Nine years after helping to preserve Clayton Kershaw‘s no-hitter, midfielder Miguel Rojas is a Dodger again.
After losing Trea Turner arrive Phillies last month and sit out the free agent short sweepstakes, Dodgers strengthen their depth at the location by buying Rojas from Marlins on Wednesdays in exchange for intermediate leads Jacob Amaya.
Rojas offers the Dodgers another option at a further stop Gavin Luxwho seems to be the most obvious candidate to replace Turner in this position, and Chris Taylorwho can now spend more time out in the yard.
Lux came out as a short cut but enjoyed his best major league season last year as the Dodgers’ second player. At the Winter Meeting, both the Dodgers baseball executive chairman Andrew Friedman and manager Dave Roberts expressed confidence in Lux at short notice but did not fully commit to getting the 25-year-old to start at the helm. this mind.
“I think just having options gives us the most flexibility and I think Gavin is a really talented player who will help us win a lot of games this year,” Friedman said. “Exactly where, we’re not sure yet.”
The Dodgers now have the ability to keep Lux on a second base and start Rojas at the stop, or transfer Lux back to the stop and use Rojas as a utility player.
Rojas has been a main substitute for the Marlins since 2017 but has played in all four positions during his nine-year career. He is nearing the end of a season where he has dropped 0.236/.283/.323 with 72 OPS+, which is his lowest point since 2016. He is plagued by a wrist problem. needed surgery off-season, even though he has been under-average hitters in four of the past five seasons. The exception was a shortened 2020 season in which he achieved a career-best 0.888 OPS in 40 games.
However, he has amassed 10.9 wins over his substitute over the past six seasons thanks to his defensive prowess. His season at 33 last year was one of his best. Rojas’ 15 saves saved at short range ranks second among all players qualified for the position, while his 10 passes average ranks sixth.
The Dodgers know what defensive Rojas can offer.
Rojas made his major league debut for the Dodgers in 2014 and helped keep Kershaw’s hit-and-run player intact that year with a superb third-base play. But after hitting 0.181 in 85 games, that December he was traded in a trade that brought Kike Hernandez and Austin Barnes to Los Angeles.
Amaya, who has 0.795 OPS with 17 home runs and six bases stolen last year between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City, a profile similar to Rojas, is better known for the gauntlet than his cane. ZiPS predicts Amaya to be a 1.2 WAR player next year with 77 OPS+, while Steamer predicts Rojas to be a 1.8 WAR player with 93 wRC+.
The Dodgers have opted for the more proven Rojas option, continuing their trend of side moves this season.
When Padres upload by adding Xander Bogaerts — and while many candidates have kept their top free agents, spend money on new ones, or do both (see: meet, U.S army) – The Dodgers have largely stayed out of the high-end freelance market other than re-signing with Kershaw.
They watched Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney, Cody Bellinger, Chris Martin, Tommy Kahnle, Joey Gallo and Hanser Alberto all find new teams while adding Kershaw, Noah Syndergaard, J.D. Martinez, Shelby Miller, JP Feyereisen, Yonny Hernandez and now Rojas. Like FanGraphs’ Ben Clemens wrote last weekthat’s the largest net loss in value (based on 2022 wins over replacement) in the sport.
The outage appears to be an attempt to give their prospective up-and-coming customers a chance to play and reset their luxury tax penalties – with only $5 million of Rojas due. la in 2023 and the Dodgers are paying Trevor Bauer 22.5 million dollars even after assigning him to the mission, now they have increased slightly above the first tax threshold about $4 million.
It’s still significantly below what the Dodgers have spent in recent years and ranks fifth in baseball behind the Mets, Yankees, Padres and Phillies. For now, their recovery effort after being knocked out of the stunning series will start with lower wages than the divisional rivals that caused it.
Rowan Kavner covers the Dodgers and NL West for FOX Sports. Previously he was the editor of digital and print publications of the Dodgers. Follow him on Twitter at @Rowan Kavner.
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