3 Potential Trade Candidates For the Dodgers After the Kiké Hernandez Signing
Now that the Los Angeles Dodgers have added Kiké Hernández, pending a physical, they have quite a predicament on their hands – too many players and not enough roster spots.
To make room for the utility man, the Dodgers will have to clear space on the 40-man and the 26-man rosters. Clearing space on the 40-man roster will be easy as they’ll just move someone to the 60-day injured list. Making room on the 26-man roster will prove to be much more difficult.
More news: Kiké Hernandez Re-Signing With Dodgers as LA Completes Perfect Offseason
This is what the Dodgers know before spring training even starts. The active position player roster will include Will Smith, Austin Barnes, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Kiké Hernández, Teoscar Hernández, Michael Conforto, Tommy Edman, and Miguel Rojas ,leaving two spots open for Hyseong Kim, James Outman, Chris Taylor and Andy Pages to fight for.
The Dodgers just signed Kim this offseason and if he proves himself in camp then he will stay with the big league club, which leaves the other three to be potentially up for grabs on the trade market.
Taylor and the Dodgers agreed to a four-year, $60 million contract when he reached free agency following the 2021 season. While he does not have a no-trade clause, his contract does include two other things: A $2 million assignment bonus with each trade, plus his 2026 option increases by $1 million if traded after the 2024 season and before start of the 2026 season.
Pages was almost traded once. It was back in 2020 when the Dodgers tried to send him, Joc Pederson, and Ross Stripling to the Los Angeles Angels. The deal fell through, Pages was called up in April 2024, and he never looked back.
The outfielder is young and has plenty of upside after finishing the season slashing .248/.305/.407. Pages has accrued 155 days of major league service time and has one option year left after being optioned in both 2023 and 2024.
Finally, there is Outman.
Outman finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting two years ago, losing to Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, but his sophomore season was a complete slump.
The outfielder’s offensive numbers took a significant hit in 2024, slashing .147/.256/.265 as his home run and walk rates declined while his strikeout rate increased. He ended up playing more games in Triple-A (69) than in the majors (53).
While the Dodgers have a ton of depth that will set them up for a long season, that depth is also going to cause some headaches for the front office and coaching staff. Two spots for four players will leave two men very disappointed when decisions are made.
More news: What Does the Dodgers Active Roster Look Like With Kiké Hernandez?
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Have you joined our Discord Channel yet? Be a part of the ultimate Dodgers Nation community and get VIP Nation Access! Don’t miss out on real-time Dodgers talk, call-in access to Dodgers Dougout, behind-the-scenes content, exclusive interviews, giveaways, and more!
Easy call in my opinion.
Kim and Pages stay, and Outman and Taylor go bye bye.
Agree!!!
Exactly…keep those who produce, turn the other’s loose. (Hey, it rhymed!)
Why wasnt Taylor traded or DFAd way before any of these acquisitions is the question…dudes been ass for a few years now its not even a matter of giving him a chance anymore, that time is over. Trade Michael Grove also and boom there you go Pages and Outman stay as backups in case an outfielder goes down with an injury during the season
Because the dodgers are doing him a solid by ensuring he plays for 10 years so he can get a pension.
Because he is UNTRADEABLE bro, why would anyone want to trade for a $15M a year player who doesn’t produce? If the Dodgers do find a trade partner it will be because they decided to eat a lot of the moolah.
A solution to LA’s 26 man roster. Make Muncy, Pages, Outman, Taylor, Bobby Miller, available players in a doable trade package to St. Louis for 10 time Gold Glove winner, Nolan Arenado. We believe, depending on the trade package, the Cards will take a hit on the remaining money owed to Arenado. He IS the perfect fit to solidify third base, and the left side of the Dodgers’ infield. His defense will protect Mookie from having to make plays deep in the 6 hole, sonce Arenado has the anticipation, ability, and quickness to cut off balls hit in the hole. We predict he will also have a resurgence offensively, and would be a great piece for the Dodgers. He wants to play for the Dodgers, and we say, bring him home to LA!
We need Nolan Arenado (in his current form) like we need a hole in the head. The chances of this happening is zilch… Sorry, just a fact…
There is a solution to LA’s 26 man roster issue. Make Muncy, Pages, Outman, Taylor, Bobby Miller available in a trade package to St. Louis for 10 time Gold Glove winner, Nolan Arenado. We believe, depending on the package, the Cards will take a hit on the remaining money owed to Arenado. He IS the perfect fit to solidify third base, and the left side of the Dodgers’ infield. His defense will protect Mookie from having to make plays deep in the 6 hole, since Arenado has the anticipation, ability, and quickness to cut off balls hit in the hole. We predict he will also have a resurgence offensively, and would be a great piece for the Dodgers. He wants to play for the Dodgers, and we say, bring him home to LA!
