The San Francisco Giants have put some pressure on the Dodgers to address their flaws after acquiring Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox. The Dodgers' biggest need may be in the outfield.
The Dodgers' starting rotation is decimated by injuries. However, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani are all expected to return at some point. Ohtani will be starting as an opener on Monday night against the San Diego Padres. With the hope that the rotation will get back to full strength, the Dodgers may look to replace Michael Conforto.
Conforto signed a $17 million deal with the Dodgers in the offseason, but has struggled greatly. He has a .598 OPS and is the weak link in the Dodgers' lineup. The Giants are just two games back of the Dodgers, and just added one of the best hitters in baseball. The Dodgers can no longer wait for Conforto to figure things out. Sports Illustrated's Matthew Schmidt proposed that the Dodgers acquire Jesús Sánchez from the Miami Marlins.
"Is Sanchez one of the best hitters you'll find? No, but he would represent a massive upgrade over Conforto, and it should be noted that the 27-year-old has been playing very well since May, registering an OPS of .809 last month and .819 thus far in June," wrote Schmidt.
Sánchez is under club control through 2027 and would not be a cheap addition for the Dodgers. However, he would help them stay ahead of the Giants and finally end the Conforto experiment. He is slashing .257/.332/.408 with six home runs this season. The Marlins are set up to be sellers at the trade deadline, and Sánchez should draw plenty of interest.
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"The Marlins seem fairly likely to move Sanchez in the coming weeks, and there is no question that the Dodgers comprise one of the most logical landing spots for the slugger," wrote Schmidt. "Armed with a loaded farm system, Los Angeles would surely have plenty of depth pieces to offer the Fish."
The Dodgers have internal options to deploy over Conforto, but clearly do not want to go that route. An outfield of Hyeseong Kim, Teoscar Hernández and Andy Pages would be better than their current primary trio. The Dodgers also have Dalton Rushing, who could get more regular at-bats by starting in left field.
However, the Dodgers clearly do not want to make either of those moves. Sánchez would be able to start every day in the Dodgers' outfield, replacing Conforto. The Giants are not going to go away, and the longer the Dodgers have a hole in the lineup, the longer they have to worry about losing the National League West lead.
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