With the Trade Deadline-acquired Brian Dozier hitting the free agency market this winter, the Dodgers are in the running to sign a new second baseman. One player who fits the bill and has reportedly gotten interest from the Dodgers is the Rockies’ impending free agent, DJ LeMahieu.
Jon Morosi, an MLB Network insider, reported to Twitter on Tuesday that the Dodgers were “showing early interest in free agent 2B DJ LeMahieu,” who has spent the past seven seasons with the Colorado Rockies.
LeMahieu, a 30 year old utility infielder, has collected three Wilson Defensive Player of the Year awards at second base since 2013. While LeMahieu’s offensive abilities are questionable and could be chalked up to calling Coors Field his home since 2012, LeMahieu has a career average of .298 in just under 3,500 at-bats.
The 2018 home/road splits are shockingly tilted in favor of LeMahieu batting at home in Denver, with LeMahieu’s home/road averages splitting at .317/.229. The Dodgers’ current on-roster candidates to take over at second base are Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernandez, who are both currently playing in the Japan All-Star Series this November, and both batted on a tier above DJ LeMahieu this season.
However, something worth noting is that 11 of LeMahieu’s 15 home runs in 2018 were hit in opposing ballparks. LeMahieu’s home slugging percentage was higher than that of his split on the road, while hitting almost three times as many homers on the road. This is because LeMahieu had only 105 total bases on the road.
Look for talks to progress at this year’s Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, as the Dodgers search for a second baseman.
Arrick Joel has covered the Dodgers since 2017, and for Dodgers-LowDown since 2018. Follow @ArrickJoel and @DodgersLowDown on Twitter for more.