It was a little confounding, the idea that the Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of six straight NL West crowns and two straight pennants, needed an offseason makeover. Sure, Manny Machado, Brian Dozier, and Yasmani Grandal were likely departures, and Hyun-Jin Ryu and Corey Seager (among other players) were due raises. Still, though, the team has outscored its opponents by 384 runs over the past two seasons—realistically, how much better could it get with a roster shuffle? The answer, here in the middle of January and (presumably) in the middle of that roster shuffle, remains unclear. On Thursday Los Angeles added centerfielder A.J. Pollock, the longtime Diamondback, who posted a 7.2 bWAR season in 2015 but has been injured and markedly less effective since. Pollock missed almost all of 2016 with a broken elbow, and he logged long disabled-list stints in 2017 (strained groin) and 2018 (fractured thumb). When healthy, he played above-average defense in center and hit .261/.323/.477, good for a 103 OPS+. His 2018 included a career-high 21 homers but also a career-high strikeout rate, with a career-low full-season walk rate. VERDUCCI: How Baseball Is Becoming a "Gig Economy" Pollock’s contract reportedly calls for four years at $13.75 million annually, with a fifth-year player option and the possibility to earn an opt-out after the third year. (For luxury-tax purposes, the deal counts just $12 million toward the Dodgers’ payroll.) Whether he is a steal at that price depends, naturally, on his health and effectiveness going forward. There’s a way to read his offensive hiccups in 2018 as growing pains that stemmed from a new approach at the plate; there’s another way to read them, too, as the beginning of the 31-year-old’s decline phase. For Dodger fans, though, the question of which exactly they were is a little beside the point. L.A. cut payroll before 2018 so that it could get under the luxury tax—and thereby reset the penalty rate it would be assessed—for the first time since 2012. The team succeeded. This offseason, the team dealt away Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, and Alex Wood, three key pieces in 2018, so that it could shed further salary. All these moves seemed to be leading toward a splashy play for free agent Bryce Harper at whatever eye-popping price he would command. BACCELLIERI: Will the Reds' Ambitious Offseason Plan Work? Here on Jan. 24, Harper remains available, but the Dodger outfield is now full, with Pollock in center and Joc Pederson and Cody Bellinger in the corners, plus Enrique Hernandez, Alex Verdugo, Andrew Toles, and Chris Taylor around to spot those three. While Pollock gives L.A. a necessary right-handed bat, and while he has some upside despite his recent so-so seasons, he simply doesn’t bring what Harper would. The steadiness of Pollock’s defense isn’t quite so valuable when balanced against his injury history and age, and L.A. wouldn’t have a handedness problem had it held on to Puig. Admittedly Harper is an unusual player, even by superstar standards. He has the highest offensive ceiling under Mike Trout’s, but he is prone to slumps and is of dubious value in the field. Still, if you’re a team thinking of signing a player with an injury history who has failed to reach his 2015 heights, why not sign the 26-year-old who played 159 games last year instead of the 31-year-old who played just 113? Payroll aside, the Dodgers are a worse 2019 team with Pollock replacing Puig, Wood, and Kemp. There may yet be trades and signings to come—will the Marlins cave on J.T. Realmuto? Will Joc Pederson man center elsewhere?—and we must remind ourselves not to grade a makeover before it is through. For now, though, the Dodgers appear to have cut payroll for business reasons. Maybe it’s a smart thing to do while trying to find buyers for a minority stake in the club, but it’s no way to tighten L.A.’s grasp on the West.<doc-sep>Diamondbacks free agent center fielder A.J. Pollock has officially agreed to a deal with the NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers announced the deal’s for four years with a player option for an additional year. