The Los Angeles Dodgers’ search for a second baseman concluded on Monday, with the club trading Jose De Leon to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Logan Forsythe. De Leon was at the center of trade speculation for much of the offseason, as the Dodgers and Minnesota Twins discussed Brian Dozier.
De Leon was selected by the Dodgers in the 24th round of the 2013 Draft. He was recently named the organization’s No. 3 prospect for the 2017 season by Baseball America. De Leon reached Triple-A for the first time in his career last season, and proceeded to make his MLB debut.
The right-hander overcame ankle and arm injuries early in the year to go 7-1 with a 2.61 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 86.1 innings pitched over 16 starts for OKC.
De Leon was particularly dominant down the stretch of his time in Triple-A, putting together three straight starts with at least 10 strikeouts. The 24-year-old went 2-0 in four starts with the Dodgers, but yielded a 6.35 ERA, 6.97 FIP, 1.53 WHIP and averaged nearly four walks per nine innings.
There are questions over De Leon’s ability to develop a consistent breaking ball, and though he’s well-regarded, the Dodgers reportedly are more bullish on fellow right-handers Yadier Alvarez and Walker Buehler.
Forsythe batted .264/.333/.444 with 24 doubles, 20 home runs, 52 RBI and a 113 OPS+ in 567 plate appearances last season. His .778 on-base plus slugging percentage was down from an .804 clip in 2015 but still the second-best of Forsythe’s career.
On the other hand, he career-best marks with 20 home runs, four triples and 76 runs scored as the Rays’ primary leadoff hitter in 127 games last year. What’s more, Forysthe hit .270/.315/.461 with six doubles, four home runs and 14 RBI against left-handers, which was an area the Dodgers struggled in.
Forsythe was recently ranked the ninth-best second baseman heading into the 2017 season by MLB Network’s The Shredder. While Forsythe was acquired by the Dodgers to play second base, he’s logged time at third base (56 games), first base (27 games), shortstop (19 games) and the outfield (16 games) over the course of his six-year Major League career.
The 30-year-old owed $5.75 million this season and has a $9 million club option with a $1 million buyout for 2018. Forsythe can earn additional an $500,000 each for 550 and 600 plate appearances in 2017, and another $500,000 should he reached a combined 1,200 plate appearances from 2016-17.
