After a 2019 playoff ouster that left the Los Angeles fanbase in collective despair, Dodgers executive Andrew Friedman is likely to be faced with several challenging decisions this winter. However, in the event that his front office decides to pursue superstar third baseman Anthony Rendon, it appears they won’t face any opposition from incumbent third bagger Justin Turner. According to a report from Andy McCullough of The Athletic, Turner would be open to a position change if LA ultimately decides to seek a Rendon acquisition (link).
Before the Dodgers’ appearance in the NLDS, Turner was asked how he would respond if his team pursued Rendon–even if such a pursuit meant he had to change his spot on the diamond. “I’ve bounced around [the diamond] my whole career,” Turner responded. “I don’t care.” While this hardly registers as a ringing endorsement of the idea, Turner’s hypothetical openness is worthy to note when considering how Friedman could possibly retool a roster that went 106-56 in the 2019 regular season.
As McCullough notes, Rendon’s previously stated disinterest in playing deep into his 30s pairs well with the Dodgers characteristic aversion to long-term contracts. In a piece from The Athletic’s Rustin Dodds from a few weeks back, Rendon was asked to imagine what he will likely be doing at age 36, when he reaches the current age of teammate Howie Kendrick. “Hopefully not playing baseball,” Rendon said. “Probably sitting on the couch hanging out with my kids.” If the Texas product is true to his word, then it’s likely he, at 29, will be seeking a deal of no more than six or seven years this offseason.
Turner, 34, is still a third baseman worthy of being mentioned in Rendon’s rarified air. His .290/.372/.509 line in 2019 was par for the course as far as his Dodgers tenure goes–since coming to Los Angeles in 2014, the CS Fullerton product has been a .302/.381/.506 hitter (141 wRC+). Turner has one year and $20MM remaining on the four-year, $64MM pact he agreed to with L.A. back in 2016.
If the Dodgers do indeed have an interest in bringing Rendon, a potential world champion, into their fold, they may have to do a bit of CBT rejiggering. With the 2020 luxury tax line set at $208MM, Los Angeles may say goodbye to impending free agents Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu this offseason; it’s worth noting that the club will no longer be on the hook for Homer Bailey’s salary moving forward, either. Still, arbitration raises are coming due to Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, and a little-known upstart named Cody Bellinger. As McCullough notes, a hypothetical Rendon addition, its implications on Turner aside, might necessitate the departure of a player like Pederson or Enrique Hernandez if the club is intent on avoiding luxury penalties.
Sign Rendon, play him at 3rd, move JT to 2nd where he played some with the Mets and even played a couple games there with us when he was brought over as utility man before we knew he was stud and then move Muncy to 1st. One can hope right? I know we won’t do crap, we never so but it’s fun to hope.
Turner at 2B would be an AWFUL idea. He is a poor fielder with little range at 3B and he would be 10x worse at 2B. He has reached the point of being the everyday 1B with Muncy staying at 2B.
Hold on, Turner is a bad 3rd basemen? Man, I know numbers sometimes yell a different story than what you see with your eyes but I watch every single Dodgers game and I thought he was actually a really good 3rd baseman so hearing people say that blows mind. I think people need to stop reading into numbers too much, call me old school but watch a game and tell me what guy sucks at 3rd. Is he the best it near the best? Maybe not but he is still pretty good and no near as bad as you’re acting like. I do agree that Muncy was good at 2nd but he’s even better at 1st and I’m not going to give up Turner but would love to get Rendon. I think you can keep Turner and get Rendon and I don’t see Turner playing anywhere else. Maybe 1st I guess and keep Muncy at 2nd. I’m just shocked at seeing people say Turner is bad defensively. I don’t know how I’ve been watching over the years then.
Defensive metrics are a mess. It isn’t uncommon to see a player with great defensive numbers one year, poor ones the next, and great ones after that. Turner is at least an average defender. Our eyes can tell us that.
What do you do with Lux then?
Move him to ss and see what you can get for Seager. It might be time to move on from him. Package him with Joc maybe? I’d sell high on Joc and his 30+ bombs he hit him his year.
Seager just has the same hole In his swing Belli had last year. Hopefully Belli can help him fix it.
