November 20th, 2016 at 7:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka There are only three guarantees in life: death, taxes and annual Andre Ethier trade rumors. I mean let’s face it, not an off-season goes by where there isn’t at least some rumblings about the Dodgers wanting to trade the Phoenix, Arizona native who will be 35 years old eight days after Opening Day 2017.
In all fairness, Ethier has had a very good 11-year MLB career since being acquired from the Oakland A’s on December 13, 2005 as a minor leaguer in the trade that sent troublemaker Milton Bradley and infielder Antonio Perez to Oakland. To this very day it is still considered by many to be the best trade ever made by former Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti.
In his 11 big league seasons – all with the Dodgers – Ethier has a career slash-line of .285/.359/.463 for an OPS of .822; not Hall of Fame-caliber numbers but very solid numbers year in and year out. And through it all Ethier has maintained his popular nickname “Captain Clutch” for his remarkable ability to deliver in high-pressure key situations.
It’s nearly impossible to count the number of times that Ethier has come up big in crucial situations throughout his 11 seasons with the Dodgers. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
After suffering a fractured right tibia (shin bone) during a spring training game that required surgery, Ethier missed all but 16 games in 2016, during which he hit a meager .208 with only one home run and two RBIs in his 26 plate appearances. And while it is totally unfair to hold these non-Ethier-like numbers against him after his extensive recovery and rehabilitation, it certainly puts his future with the Dodgers in question.
Dre still has one full season remaining on his five-year/$85 million contract which includes an incentive-based club option for 2018 (or a $2.5 million buyout). And while this may have been a tradable contract as recently as last winter, it probably isn’t very appealing to potential Ethier suitors now, especially after his horrible injury less than a year ago.
(Image courtesy of Baseball Prospectus)
Although Ethier’s future with the Dodgers is unknown, especially with the Dodgers’ brass repeatedly expressing their desire to “get younger” and with the impact that 24-year-old late-season arrival Andrew Toles had on the team, by all appearances Ethier will at best be a utility bench player and left-handed bat off the bench for the Dodgers in 2017.
Then again, this is Captain Clutch we’re talking about here.
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Still a valuable player. FO says they want to get younger, but continue to acquire older players. Have to wonder.
I don’t necessarily see the Dodgers’ front office as “…[continuing] to acquire older players.” One here and there, yes, but not as an overall course of action. And to be perfectly honest, from what I have seen first-hand in the Dodgers clubhouse, the older players that they have acquired have been instrumental in the development of the team’s younger players. There is certainly no greater example of this than what Chase Utley and Justin Turner have meant in the development of recently named 2016 NL Rookie of the Year Corey Seager and the significant growth of Joc Pederson and even more so Yasiel Puig.
I always wonder what the story today would be if Dre hadn’t swung at that pitch last spring.
I’m sure it would have depended on the season that he had. Probably safe to say that Toles wouldn’t have been called up if Dre had a decent year … maybe.
There always seems to be, down through the years, a Dodger, shall we call a hanger oner?. A Dodger player who seems to remain with the team through the good and bad. The latest being Andre’ Ethier.
Ethier does have 10 – 5 rights so wss what happens, but as Cervenka states, he will most likely come off the bench unless some injury to another OF is extensive. If he is to be dealt, most likely be part of a package as his trade value at this point appears to be low.
When I think of Andre Ethier, I think of a career Dodger. At first reading, I was not crazy with oldbrooklynfan’s description as a hanger oner, but upon further thinking, it really is appropriate. While certainly not HOF caliber, Dre has had a productive career, .285/.359/.463/.822. He averaged 18 HR and 77 RBI per 162 games; and was a good but not great defensive OF who could play all three OF positions. I recognize that the $20M remaining on his contract will not be earned this year, but he had productive years when he wasn’t paid, so I will look away this year. Teams can certainly do worse than having an Andre Ethier coming off the bench in a key situation, in hopes that he rekindles the moniker of Mr. Clutch with more walk off hits. From Ron Perranoski to Rick Monday to Andre Ethier; #16 has always been a positive for LAD.