Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers will sign future Hall Of Famer and three-time MVP Albert Pujols, according to Jorge Castillo.
Following his separation with the Angels, the deal with the Dodgers comes as a shock given that he’s a 41-year-old limited defender that was reportedly unhappy with a minimal role on his previous team. Perhaps even more importantly, he has posted a .240/.289/.405/.694 line with an 85 OPS+ since 2017, amassing a negative cumulative WAR.
In a way, though, it could make sense. The Dodgers are absolutely desperate for a righty bat, with their apparent best bench options at the moment from that side being Sheldon Neuse and DJ Peters, both of whom have looked overwhelmed. Pujols does have a .878 OPS against lefties this year, but that drops to a 102 wRC+ over the last three seasons. Regardless, even league average would be an improvement there, and as long as he’s alright with the playing time arrangement, the Dodgers could do worse considering their lack of depth early this year.
In a way, I suppose the utility of the rest of the roster allows them to carry a one-dimensional player at the end of his career to fill a desperate need. Theoretically, it’s not a huge risk anyway, though it’s possible that if things don’t go well the Dodgers will be hesitant to jettison him due to his status in the game. Here’s hoping it never gets to that point.
