It has been well stated – ad nauseam – that the Dodgers will be heading into spring training in a few short weeks with an abundance of outfielders vying for three starting jobs and perhaps two bench spots. Among those in the mix are Joc Pederson, Chris Taylor, Yasiel Puig, Andrew Toles, Trayce Thompson, Alex Verdugo, and one-time fan favorite Matt Kemp … and make no mistake about it, Kemp and the $43 million remaining on his 8-year / $160 million contract through the 2019 season is very much in the mix – at least until he isn’t.

“I talked to [Kemp] a couple weeks after the trade and obviously he’s in a situation where he’s kind of in flux as far as what the organization expects of him,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters during Saturday’s FanFest event at Dodger Stadium. “But my thing to him was he’s in great shape and focused on being with us in 18, and prepared to play well.

“Understanding that we have a lot of talent on our ball club and a defined role right now for really a lot of guys is hard to do,” Roberts added. “So, he’s going to come in with an open mind and come in in shape to win a job.”

Needless to say, it will be interesting.

There is no disputing that Matt Kemp was once among the most beloved Dodgers on the team. Now … probably not so much. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

But also of interest and something that has pretty much remained under the radar throughout the off-season is the Dodgers’ starting catcher job.

“Obviously, Yasmani (Grandal) got the lion’s share of the work throughout the season, but if you look back at the postseason, Austin (Barnes) played the most,” said Roberts. “And I think that was a decision we made because we felt that the last part of the season Austin was playing better. But I know that Yasmani is coming here and expecting to win his job back. So, I think they both look at it as a competition, and that’s a good thing.”

Last year Barnes entered spring training hoping to make the Dodgers 40-man roster. This year he enters hoping to return as the team’s primary catcher. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

From a fan’s perspective, it’s probably safe to say that most would prefer to have Barnes pick up right where he left off as the Dodgers’ everyday catcher in 2018, but it is not a guaranteed thing – not yet, at least.

In his combined 55 games behind the plate, 21 games at second base, one game at third base and one game as the designated hitter, the 28-year-old Fullerton, California native posted an outstanding slash-line of .289 / .404 / .486 in 2017. That said, he hit only eight home runs in the 102 regular season games in which he played Last season.

In contrast, Grandal finished the 2017 regular season with 22 home runs – tied for third most on the team with Corey Seager and behind only Cody Bellinger (39) and Yasiel Puig (28). Grandal was also the only switch-hitter on the team’s 40-man roster in 2017 and remains as such heading into spring training 2018. He also joined Hall of Famers Roy Campanella and Mike Piazza, and Todd Hundley as the only Dodgers catchers with multiple 20-homer seasons.

Worthy of note is that 20 of Grandal’s 22 home runs in 2017 were as a left-handed batter. And although the 29-year-old La Habana, Cuba native finished the season with a rather pedestrian .247 / .308 / .459 combined slash-line in 2017, he slashed only slightly better at .250 / .305 / .486 from the left side of the plate.

This, too, will be interesting.

Stay tuned…