The Dodgers will exercise their $8.5MM club option over second baseman/third baseman Logan Forsythe, tweets SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo. Los Angeles had until 5pm ET today to decided between that sum and a $1MM buyout for the 30-year-old Forsythe.
Forsythe didn’t have the season that the Dodgers envisioned when acquiring him from the Rays in exchange for touted pitching prospect Jose De Leon (though De Leon himself missed most of the season due to injury). In 439 plate appearances, Forsythe batted just .239/.351/.327 with six homers and 19 doubles — a far cry from the .273/.347/.444 slash he posted with the 2015-16 Rays. He did, however, hit left-handed pitching at a robust .290/.418/.452 clip in 153 plate appearances and turn in strong defensive work.
Though he was primarily a second baseman with the Rays, Forsythe was used in a larger variety of roles with the Dodgers. In addition to 587 frames at second base (where he graded out at +5 Defensive Runs Saved and a +3.2 Ultimate Zone Rating), Forsythe saw 301 innings at third base (+4 DRS, +3.4 UZR) and also made brief appearances at shortstop, first base and in the outfield corners. At the very least, he can serve as a versatile multi-position asset for the Dodgers in 2018, though his lack of a defined starting role could lead the Dodgers to also explore trades this offseason.
Good hopefully we go with a Forsythe/JMF Platoon at 2B
JMF can even fill in for JT for a couple of days of the week
JMF had solid minor league numbers. We should see him in LA next year.
8.5 for versatility? Wow!
Dee Gordon reunion? Not likely but would be a decent upgrade and could help facilitate a Stanton deal by taking more money off Miami’s books in one shot.
not an upgrade and that’s another lefty bat
Explain how that’s not an upgrade….
Yeah imagine Gordon after having Turner Ward work with him
who’s JMF
Jose Miguel Fernandez, the cuban who signed a minor league contract in January
Who’s JMF?
And who would JMF replace on the 25 man roster?
ILE.
Obviously.
The option was an obvious one to pick up. Even though they still willl search for a 2B upgrade.
He was probably the most solid hitter in their post season run
But he was quite bad for the vast majority of the season. Kike and Joc were great in the postseason, but they’re nothing more than depth and versatility options next year too.
Regular season doesn’t matter. Darvish couldn’t perform in the postseason, so we aren’t bringing him back. Kike and Joc did great in the postseason, so we want them so they can do it again next year. In the end, the only thing that matters is a WS trophy, not a division championship. And if you do well in the playoffs, you will help us get the WS.
Regular season doesn’t matter? How do you expect to get back to the playoffs then?
One of the worst things I’ve read on this site. Regular season is bs but small sample size is gold? Good to know.
Kershaw, Jansen , Bellinger , Seager and Turner all combined lost the world series. We gonna get rid of any of them?
I don’t like the Forsythe option being picked up, yes he had a solid postseason but his overall body of work was underwhelming. Maybe we can get Brian Dozier?
Exercising his option takes us out of the Stanton market, smh
Your comment just makes no sense. Ok lets say they want to upgrade and get Brian Dozier. Forsythe can still be used as trade bait for a prospect somewhere. And you really believe that forsythes 8.5 million has any impact at all on stanton? Comparing a 2B making that compared to an outfielder with 295 million left on his deal doesn’t make sense. If the Dodgers want Stanton, Forsythe will not be in the way.
Exercising a middle infielder/utility bat option at 8.5m, takes them out of the trade market for Stanton? Wow. That’s a reach.
Jesus christ, reasons i hate big market teams always complaining, you have like like 10 allstars on your team, as a fan of a small market team i will gladly take forsythe back. God
Man I can’t stand when people aren’t informed, look at the numbers, we are trying to get under the luxury tax threshold to not forfeit 10 spots in the draft. If we traded Grandal, owed 7.7 million this year after arbitration and we didn’t extend Forsythe’s 8.5 million option we could have gone after a top free agent like Stanton.
If we get him now we will be way over the luxury tax threshold. As it stands now (177 million before all the arbitration eligible players we sit right at the 197 million mark, hence no way we get Stanton without incurring the 10 spot penalty in the draft. So no way we get Stanton if we care about those 10 spots in the draft.
Btw I was joking on Brian Dozier as we should have gotten him last offseason instead of Forsythe. Dozier put up big numbers again that would have made our offense more explosive plus he just won a gold glove. It was a joke because now he would be more expensive to get now prospect wise so in essence that ship has sailed,,,,,,what could have been?
Great pickup on Forsythes’ option. One less position the dodgers need to fill.
Excellent. He really did not recover fully from the broken toe. Established Major Leaguer. Smart move.
Smart move. I still think they will look for an upgrade and they might even trade the guy still but was a no brained to pick up the option. I’d like to see them hang on to him and make moves elsewhere. I like the idea of Barnes and Farmer catching and the Dodgers trading Grandal…maybe they can package Grandal and Pederson for starting pitching just not sure who exactly will be available. Either way I love this move to pick up Forsythes option and if they do keep him I think he will have a better year than last year
Idk see how or why they would look to trade him. The market flush for options so much so the return would be obviously less than what they gave up. Two he’s versatile enough to give guys like Turner days off without a significant drop off defensively. His ~ AAV is pretty insignificant. He’s also pretty versatile offensively. I think injuries got him for the better part of the year. They didn’t bring him in to be a superstar just to get on base and drill lefties which he did. So yeah he’s a no brained vet leader you keep. He allows Taylor and Kikè to roam. Although I do agree they churn. I don’t believe it’s with Pederson as they’d be low, but Grandal etc. yeah I bet they do.
