(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers would benefit from a right-handed bat in the lineup and could be inclined to deal a left-handed bat in Joc Pederson.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, despite the offseason losses thus far, still have one of the deepest rosters in the MLB. From starting pitching to the countless versatile players on the roster, the Dodgers are set for any circumstance during the long regular season.
There is one noticeable trend that could hurt the Dodgers in 2019 and has hurt the team in the past: the team struggles against left-handed pitching.
The best right-handed hitters on the team are Justin Turner, Enrique Hernandez, Chris Taylor and David Freese. Only two of the four should really be in the starting lineup at one time and only having those guys can create matchup issues late in the game.
The gameplan to beat the Dodgers, especially in October, is to start a left-handed pitcher to get the right-handed hitters in the game. Then, put in a right-handed reliever, get the lefties in the game and go back to a southpaw from the bullpen.
Just having one more solid right-handed bat in the order to put between Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy can have a big impact on the lineup and opposing managers’ gameplan.
Although the team is linked to A.J. Pollock, the front office could always make a trade for a right-handed bat. If so, the odd man out might be Joc Pederson, who has trade value as a powerful, young, left-handed hitting bat.
We are big fans of Pederson but it would be better to swap his talent for talent on the right side. Here are two trades for Pederson that could accomplish that feat.
Source: “Los Angeles” – Google News