The Los Angeles Dodgers have a glut in the outfield and the team is aggressively pursuing possible trade options in hopes to deal one of the outfielders by spring training in April.
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Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Wednesday at the annual general managers' meetings in Phoenix that the team is openly searching for a trade partner for one of its outfielders.
With Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford and Yasiel Puig all looking for regular playing time and prospect Joc Pederson, 22, getting closer to the big leagues, Los Angeles is looking to make a trade to trim its outfield corps for 2015.
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"I think it's most likely the best course of action to move one of those players," Friedman said, according to ESPN Los Angeles.
The Dodgers are coming off of a successful season that saw the team finish 94-68 and win the NL West for the second straight year, but manager Don Mattingly often voiced frustration over having to rotate a carousel of outfielders throughout the season.
Los Angeles eventually fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in four games in the National League Division Series, and now with the offseason underway, the team will look to part ways with an outfielder.
Puig is the least likely player to move as he is making just $6.2 million a season and hit .296/.382/.480 in his second MLB campaign in 2014 through 148 games. Puig doesn't come without his problems, but at age 23, he is unlikely to go anywhere.
The Dodgers haven't ruled out moving Kemp, who led the MLB in slugging after the All-Star break, though the 30-year-old has dealt with some injuries in the past and makes $107 million through 2019.
Kemp hit .287/.346/.506 in 2014 through 150 games with 25 homers and 89 RBI. The Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox have been linked to Kemp in the past, but it remains to be seen if a deal is done.
"We just don't have any hard and fast rules. We're open to have any discussions," Friedman said. "That doesn't mean that some aren't much more difficult to push across the finish line. Obviously what Matt has done, what Matt's capable of doing, is significant, especially in this day and age with the run-scoring environment the way it is. His ability in the batter's box is different."
Ethier was the odd man out in the outfield down the stretch and could be the one the team tries to move the most while Crawford also may end up being shipped out of Los Angeles.
Ethier, 32, hit .249/.322/.370 in 130 games with four homers and 42 RBI and has $56 million left on a contract that expires in 2017. His .370 slugging percentage was a career-low in 2014.
Crawford, 33, hit .300/.339/.429 through 105 games last season while adding eight homers and 46 RBI. Crawford has three years left on his deal worth $62.25 million.
The Dodgers have many bulky contracts and the team is going to try its best to unload at least one of them heading into the new campaign.
"Obviously we need to figure out a way to line up on something that makes sense for us and another team to trade a guy and put ourselves in the best position to be more nimble with our roster and more flexible," Friedman said.
It will be an interesting offseason in Los Angeles as the Dodgers look to move one of their many outfielders.
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