The Los Angeles Dodgers know moves need to be made in pursuit of back-to-back World Series championships. It won’t be an easy task, but that’s the goal.
Trade deadline moves are made to better the team, but one way they can improve the roster is by cutting ties with outfielder Michael Conforto.
Conforto has received 261 at-bats so far this season, and he’s currently hitting just .184 with a slash line of .184/.298/.322. The 32-year-old outfielder has just eight home runs and 23 RBI.
Let’s not act like 261 at-bats is a small sample size either. If this was May, and he had 100 at-bats, there would be some optimism that he could turn things around. However, it’s now the middle of July. His batting average isn’t shooting up any time soon.
Whether the Dodgers dump him in a trade with a high-profile prospect or simply designate him for assignment, a move has to be made sooner rather than later. This type of move would essentially be addition by subtraction as Conforto is hurting the team more than he’s helping at this point.
In the short term, Dave Roberts would have to do some major reshuffling without Conforto. Hyeseong Kim would have to take over at second base while Tommy Edman would need to return to the outfield. It would be a little unorthodox, but the Dodgers could make do until a true outfielder is brought in.
Once this move is made, the Dodgers could then go on to pursue a new left fielder such as Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan or even Ryan O’Hearn from the Baltimore Orioles.
One thing for certain though is that the team must rid itself of Conforto and admit that was a bad decision from the offseason.
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