So how is that rookie hitting coach working out? Answer: not too bad in the regular season against average pitching, but not good at all in the postseason against elite pitching. Friedman was asked about this yesterday and gave his usual bland, generic answers about the need to do better, blah, blah, blah, etc. Seems his secret plan to win the World Series is so secret even he doesn’t know what it is.
I have a feeling turner wouldn’t have a worse glove at 2B than Muncy. Rendon is obviously a stud. I do think they have enough offense and need to focus on the pen but it never hurts to add a guy like Rendon. Would make them even more exciting.
Muncy is a surprisingly good 2B. He was 4th among all 2B in Defensive Runs Saved and only played about 1/3 of the year there.
And therein lies the problem. 500 innings of a sample size is not enough for a meaningful DRS number. That could very easily just be noise. Look at laureano from Oakland last year. He was a very good CF +4 DRS in 380 innings. The metric then soured on him to -5 DRS in 900 innings this year. You need a much larger sample for DRS to be very useful.
Muncy is fine at 2nd, he’s not a plus defender per se, but the Dodgers position him extremely well. He makes the plays he needs to make, and makes a couple plays that you wonder how. Hes not a gold Glover, but furthest thing from a defensive liability. He’s pretty athletic, and surprisingly fast. The idea of Turner at 2nd went out the window as he was hammered by his knee injuries.
Do you have something better than Muncy’s short sample to indicate Turner would be preferred at 2nd? Because I don’t think your feeling beats the 500 inning sample.
It was an opinion. An extremely small sample isn’t enough evidence to invalidate a hypothesis buddy. He could very well be a worse defensive 2b than Muncy but there’s no substantial evidence to prove that today A 500 inning defensive sample surely isn’t. Considering Turner has been a 3B for his entire dodgers career it’s going to be real hard for me to provide statistics that would signal otherwise. That’s why it’s an opinion. We wouldn’t know until the dodgers try
what the Dodgers need is stud pitchers like Cole to line up with Buehler.
Agreed. Spend the money for him, he’s obviously that good.
The Dodgers are not signing Rendon, Friedman doesn’t do long guaranteed contracts which Rendon will get.
Waste of an article
Actually Rendon is open to a short contact. But I’m just dreaming here anyways because Friedman won’t spend period.
Don’t forget about Lux
I’m seeing a lot more off the books than that. I don’t see why Pederson would have to be moved to acquire Rendon.
I think he gets moved regardless. Lot of money for a corner outfielder who is platooned.
The contract of Bellinger and Seager goes from 600 k to about 11 million.
It’s hilarious how Rendon seems to hate baseball.
“It’s hilarious how Rendon seems to hate baseball” Just because he doesn’t watch it on TV, and wants to start his post career earlier than some doesn’t mean he hates it.
Like a baseball Brooks Koepka
I can see Rendon going to California only he’ll go to Anaheim not LA
Didn’t we hear the same thing about Harper, and…?
Never heard about harper going to the angels that was just you
Along with Corbin brother.
Turner is fairly solid at third. I don’t know what “advanced’ math metrics” may say about his fielding. But as someone who watches him play about 100 games a year he passes the eye test. Meaning he catches what should be caught and makes the throw. And I can’t remember him ever making a mental mistake and he is a team leader. Turner is a solid player.
I don’t see a fit for Rendon on the Dodgers. Yes every team can use a superstar like him. But he doesn’t fit into their long term financial / team building strategy. They really need to dedicate their money toward the bullpen. However other than Joe Kelly and Jansen they don’t seem to want to invest heavily there. This offseason will be interesting for the Dodgers. I have a feeling they will continue their path and avoid the costly free agents and look for bargain discounts and long shots for the bullpen.
Scott Boras isn’t going to sacrifice term on Rendon. He’s going to try to match the Arenado deal.
Boras is as greedy as they come, but he works for the player. If Rendon says he wants a 6 year deal, that’s what Boras will try to get
Exactly! He Will try to land rendon a higher AAV on a team Rendon wants to play for.
Boras is as greedy as they come, but he works for the player. If Rendon says he wants a 6 year deal, that’s what Boras will try to get him.
Bullpen, bullpen, bullpen…please for the love of God
That’s the type of player you want leading your team
My wife wanted a position change too…..to a house a few streets over….
