On Monday, January 23 and Wednesday, January 25, the Dodgers made two acquisitions getting players from the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays. Both trades added key pieces for the team going into spring training, which is less than a month away. So, let’s meet the new guys and talk a little bit about how they can contribute this year.

Logan Forsythe

Monday’s deal answered just about every Dodger fan’s two biggest question: Who will play second base this year, and by what means are we going to get one? The answer came in former Rays second baseman Logan Forsythe.

To acquire Forsythe, a first-round draft pick by the San Diego Padres in 2008, the Dodger parted ways with their second best and 33rd overall prospect, 24-year-old right-hander Jose De Leon. While this seems like it may not have been worth giving up a top pitching prospect for a second baseman entering his age-30 season with only one year of control left, I can assure you that this is not the case. Forsythe is the answer to the team’s prayers.

Last year the Memphis, Tennessee native hit a respectable .264 to go along with 20 home runs and 52 RBIs. If you were to plug those numbers into the Dodgers season Forsythe would have ranked fourth in home runs, fourth in batting average and sixth in RBIs. He also does something that few Dodger players did last year – he hits lefties. Against southpaws, Forsythe is a career .278 hitter in just over 600 at bats. This would be a dramatic improvement for a team that hit just .213 against lefties in 2016. Furthermore, Forsythe plays every infield position except first base, which will surely come in handy to fill spots on off-days as well as when the inevitable injury bug strikes.

And finally, Forsythe’s contract lends itself to the development and future incorporation of second base prospect Willie Calhoun. Calhoun will likely be MLB-ready by the start of next year, if not sooner; perhaps even as a September 1 call-up this coming season. And with one year of definite control and an option year after that, it will be easier for the Dodgers to let Forsythe go to make room for Calhoun, should they choose to do so.

Brett Eibner

The next trade we’ll briefly talk about is the acquisition of 28-year-old outfielder Brett Eibner from the Oakland A’s in exchange for 25-year-old minor league infielder Jordan Tarsovich. The Dodgers completed this trade on Wednesday, January 25, and to make room for Eibner on the 40-man roster, the team designated 27-year-old right handed pitcher Carlos Frias for assignment.

Eibner hit .193 with six home runs and 22 RBIs in his rookie season, the first part of which came in Kansas City before he was later traded to the A’s for Billy Burns. Eibner has shown great offense at the Triple A level, hitting .289 with 12 homers and 34 RBIs. With a slim shot of breaking camp in an already very crowded Dodgers outfield, Eibner will likely serve as minor league depth as well as a reserve for the big-league club in the event of an injury.

With spring training now less than three weeks away, rosters (and non-roster invitees) will begin to take shape and by all appearances these two moves should benefit the team. Hopefully, this will be proven come opening day.

Also, there is no longer a need to play the guessing game about second base anymore!