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the deal gives Pollock a $12 million signing bonus and guarantees him $45 million for the first three years with an opt-out clause after 2021. He’s guaranteed $55 million over four years or $60 million over five years, if he stays with the club. Because his new Dodgers contract is worth more than $50 million, Pollock’s former team, the Diamondbacks, will receive a compensatory draft selection after the first round. The D-backs were not thrilled about the announcement. The Diamondbacks’ 2009 first-round pick debuted for Arizona in April of 2012 and leaves the team after spending a decade with the organization that drafted him out of Notre Dame. Over seven seasons with the D-backs, Pollock appeared in more than 113 games only twice (2013, 2015), and various injuries played a large part in that. Over the last couple of years, elbow, groin and hand injuries limited his availability as he attempted to return to his form from 2015, when he played in a career-high 157 games, hit .315 and became an All-Star for the first time. After playing 12 games in 2016 and 112 in 2017, Pollock’s start to last season looked MVP-worthy with him slashing .293/.349/.620 just more than six weeks into the year before a slide injured his thumb and kept him out from mid-May to the start of July. The outfielder finished 2018 batting .257 with a career-high 21 home runs, but his production at the age of 30 looked beyond what Arizona could pay. Like fellow D-backs free agent Patrick Corbin, Pollock turned down a one-year, $17.9 million qualifying offer from Arizona. Pollock is the latest long-time D-back to leave the organization. Former first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, while Corbin signed with the Washington Nationals. Follow @AZSports<doc-sep>The Dodgers’ weird offseason got a little bit weirder on Thursday, with their reported agreement with free agent outfielder A.J. Pollock on a new contract. Los Angeles is the second-largest market in the country, and they needed an outfielder, with Bryce Harper still available. Yet, the big-market Dodgers don’t seem interested. Instead, they got Pollock at a reported deal worth $60 million over five years. This is correct. For luxury-tax purposes, the deal will be seen as a five-year, $60 million package -- $12 million a year for the Dodgers' sake. And for a team looking to stay under the luxury-tax threshold, that $12 million AAV is a huge boon. https://t.co/OWlhMbA0t3 — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 24, 2019 To date, the biggest Dodgers move this offseason was a salary dump, getting rid of Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Alex Wood in exchange for the salary of Homer Bailey, who was released as part of the trade, plus two minor leaguers. So yes, while Pollock gives the Dodgers a right-handed hitting outfielder he only fills a need they created themselves by jettisoning Puig and Kemp. When that trade with Cincinnati was made in December, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said, “We had enough depth to field two starting outfields. It’s much more functional at this point. Having six-plus outfielders isn’t fair to anybody.” Adding Pollock makes things more crowded again, as the Dodgers roster stands now. They have Joc Pederson, Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger, Kiké Hernandez and Alex Verdugo also vying for outfield playing time, with second base also beckoning for Taylor and Hernandez, and first base available for Bellinger when Max Muncy or David Freese don’t start there. Positional flexibility is paramount with the Dodgers, and even with that group there is definitely room for Pollock, a true center fielder. But given his history, it’s not like the Dodgers should be planning for Pollock to play 150 games a year. What Pollock brings Pollock got off to a torrid start in 2018, winning National League Player of the Month honors in April. He was hitting .293/.349/.620 with 11 home runs on May 14 when he fractured his left thumb. Pollock returned in July, but just hit .236/.297/.407 the rest of the way, with 10 home runs in 73 games. Missing seven weeks was nothing new for Pollock, who has averaged just 101 games in his six full seasons, including no more than 113 games in any of the last three years. His disabled list history is daunting: 2014: fractured right hand, missed three months 2016: fractured right elbow, missed nearly five months 2017: strained right groin, missed 2½ months 2018: fractured left thumb, missed seven weeks The hope for a repeat of his breakout season in 2015 — .315/.367/.498, 131 wRC+, 20 home runs, 39 doubles, 39 stolen bases — fades as we move farther away from his lone fully healthy season, but Pollock as is can still be a valuable addition. Despite the injuries Pollock has still been a productive player, posting at least 2.5 Wins Above Replacement in five of his last six seasons. In 2017-18 he was slightly above average offensively (.261/.323/.477, 106 wRC+) with plus defense, posting 3- and 2.5-win seasons even while playing only 112 and 113 games respectively. Financial implications Given the molasses-like pace of the free agent market, the Dodgers were able to wait until Pollock was available at their price, which for competitive balance tax purposes counts as $12 million per year