Here we are again, adding another name to the rumor mill that the Los Angeles Dodgers may or may not be interested in.
We can take DJ LeMahieu out of the rumor rotation, as he has now re-signed with the New York Yankees. He signed a six-year, $90MM contract to stay with the Bronx Bombers. The Dodgers were never going to give him that many years, although Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic says they were involved in the bidding for the versatile infielder.
Last week, we talked about how the Dodgers were also looking at Marcell Ozuna. That signing looks to only make sense if the DH is in fact coming to the National League.
Rosenthal also stated in his article that the Dodgers are now turning some attention towards Marcus Semien. Most recently with the Oakland Athletics, Semien has played mostly shortstop but could play both third and second base also.
Semien, 30, would play third base or multiple positions for the Dodgers rather than displace Corey Seager at shortstop, though if he signed a multi-year deal he might be an option to return to short in 2022 if Seager departed as a free agent. Fansided’s Robert Murray reported last month that Semien, a Gold Glove finalist at short in 2019, is drawing interest at both second and third.
Ken Rosenthal in The Athletic
Semien is a right handed bat, which we all know the Dodgers have been looking to acquire. Last season, he slashed just .223/.305/.384/.679 with seven home runs. But in 2019, he played in all 162 games and swatted 33 long balls. He also has a career .371 batting average in the postseason.
With his versatility and hitting right handed, he could prove to be a good fallback option should the Dodgers not re-sign Justin Turner. There is no new news on that front aside from the fact that both sides would apparently like a reunion.
The Dodgers spent most of their offseason working on revamping their bullpen. They are reportedly still in on both Brad Hand and Kirby Yates. Now we can add one more name to the mix.
On Monday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweeted that the Dodgers are one of a few teams checking in with Jeremy Jeffress.
The righty reliever last pitched with the Chicago Cubs in the 2020 season after a down year with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019. He ended the year with a 4-1 record and a 1.54 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 17 strikeouts over 23.1 innings.
Dodger fans will recall when the Boys in Blue faced the Brewers in the 2018 NLCS. After Jeffress gave up the go-ahead home run to Justin Turner in Game 2, Jeffress remarked that the Dodgers had just gotten “lucky.” Jeffress then gave up the infamous three-run homer to Yasiel Puig in Game 7, which sent the Dodgers to the World Series.
We’re now under a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring camp, so hopefully some news about a signing or two will happen soon.