Grandal is a good trade option that would fetch us a nice prospect package,while saving 7.7 million, but Joc is only going to make 2 million this year so he isn’t going anywhere.
Forsythe is a good player. He seemed to play well in October for the most part. Kershaw on the other hand Sorry. I know that’s off subject. But we can’t stop laughing at his postseason stats. And before you rip on my team, we have 3 Championships since ’10. Think of how difficult it is to win ONE. We have THREE. Since 10. Crazy huh? But hey those little divisional trophies are nice too. If you need a paperweight.
Way to rise from the ashes of some really bad years for baseball. Does Frank McCourt get a ring for those years too? He’s as much to thank for your run as anything else.
4-1 in games started by Kershaw. You have to be extremely ignorant to think Kershaw was the problem. But yet again you came here just to brag about the Giants titles
He came to brag and shoot off with hot takes from 2015. Next thing you know he’ll be talking about how Puig needs to mature and is a clubhouse cancer.
64-98
So that’s three in SF? Oh yeah we have 5 in LA. 5>3
Kershaw has pitched well in the playoffs with the exception of two games. All the other games he did good until the 6th or 7th inning and last time I checked a few bad innings and two bad games doesn’t make him a bad pitcher. He actually did really good the last two years especially this year besides one game. You might want to check the wins and losses in games he’s pitched in the playoffs and if you even watch the games you’d know your comments are completely ignorant and you have no idea what Tori’s talking about.
LOL
Don’t understand why Chris Taylor isn’t the obvious choice at 2b.
Because he’s currently the obvious choice in CF?
Not to mention, all the other positions he can cover as needed.
Maybe I’m thinking too much like a fantasy baseball manager, but why give up such a huge offensive upgrade at a typically poor offensive position. Especially when they have so many good young outfielders. Are we not thinking Pederson is back, for instance? Toles is coming back, too. I guess I thought Taylor in the outfield was a bit of a stopgap.
You kind of are thinking a little too much as a fantasy baseball owner. No offense. First as much as we love Taylor, he still has to show he can continue to make adjustments. I think we see somewhat of a drop in the power and overall production. Man that babip was close to legendary status a majority of the year. I also believe this FO/Coaches seem to value Taylor’s athleticism and hands more in the OF. That said he seems to be of the same mold as Zobrist. Which we know the FO’s affinity for versatility.
On Toles, let’s remember he probably needed a little more seasoning coming into last year and he just miss a year’s worth of ABs. So like Thompson, I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes him a significant chunk of time to start getting back to previous form. He’s is also in the mold of a platoon guy. I think Pederson’s days in CF for the Dodgers are pretty much over. So the Dodgers outfield isn’t probably as crowded as you may think when examining names.
On Forsythe, it’s cheap enough and not unrealistic to believe he can work out his issues that plagued him after injury. He drills lefties, plays above d at both 2nd and 3rd. He was also pretty even split guy after his swing change. So no he provides major value especially at close to 6M AAV. You’ll see Taylor playing everyday if he continues to hit, but I think the Dodgers made the correct choice. They are still stacked with talent with more incoming if you hit you’ll play. In the end I just don’t think Taylor settles in one place, with the caveat being injury. I think they found a guy that can and will bounce around CF, LF, SS,2B and they will be advantageous about using him.
This is a case where value isn’t really a major consideration. Worst case scenario for the Dodgers is they find a better 2B solution, mark Forsythe down significantly, and flip him for a couple of prospects. And that’s pretty much worst case, barring injury or some other unforeseen event. Exercising his option was never in doubt. Other teams might have thought twice, but not the Dodgers.
I dont like them picking up the option but oh well and I dont think they would trade him, perhaps he is a stop gap if we either trade for Manny Machado at this years trade deadline and move Turner to second or just ride out this year with Turner at third, Forsythe platoon and then sign Machado next year and then move Turner over to 2nd?
I don’t get this this whole push. Look Turner isn’t moving to second. Point blank, he was a below average defender at 2nd before injuries caught up. Now his knee injuries essentially make it illogical for him to bump to second especially on an everyday basis. They are not going to trade for Macahado as the O’s aren’t going to trade him, and they are not going to sign Machado. You can get those fantasies out of your head.
Agreed. What possible reason would he be moved. Second important, CF critical.
I think some fans above are overthinking this. Picking up the option at relatively decent cost was a no-brainer for the Dodgers. YES, he was disappointing for a good chunk of the regular season compared to his career numbers, but not mentioned here is that he had a bad toe injury and he seemed off for 2 months after coming back from that. Once healthy and not pressing as much he started to pick it up even in the *regular season* (which does matter 😉 ) and then being very good in the post-season. Those numbers were more in line with his career than the few months of struggle he had after the injury. And as this article notes, he was very good against lefties in particular. So even if he ends up platooning a bit (plus can fill in at third which is important), he’s very useful guy to have come back.
Don’t understand whining about it.
Although he had a below average season compared to his career averages, I think it’s obvious that injury was a major factor for the drop off.
Im sure this was a really easy decision for the front office. Aside from being a bargain at 8.5 mil for a versatile and valuable clubhouse player like Forsythe, I’m sure having the team option attached to his contract was a major factor in the deal for him to begin with. Declining the option wouldn’t have made any sense. As long as he stays healthy, he’ll be a valuable contributor next season