through 2023. The salary dump with the Reds lopped off roughly $16 million from the Dodgers’ CBT payroll for 2019, for comparison. Adding Pollock, the Dodgers are at roughly $193.4 million, with any amount over the $206 million threshold subject to a 20-percent tax. Pollock declined a one-year, $17.9 million qualifying offer from the Diamondbacks in November, and as such Arizona will receive a compensatory pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, after the first round. The Dodgers, for signing Pollock, will forfeit their second-round selection in the draft and have their international bonus pool for 2019-2020 decreased by $500,000. The takeaway While creative, the Pollock deal continues a Dodgers trend the last two offseasons of restraint. With an impact outfielder like Harper still unsigned, the Dodgers are swimming in the shallow end of the pool, content that the rest of the division is still using floaties. So while the Dodgers did get better by adding Pollock, their offseason continues to underwhelm.<doc-sep>
PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 22: A.J. Pollock #11 of the Arizona Diamondbacks rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Colorado Rockies during the fifth inning of an MLB game at Chase Field on September 22, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) The Los Angeles Dodgers had been seeking right handed hitters to balance out their left handed heavy lineup. Signing A.J. Pollock to a four year deal helps bring some of that balance. Throughout free agency, the Los Angeles Dodgers had been connected to outfielder A.J. Pollock. He certainly would fill a need – a right handed bat in a lineup that was decidedly left handed hitter heavy. However, there was not an opening in the outfield, especially as the Dodgers had far more outfielders than spaces available. That has changed over the past few weeks. Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig have been traded to Cincinnati. Joc Pederson is on the trade block. There are openings in the lineup now, and room for the Dodgers to add Pollock. That room, and newfound payroll flexibility, have allowed Los Angeles to make that long anticipated signing. Pollock is now heading to the Dodgers, signing a four year deal worth $55 million, with an opt-out after the third year, and a player option for a fifth season. AJ Pollock has already passed physical onhis Dodger deal. Slated to earn $55m in first 4 years, but could earn opt-out after Year 3 if he reaches set no. of PA. 5th year player option for $10m, w/ $5m buyout — Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 24, 2019 If Pollock is healthy, this contract could be a tremendous bargain. The problem is that he is almost never healthy over the course of a season, as Pollock has appeared in over 115 games just twice in his seven years in the majors. During his career, he has dealt with a broken elbow, broken thumb, groin and quad injuries, amongst other assorted ailments. Even in another injury shortened campaign, Pollock had a solid showing last year. He produced a respectable .257/.316/.484 batting line, hitting 21 homers and stealing 13 bases. While those numbers are a far cry from the torrid start to the season he had prior to broken thumb suffered in May, he still produced a 106 OPS+, providing solid value in the lineup. While those numbers are respectable, the Dodgers are hoping for Pollock to be healthy once again. In 2015, his last fully healthy season, Pollock produced an excellent .315/.367/.498 batting line, hitting 20 homers and stealing 39 bases. He was an All Star and a Gold Glove winner that year, showing his excellent all around ability. Even if Pollock has his usual ailments over the course of the year, and only appears in his typical 110 games, the Dodgers would seemingly have a bargain. He will presumably slot into right, leaving Cody Bellinger in center and allowing Enrique Hernandez to resume his status as the Dodgers super utility man. On the Diamondbacks side, this move should help in the long term. While it will be painful to see their former center fielder playing for a division rival, the fact that he declined their qualifying offer and signed a contract for over $50 million will help the rebuild. The Diamondbacks will receive another compensatory pick after the first round of the draft, giving Arizona six picks in the top 79 selections. That rebuild can get a significant boost of they hit on that plethora of picks. Want your voice heard? Join the Call To The Pen team! Write for us! The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed A.J. Pollock, a player they have been linked to for months. At just $55 million over four years, they could have a significant bargain if he stays healthy.