After another offseason of blockbuster additions, the Los Angeles Dodgers raised fears about competitive balance and calls for a Major League Baseball salary cap.
Now, with just a few days until the trade deadline, the Dodgers aren’t even the best team in the National League and face some urgent roster needs if they hope to repeat as champions.
At the top of the list is a relief arm that can handle some big innings in October. But the Dodgers might also be checking in on potential offensive upgrades as their star-studded batting order disappoints.
“While Freddie Freeman has begun to show signs of turning things around, Mookie Betts’ worst offensive season has only deepened,” Bill Plunkett wrote for The Orange County Register. “Teoscar Hernandez has his own slump (.199 since the start of June) and Michael Conforto has been a free agent bust (a .185 average and .614 OPS), seemingly leaving room for improvement.”
Much has been made of Betts’ season-long struggles as he’s dealt with a stomach virus and a toe injury while also taking on the everyday shortstop role for the first time in his career. But after some pronounced heroics in last year’s World Series and a blazing start that earned him an All-Star nod, Freeman’s slump is more of a recent problem. He batted just .200 in June and is batting just .224 so far in July.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes indicated that Freeman has been falling short of the team’s expectations alongside Betts when he sent a hopeful message that the duo would return to form alongside the return of Max Muncy.
“I think you get Muncy back and we’re talking about future Hall of Famers in Freddie and Mookie that haven’t been performing up to what our expectations are,” Gomes told Plunkett. “I feel strongly those guys will get it back on track and then as some of the other guys get back into a groove, coming off of injury, it’s the same thing — I think the talent level is really high.”
Freeman has a .295/.368/.470 slash line with the most doubles in the National League so far. But even a temporary slump has pushed him below the Dodgers’ expectations.
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