The Dodgers have acquired second baseman Logan Forsythe from the Rays, in exchange for pitching prospect Jose De Leon.
OFFICIAL: The #Rays have traded 2B Logan Forsythe to the #Dodgers in exchange for RHP Jose De León.
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) January 24, 2017
Forsythe, 30, hit .264/.333/.444 (113 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 20 home runs, 52 RBI, 76 runs and six stolen bases last season. A DL stint limited him to 127 games. He's served as a super-utility type in the past, but settled in as an everyday second baseman with good seasons in 2015 and 2016. He's playing on an $8.5 million club option this season, so he'll hit free agency after just one year in L.A., unless he's given a contract extension.
The Dodgers have been trying to fill a void at second base for a greater portion of the offseason. They were connected heavily in rumors to the Twins' Brian Dozier, but those talks seemed to stall a few weeks ago and reports indicated the two sides had reached an impasse. As a result, Forsythe is Los Angeles' newest second baseman.
Forsythe hit leadoff all year for the Rays last season, so here's a quick look at how the Dodgers' lineup might shake out:
1. Forsythe, 2B
2. Corey Seager, SS
3. Justin Turner, 3B
4. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
5. Yasmani Grandal, C
6. Joc Pederson, CF
7. Yasiel Puig, RF
8. Trayce Thompson/Andrew Toles, LF
Of note: Dodgers president Andrew Friedman traded for Forsythe with the Rays and now he's dealing for him again.
The return of De Leon gives the Rays additional starting pitching depth. He was regarded as a top-25 prospect in baseball before last season. In 16 Triple-A starts, he had a 2.61 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 111 strikeouts in 86 1/3 innings. He got a cup of coffee in the bigs and didn't fare well, but that doesn't change the upside. Lots of great players have a rough start in The Show.
"We are very excited to acquire someone we consider one of the top pitching prospects in baseball," said Rays GM Erik Neander in a statement. "Tremendous makeup, tremendous character. The personality on and off the field is something we're really excited about having."
Neander also noted that the Rays expect him to join the rotation soon.
If De Leon does emerge as a good rotation option, one can't help but wonder about the chances of trading one of the veteran starters like Chris Archer, Alex Cobb or Jake Odorizzi.