Outman to AAA. Kim should not have been signed. That was a mistake. He has not seen fastballs like he will see in MLB. He can be sent to AAA. Pages can be sent to AAA. while things get sorted out in April and May. No to Arenado. Muncy currently is a better player. Arenado has been on the downside for the last 2 years, hitting and fielding. He is not the player he used to be. A platoon of Muncy [against right handers] and Kike [against left handers] is the way to go at 3B. Taylor is a problem but he [and Lux] hit well in the 2d half last year. [Trading Lux was a mistake. Giving away Brazier was a mistake.] Dalton Rushing is another issue not mentioned above. He probably should be catching and playing left field at OKC, a la Yogi Berra. If he is on the 26 man roster, I see him as platooning with Will Smith and with Teoscar to get him 400 at bats. Yes, there can be too much of a good thing –if it means giving away players for less than they are worth. Fortunately it seems that Ohtani can be listed as a two way player starting on opening day due to a rule change, if he was a 2 way player in any of the last TWO seasons he is a two way player today. Last TWO seasons seems new. It is in the MLB Definitions of Two Way Player. 12 position players: 1 Freeman,2 Betts, 3 Muncy, 4 Conforto,5 Edman,6 Teoscar, 7 Kike, 8 Smith 9 Barnes , for sure, then 3 of A. Kim, B. Taylor, C. Pages, D. Rushing. Of these last 4, only Taylor has no options. 2 way players – Ohtani. 13 pitchers Starters 1. Snell 2. Glasnow 3. Yamamoto 4. Roki 5. Gonsolin 6. May [Ohtani to start in May, Kershaw ?] Relievers 7 Scott 8 Yates 9 Treinen 10 Phillips 11 Vesia 12 Banda 13 Miller — May has no options. Gonsolin has an option but he was an All-Start in 2022. If everyone pitches all year it would not be crazy if Gonsolin had the lowest ERA of everyone. He has been much better than people think. Barnes should be made a coach. Money off the books at the end of 2025 — Muncy, Conforto, Taylor, Brazier, Barnes — $50+ million. Murakami at 3B in 2026. Still they should get Luis Robert, Jr. for CF.
Arenado is by far, heads and tails better than Muchy in almost every important statistical measure. 8X allstar, 10X Gold glove, 5X silver slugger. A career WAR of 57 to Munchy’s 23, and a defensive WAR of 20 to Munchy’s 1. Arenado averages 152 games per year over his 12 years, compared to Munchy’s 102. Has he declined? Oh, sure, hitting .272 in ’24 compared to Munchy’s .232; Munchy had a higher OPS and OBP in ’24, but because Arenado was on the field twice as much he had 71 RBIs compared to Munchy’s 48. Max has had over 100 RBIs only once in his career, compared to 7 times for Nolan.
You are dead wrong. Arenado would be a massive upgrade at 2nd base.
Why is Rojas even on this roster? Not to be harsh here, I just do not see why he takes an important spot. If they like his club house presence make him a coach……
A career .260 hitter (.283 in 2024), Rojas ranks 13th among active players in defensive WAR. Among Dodgers, only Mookie (at 4th!), Kike, Edman, Smith, and Barnes crack the top 100. Corey Seager ranks 54th. That to me is an important stat, the Ds are safe on the left side when he is out there. And he hits.
There is that. By the way, Nolan Arenado ranks 2nd in active MLB players in career defensive WAR.
Yep, exactly! Rojas has the best infield defense of anyone on the Dodgers at shortstop. No way Mookie can match that part. His defense way key in many games last year
If Mookie said, “I really want to play 2B,” then Kim isn’t signed.
But Mookie said, “I want to play SS,” so Adames really wasn’t even considered.
And that’s fine. Per Friedman’s advice, I am not betting against Mookie.
And so Kim was signed and Lux was shipped to Cincy.
I’m optimistic about Kim. He was a great on-base guy in Korea, and Roberts loves those “quality at-bats.” He’s a contact hitter who works the count and takes walks. A “Moneyball” type. A slugger would have a harder time adapting to ML velocity. Kim has speed and versatility. He might win a gold glove. Down the road, he might even swap positions with Mookie. I don’t think the Dodgers invested in Kim to send him to OKC. He’ll get ample opportunity to prove himself.
Meanwhile, it seems the Kike’s return has ticketed Outman and Pages for OKC.
But trades are still possible. And injuries happen.