Lol
If the Dodgers sign Rendon, they’ll drop Turner after 2020. But for next year, Turner can play 1B/2B, while Lux and Muncy get the other ABs on that side (with Lux backing up Seager too). Add Taylor and Kike, and that’s the IF. Bellinger, Verdugo and Pollock are the starting OF, which isn’t bad, even if Joc is too pricey to keep. They can still add another OF glove type, without roster crowding.
The Dodgers will be in the hunt for Cole and Rendon along with other teams. They have the money and team chemistry to land one of them. A lot will depend on how these teams do in the playoffs.
Cole is the greater need. The Dodgers have plenty of offense.
Why don’t these articles ever actually throw out any numbers when they talk about CBT. They mention it’s impact but with little to no context as to where teams actually stand. By my count the Dodgers are at $143m for next year now. Which could give them room to sign Rendon and a good or very good pitcher as well.
Not that I think they will commit a $30m salary to a 36yo seven years from now. But possible of course.
The arbitration is a problem for Dodgers’ best estimates is 60 million which leaves about 40 million under 208. That is without hill and Ryu if they come back.
Yes and we know the Dodgers have told their investors that they will not be paying the CBT. Yet they will still be connected by the rumor mill to every big-ticket free agent no matter how well or poorly they fit into the Dodgers roster or how far those contracts would put them over the line they say they will not cross. Seems we have some slow learners here.
Rendon is a great player, but he’s not a vocal leader. He sees baseball as a job and he works hard at it. If he would take a 5 year deal, I wouldn’t mind the Braves offering a 5yr/150M contract. But if that’s all it would take, I’m sure he’ll remain with the gNats.
This is garbage. Why would the Dodgers spend 200 plus million on Rendon? The Dodgers need pitching. It’s been their Achilles heal the past few years. If they are willing to spend that kind of money, they should invest in Cole
I seriously doubt that the Nationals brass would let Rendon walk in FA after finally getting to the World Series. Let’s be realistic folks
First off they have no say. Second of all you might want to delve into the history of MLB free agency before freaking out.
“let” lol.
They lost because they couldn’t hit. Yes you can point to the game 5 pitching moves but the offense dissapered in all 3 games they lost.
Dodgers got Kershaw’d. should make it a catch phrase in LA. put it on t-shirts. embrace it Clayton!!
Nooo, it was game 5 managerial moves
No Cole, either. For the same reason as no Rendon. Could we do some learning from experience here?
Turner’s “change” would be a uniform, not a position. He cannot play 2B for two reasons: range and Lux. LA has to look at their middle infield in 2020 as a Seager and Lux combination. Makes more sense to keep Turner at 3B. In fact, the starting infield seems fine.
The OF is also fine. Figure out the pitching situation. Buyout Gyorko and go after Cole. Trade for Giles.
Not sure why anyone would sign rendon for 30 mil+/year. Nats got his best years. His decline will start soon
this could be said of almost any 29 year old free agent. “Soon” could be 2 years or 6 years. You don’t know.
1. 3B Rendon
2. 1B Muncy
3. CF Bellinger
4. LF Turner
5. SS Seager
6. RF Pederson/Pollock platoon
7. C Smith
8. 2B Lux
!!!!!!!!!!!
thats cute. Now Kershaw can blow 4 run leads instead of 3 run leads by adding the extra bat.
Kick the football, Charlie Brown.
No chance the Dodger sign Rendon. The fires could go out in hell and it still wouldn’t happen.
The far more likely scenario that moves Turner from 3B is Lux moving to SS and Seager playing 3B.
How about moving Turner to first and then Bellinger to OF. Muncy can play first time to time and sometimes second. Lux can slot over as starting 2b.
How about signing a dependable playoff pitcher.
Don’t forget about Bueller. He held it down in the playoffs
You can’t win it all with just one guy doing his job.
If on my only the NL had the DH rule
The Dodgers don’t need offense. They need a front line pitcher like Cole to head their rotation and make a difference in the postseason. Especially after losing Ryu through free agency. Adding Rendón doesn’t make any sense.
Thinking 5 year $155M deal for Rendon?
