"He was a negative defender" - Insider reveals why Dodgers didn't go for Randy Arozarena, hopes they acquire Luis Robert Jr.
Despite being linked with Randy Arozarena, the Los Angeles Dodgers did not trade for the Tampa Bay Rays outfielder, who instead went to the Seattle Mariners. Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation talked about why the Los Angeles outfit did not end up signing Arozarena.
McKain elaborated on why the new Mariners addition would not have been an ideal fit for the team's current needs, despite his undoubted quality.
"He's someone who's going to give you 20+ home runs and 20+ stolen bases as a corner outfielder every single year," McKain said. "But he was a negative defender, and the Dodgers need a center fielder, not a left fielder."
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McKain also discussed his candidate of choice to fill the center fielder position, Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox. Though Arozarena would have added some more glitz and glamor to an already star-studded Dodgers offense, going for the White Sox center fielder is a much more shrewd piece of business, according to McKain.
"Would I have loved to have Randy [Arozarena]? Yes. But, it was always Luis Robert Jr. for me because we need a center fielder," McKain said.
Luis Robert Jr. vs Randy Arozarena, who's the better fit for the Dodgers?
Having been linked with a move to Los Angeles for quite some time this season, it did seem likely that Randy Arozarena would end up making the journey to Dodger Stadium. Arozarena is batting at .211 average with 15 home runs and 37 RBIs this season.
Adding a reliable batter with experience of getting it done in big postseason games is never a bad thing, especially for a team with the kind of sky-high aspirations that the Dodgers have.
Luis Robert, on the other hand, is batting at .220 average this season, with 12 home runs and 24 RBIs. The White Sox man is having a slow season at the plate, compared to the standards he set for himself in the previous campaign, in which he got his first All-Star Game call-up, while also winning the Silver Slugger award.
The Dodgers' current center fielder duo of James Outman and Andy Pages hasn't offered enough this season, with Outman cycling between triple-A and the big leagues, and Pages struggling for consistency. With a negative 0.3 WAR and sitting 27th in the league for OPS coming from the middle of the park, it is the need of the hour to plug the hole at center field for the National League West leaders.
Luis Robert Jr., a natural center fielder, may well prove to be the better choice for the Blues given their current predicament, as compared to Arozarena, who plays as a left fielder.