The Los Angeles Dodgers are getting their pitching staff back to full strength, but they’ve got some offensive holes to fill before the trade deadline. The outfield’s become a problem area.
Now, when it comes to Mookie Betts struggling, that’s not really something the Dodgers need to lose sleep over. You don’t replace a player like that, and they’re confident he’ll snap out of it. Michael Conforto, on the other hand? That’s a different story.
The Dodgers handed him a $17 million deal this offseason, and he’s given them a .185/.297/.320 slash line across 89 games. He’s had plenty of chances to prove his worth, but with the deadline just a week out, time’s running short.
Writing for FanSided, Katrina Stebbins thinks Conforto won’t make it past the deadline on the 40-man roster.
“The front office would love nothing more than to not see their $17 million investment in Conforto go to waste, and they might see his improvements as of late as a sign that he’s finally trending upwards after months of bad performance. However, the Dodgers have been loosely connected to some potentially available outfielders on the deadline, including the Guardians’ Steven Kwan.”
Stebbins makes a fair point about Conforto’s recent uptick, but she’s also realistic about what it means.
“Conforto has about a week to prove that whatever improvements he’s made will stick. Some Dodgers fans might still argue that a single hot streak won’t prove anything, and the team should still replace him if this recent upward trend turns out to be fool’s gold.”
The numbers tell the story. The Dodgers have scored the sixth-fewest runs in baseball this month. Their struggling stars will figure things out eventually – that’s what stars do. But Conforto doesn’t get that same benefit of the doubt.
What makes this easier is that they’ve got internal options waiting. Once Max Muncy returns, players like Tommy Edman or Hyeseong Kim could slide into Conforto’s spot without missing a beat.
That’s where the trade deadline becomes crucial. If the Dodgers don’t want to go the internal route, they’ll need to make a move. With World Series expectations, they can’t afford to carry players who aren’t contributing. And right now, Conforto isn’t helping that cause.
