BOSTON — The Los Angeles Dodgers have made relief pitching their main priority during this deadline period, downplaying concerns about their lineup by expressing confidence that slumping stars Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández will find their footing and that Max Muncy’s eventual return to the lineup will stabilize things.
That, however, is not preventing them from seeking out a bat. The Dodgers are scoping out the market for potential outfield upgrades, league sources told The Athletic, seeking to deepen a lineup that carried them to a World Series title last October.
The ideal would be to add a left-handed-hitting outfielder, a league source said, though adding a solid glove to deepen their position player group — such as the Minnesota Twins’ Harrison Bader — could also fit as the Dodgers seek upgrades. The Dodgers have shot high so far in the market, expressing interest in St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Brendan Donovan, multiple league sources said.
The thinking is not too dissimilar from what drew the Dodgers to Michael Conforto this past winter, hoping to add to a clear club strength. Conforto, who signed a one-year, $17 million deal, has not worked out, entering Friday with a .185 batting average and a .617 OPS, worst and sixth worst among qualified hitters in the majors.
Conforto has shown some slight improvement over the past month, producing a .683 OPS since the start of July before adding a double in four at-bats against the Boston Red Sox in Friday’s 5-2 win. But with him, just about all of his value comes from his bat, forcing him into a particular role he isn’t executing.
“I’ve shown my confidence in him — playing him, where I hit him in the order,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said this week. “So, I don’t know. I’m just going to kind of keep running him out there and expect him to be productive. And I hope that’s where his head is at, but for me, it’s kind of the guys that we have and show confidence. And I believe in Michael. I’ve had many times to sit him, but I’ve played him, and I think that it’s still in there.”
Still, that faith may be waning as more time passes without production.
Donovan doesn’t directly address the team’s outfield pursuit, though he has played 18 games this year in left field and 186 career games in the outfield. However, having Donovan solidify second base means the Dodgers could be free to have Tommy Edman mostly play in center field, with Andy Pages moving to a corner outfield position.
Still, the club’s interest doesn’t mean a deal is necessarily likely. Adding someone like Donovan, who is under club control through 2027, would come at a steep cost. The Athletic reported this week that the club has also been reluctant to include either of its top young position players — catcher Dalton Rushing and shortstop Alex Freeland — in potential deals.
— The Athletic’s Katie Woo contributed to this report.
(Photo of general manager Brandon Gomes and Dave Roberts: Brandon Sloter / Getty Images)