. TLux has a lot of talent, and the Dodgers have been patient with him because he just returned from a serious injury. Furthermore, he has not been the only offender in one of the sport’s most elite lines. The best hitting tandem in the majors is comprised of their two best players, Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani. By OPS, their bottom three rank 24th in MLB.
The problem has only gotten worse since Max Muncy is not around. It will not be soon before he returns.
Although the production of the bottom three has slightly increased over the past week, the problem still exists. They have invested money and now playing time to give Chris Taylor an opportunity to learn, but among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances, only Martín Maldonado has a poorer OPS in baseball (.314) than him. Though he still has not yet found his footing, Kiké Hernández had a good weekend at the plate in the Bronx, collecting a home run and a double. It is necessary to find a replacement corner outfielder for Jason Heyward, who has a.720 OPS despite missing a month of action.
Center field remains another area to monitor, though Andy Pages has shown solid progress over the last week. Despite a baserunning lapse and a dropped fly ball in Sunday’s series finale against the New York Yankees, Roberts called it a positive experience for Pages. He’s been hitting the ball hard. Since the Dodgers arrived in New York to play the Mets, he has a .944 OPS (entering Tuesday).
“I think his swing has gotten a little bit more flat,” Roberts said, touching on a recurring teaching point from Pages’ prospect days.
Bullpen help?
This season, the pitcher who was expected to serve as the Dodgers’ bridge to closer Evan Phillips has made a total of 27 appearances. Although Brusdar Graterol has advanced to throwing bullpens, he has not pitched yet this season. Due to a shoulder issue, Joe Kelly has not pitched in the past month. Due to a calf injury, Ryan Brasier will be out for at least two months. He has been out for more than a month. That is a lot for a bullpen that has continued to play brilliantly without them. But attrition is always a concern, particularly when it comes to senior options like Blake Treinen and Daniel Hudson, who have not pitched much in the past couple of seasons, whose workloads are increasing.
The Dodgers will therefore investigate the available relief possibilities. An early discovery: Anthony Banda, who pitches from the left side at a velocity of mid-90s, has not given up an earned run in his first eight appearances. The Dodgers typically look in that market for relievers, and they have had success there.
Who’s at short?
If one solely considers FanGraphs’ Wins Above Replacement, the only team that has produced more at shortstop than the Dodgers under Betts is the Baltimore Orioles (4.4). Betts is the only shortstop behind Gunnar Henderson of Baltimore and Bobby Witt Jr. of Kansas City.
Given this, it is difficult to consider Betts’ tenure at the role to have been anything but a success. Is it, however, the answer the Dodgers need going into October? Yes, most likely, although it is not as certain. Depending on the measures you choose, Betts’ defense is still being worked on. As Betts has gotten used to his new position, just four players have made more mistakes; thus far, Outs Above Average has him graded at minus-7.
It is a necessary component of the learning curve that follows such a bold change. His progress has been observed, despite Betts growing increasingly frustrated with his errors. Much like it did with Trea Turner and Corey Seager in prior seasons (though both played shortstop, and Seager in especially has rated just fine there defensively), Betts’ offense has generally produced an excess at the position.
Additionally, it may be challenging to locate the alternatives. Miguel Rojas is on pace to have his finest offensive season (a.771 OPS through 107 plate appearances) and can handle the position defensively, but the circumstances surrounding his part-time role serve as a reminder of how cautious the Dodgers will need to be with the 35-year-old. Roberts stated this week that Rojas has seen few starts over the past few weeks because of persistent leg discomfort.
Willy Adames has long been a reasonable candidate. He is having another great season, and the Dodgers were still interested in him this spring when they traded Betts and Lux for infielders. However, there is at least a small obstacle in the form of the Milwaukee Brewers’ unwavering status as contenders.
Although Bo Bichette has struggled this season and the Toronto Blue Jays have positioned themselves as buyers rather than sellers for the time being, Bichette would make some sense.
Paul DeJong, who has had a strong season with the Chicago White Sox, is an additional choice. The deadline acquisition from the previous season, Amed Rosario, has been up and down with the Tampa Bay Rays. In addition to being a former Dodgers trade target, Luis Rengifo was also involved in the last significant cross-city transaction between the Dodgers and Angels, which Arte Moreno of the Angels blocked and kept Pages a Dodger.
(Top photo of Willy Adames: John Fisher / Getty Images)
