January 31st, 2024 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka Ask most people what their favorite and least favorite seasons of the year are, and you will get a variety of answers of either Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, respectively.
But ask any baseball fan what their favorite and least favorite seasons of the year are, and you will get the overwhelming answers of the baseball season and the baseball off-season respectively, and it will be unanimous.
The good news for baseball fans is that the baseball off-season is nearly over, this despite the fact that it seemed to have taken forever to get here. But lo and behold, Dodgers pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report for Spring Training at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, AZ in NINE days (February 9), with the rest of the team scheduled to report five days later (February 14), although most will have already been there for days – but who’s counting, right?
That said, there is one major concern for Dodgers fans and even more so for Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman: Who will be his team’s backup third baseman for 33-year-old left-handed-hitting/right-handed-throwing Max Muncy.
One need only take a quick look at the Dodgers current depth chart to see that they have only one other guy listed at third base, 33-year-old utility infielder/outfielder Chris Taylor. But the simple truth is that Taylor has played a grand total of 67 games at the hot corner in the 978 games he has appeared in over his (thus far) 10-year MLB career.
Now this certainly isn’t to say that Taylor isn’t a viable option to occasionally spell Muncy at the position. But what if Muncy should land on the IL for an extended period of time?
Granted, one can argue that the Dodgers, or any team for that matter, need only one so-called everyday third baseman. But is CT3 the Dodgers best option should that unthinkable happen?
Fortunately for Friedman, the Dodgers have a couple true third baseman down on the farm. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Friedman recently traded his best true third base prospect, 26-year-old Michael Busch (along with 29-year-old right-hander Yency Almonte) to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for 20-year-old minor league left-hander Jackson Ferris and 19-year-old minor league outfielder Zyhir Hope.
With Busch now the property of the Cubbies, Muncy’s most likely back-up will be 25-year-old Jonathan Araúz, who Friedman signed as a free agent on December 15, 2023, and is a non-roster invitee to Dodgers Spring Training camp. But heres the thing. Although the Alanje, Panama native has appeared in 95 major league games over his (thus far) four major league seasons, only 29 were at third base.
(Joe Robbins)
All of this said, there is every reason to believe that Araúz will see considerable playing time at third base this Spring. And who knows, if all goes well for him, he could very well break camp on the Dodgers active roster.
Stay tuned…
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Posted in 
I think Miguel Vargas will be the first call up if/when there is an insury on the position player side. If Freddie gets hurt, Muncy could shift to first and Vargas start at 3rd. If Betts gets hurt, CT3 could start at 2nd and Vargas goes to the utility role. If Lux gets hurt, Rojas probably starts and MV is on the bench. MV could get a bunch of at bats if Muncy hoes down at 3rd. Outfield is pretty flexible with CT3, Heyward and Hernandez being able to play at least 2 positions each. Feduccia is a call away if Smith or Barnes go down at Catcher. If Ohtani gets hurt, I’d bet Muncy shifts to DH and MV starts at 3rd. The hallmark of positon player flexibility from the last few seasons really helps! Let’s Go Dodgers!
Somewhat of a different perspective, I think Vargas is closer to being an ex-Dodger than a depth piece at OKC. If he is not traded, he will must have a monster spring training with the bat and prove that he can be at least a marginal defender at some position (first base is his best defensive position). If Freeman goes to the IL then Vargas might play first base, but I think the team will have him play significant time in LF at OKC. Trey Sweeney has a chance of earning the back up infielder role (2b, 3b, SS) if he performs well in spring training. Ditto Austin Gauthier as a utility player. Perhaps oft injured Kody Hoese stays healthy and lives up to his promise of good fielding, power hitting third baseman. Bottom line for me, I think Vargas is destined to be no more than a DH and that spot is taken on the Dodgers for the foreseeable future.
It is obviously unpleasant to talk this ‘if he gets hurt’ stuff, but it is a painful inevitability (no pun intended) and it will happen over the course of a full season.
The thing to keep in mind (or at least in the back of your mind) is that Freeman is 34, and Muncy and Taylor 33. Now these most certainly are not old in the real world (I’d kill to be that ‘old’ again), but in baseball years, these are nearing the ‘game-over’ age and bring with them an increased risk of injury.
The fact that Vargas is only 24 is a huge plus for him and for the Dodgers. But Friedman really should continue to shop for another third baseman (or two) in the coming days and weeks, preferably one (or two) with MLB experience, which was the point of this piece.
All of this said, there is zero reason why the Dodgers should not win the NL West, the National League, and hopefully the 2024 World Series with their current 26-man and 40-man rosters.
I agree with you Ron that Friedman needs to find additional depth for second, third, and shortstop. There is reason to be optimistic that Trey Sweeney (acquired from the Yankees) will be a fine backup at those positions, and Austin Gauthier has been a very pleasant surprise who could soon be ready to take a utility infielder role with the team. IF Kody Hoese can ever shake the injury-prone tag, he could add depth. I think Friedman should trade prospect pitching for infield prospects. Cincinnati and Baltimore have extra infielders and need pitching — seems like a deal just waiting to happen that helps both teams.
JP
Trade of Ferguson a head scratcher?
But I guess Vesia and Ryan Y will be the two lefties.
Brasier hopefully found his groove.