The Dodgers, which couldn't stand 'Oh no,' discussed the trade of '38HR center fielder'... U.S. media is expected to "reduce Kim Hye-sung's position."
The Dodgers, which couldn't stand 'Oh no,' discussed the trade of '38HR center fielder'... U.S. media is expected to "reduce Kim Hye-sung's position."
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It has been reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers, which has weaknesses in its center field position, are discussing the acquisition of Louis Robert Jr. (28), the center fielder of the Chicago White Sox. If the trade is completed, it will be a big negative factor for Kim Hye-sung (26), who is currently waiting for a big league call-up from the Minor League Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets.
"MLB Trade Rumors (MLBTR), which reported the transfer to the Major League, quoted Bob Nightingale of USA Today on the 14th (Korea Standard Time) and said, "The Dodgers negotiated a trade deal to give up James Outman and top prospect to the Chicago White Sox and receive center fielder Luis Robert Jr."
"The trade is currently under discussion, and it is unclear whether these discussions have taken place recently or from what point last offseason," the media added.
Robert Jr., the Dodgers' trade target, is a center fielder who is entering his sixth year in the big league this year. He made his big league debut as a member of the Chicago White Sox in the 2020 season, hitting 11 homers and 31 RBIs in 56 games, making an impact.
Since then, he has gradually increased his number of games played until the 2022 season, recording double-digit home runs, and in the 2023 season, he hit a career high with a batting average of 0.264 with 38 homers, 80 RBIs and 20 steals in 145 games, and an OPS of 0.857. He was named an All-Star that year, won the Silver Slugger, and ranked 12th in the MVP vote.
However, he played in 100 games last year with a batting average of 0.224, 14 homers, 35 RBIs, 23 steals, and an OPS of 0.657, completely breaking his career low, and has yet to find a sense of hitting, with a batting average of 0.163 (8 hits in 49 at-bats) in 14 games this season.
The Dodgers, which is considered to have the best "super team" in history, is considering recruiting Robert Jr. due to sluggish center field resources. During this spring camp and the Tokyo series, manager Dave Roberts named second baseman Tommy Edman and center fielder Andy Pazs as center position.
Unlike Edman, who has six homers during the regular season, however, Pazs fell into a deep slump with a batting average of 0.149. He wanted to lay the groundwork for a rebound by hitting homers in consecutive games on the 9th and 10th, but that was it. In the end, Roberts excluded the Chicago Cubs from the starting list on the 14th, using Edman as center fielder and Miguel Rojas as second baseman. 먹튀검증
To make matters worse, another utility of the Dodgers, Chris Taylor, has not shown much performance, and even the outman has a batting average of around 10% in Triple-A. Kim Hye-sung has continued his hit streak in three consecutive games, including consecutive home runs on the 13th, but it still does not seem to have been in Roberts' plan.
Regarding the trade discussion, "MLBTR" said, "In December, it was reported that the Dodgers were one of the candidates who could replace Teoscar Hernandez if he failed to renew his contract with the FA, but it was eventually canceled when Hernandez signed his contract shortly after. However, even now, it could be meaningful for the Dodgers to recruit Robert Jr."
The media continued, "If Robert Jr. is placed in center field, the Dodgers can reduce their dependence on Rojas and Kim Hye-sung at second base, and instead place Edman on the spot. If the infield defense becomes stronger like that, it can help set Mookie Betts up as a shortstop."