Dodgers Rumors: Team ‘out’ on Ben Zobrist
For whatever reason, despite how much sense Ben Zobrist made for the Dodgers, they always felt like a long-shot to sign him, especially if you pay close attention to inside reports from Nashville.
Yes, there was always the Andrew Friedman-Tampa-Bay connection to Zobrist. Sure, Zobrist fit in with the Dodgers at second base and in the outfield given the the question marks surrounding the guys who will play there next season. All that said, the Dodgers never really felt like any kind of favorite to sign him.
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Tuesday, it was reported the Dodgers are no longer in on the World Series Champion utility player by Chris Cotillo of the MLB Daily Dish.
The Dodgers are out on Ben Zobrist as he nears his decision, according to a source involved in the negotiations.
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With Zobrist out of play, the Dodgers will have to search elsewhere for help at second base. The team re-signed Chase Utley to a 1-year, $7 million deal on Sunday but is expected to look elsewhere for a better option at second base.
As Cotillo alludes to, it’s hard to see the Dodgers heading into next season with just Utley as the starting second baseman. Jose Peraza might fill that position with Utley as a possible stopgap until the former becomes the everyday solution. The risk obviously inherently being that Peraza might never develop as such. Enrique Hernandez doesn’t seem like an everyday solution there, either.
We also received report that Howie Kendrick is unlikely to be a Dodgers in 2016, so it’s hard to see really where said help might come from in the free agent market. Seems likely the Dodgers (if they’re looking to upgrade at second base) will have to do so via trade.
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