Ok, this is great and all, and I’ve got no horse in this fight as a Red Sox fan, but really, LA is flush with offensive talent. Rendon isn’t putting you over the edge. You need proven playoff pitching in the rotation and pen. Plain and simple. Loose the Kershaw nostalgia, he’s washed up and never really performed in the post season anyways. You might have something in Buhler, Ryu, and add another starter (Cole) who can handle the playoff pressure, and for god sake, move Jansen out of the closer position for the post season.
Would be sad to see Kiki possibly leave. Trade Joc now while he has some value. Some of those arb guys won’t be tendered.
According to Spotrac, LA has 124 million committed for next year before arbitration. That’s 84 million short of the luxury tax. What in the world is McCullough talking about if he’s suggesting they have to get rid of salaries? They can afford ANYONE. Let’s say they pay Rendon or Cole as much as 35 million. They still have 49 million to work with. Arbitration raises won’t add anywhere near that.
Spor trac has a pretty good amount of errors and overestimations. It’s fair to say the $124 mark is simply inaccurate, because it doesn’t include the 15M for benefits among other small expenses that are included. Assuming the Dodgers obtain all arb eligible players and stay as is they are closer to the 160 ish mark. You also have to jump that for Maeda’s bonuses. So it depends on their priorities honestly.
I might be biased, but Cots gives you a better indication of their threshold level. As it stands they are about $104 without arb. MLBTR does a pretty good job of estimating those arb raises so taking that into account arb will cost them 53M assuming everyone is kept, biggest are the super two in Belli (11.5), Joc’s last time through (8.8), Seager’s raise (7), Muncy’s which is close to (4.5), & add in Kikè/Taylor each (5). You figure Maeda will see his normal 8ish, so now all in all your probably around $162M which gives you about $46M under the threshold. They’ll save some for the deadline, so if they’re so intent on staying under then realistically they’ll have ~35M in the offseason without moving pieces. With that said it’s all dependent on what’s important to management.
Priority #1: Retaining earnings.
After seven consecutive postseason failures we could imagine they might at long last decide to prioritize something else. I don’t see any signs of it, do you?
Relief,relief, relief. Get two more closers. 7th 8th 9th. They don’t need hitting.
Hear me out: no need for Rendon. Turner can still play 3B. We should trade Bellinger while his stock is high because he has done nothing in the past 2 postseasons when it really matter, just like kershaw. Pay Pederson and put verdugo in RF. We’re stuck with pollock for another 4 years. Keep muncy at 1B, lux and seager in the middle. Smith will develop even more. Get Cole and hopefully Chapman opts out, gives us a chance to get him. Pitcher Will smith could be available too.
Trade Bellinger…now I’ve seen it all. COME ON BRUH!!!
I have to say he’s the only that’s said it. I’d trade Seager also and restock. How many postseason inside sliders are you willing to scream over in the future?
What could you quite possibly be restocking for? You have a team ready made to win, with a system that’s pretty logjamed that you really should start thinning. Not to mention the wave of talent at the lower levels. Granted Seager’s first season back from injuries had its highs and lows, but honestly you’re not selling low and he honestly deserves a healthy offseason to make those adjustments.
You make good points. Most of my comment was made out of frustration. How can a team as talented as this one have so many great at bats during the regular season then look abysmal during the postseason? It’s amazing to watch. I don’t go along with the theory that it’s the high caliber competition because of the postseason. An approach to the game shouldn’t change dramatically.
In fact Friedman explains it that very way here:
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2019-10-17/dodgers-cutting-edge-hitting-philosophies-didnt-translate-in-postseason
What he doesn’t seem to have is any answers. If you feel frustrated now, reading this article won’t provide any relief. But you should probably read it anyway to appreciate how genuinely clueless he is when faced with this question.
Frustration is understandable but, seriously, look at what the Yankees are doing against Houston. Nada. Starting pitching is still the thing in the playoffs. All season long the Dodgers destroyed bullpens late in games but never got to Washington’s pen because they covered it with their starters in the short series. While Dodger starters were statistically good over the long haul, only Buehler is a playoff beast. They need to take a run at Cole and use Urias as a starter next year. Then the offense will be fine.
They won’t sign Cole but some will say making him a second-best offer was just as well. If you think the offense will be fine, you should read that article I linked. It might change your mind.