February 2nd, 2023 at 10:30 am 
by Ron Cervenka When the Dodgers elected not to re-sign 27-year-old free agent center fielder Cody Bellinger, two things happened:
- They let one of the best defensive center fielders in the game today get away.
- They got rid of one of the worst hitting center fielders in the game today.
A bit harsh, you say?
Absolutely. But consider this: The two-time All-Star, former Gold Glove winner, former Silver Slugger, 2017 NL Rookie of the Year, and 2019 MLB MVP slashed a dismal .165/.240/.302/.542 in 2021, and an only slightly better .210/.265/389/.654 last season, leading Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman to non-tender him a free agent contract this off-season. This, of course, led to him being immediately scooped up by the Chicago Cubs on a two-year/$25 million contract (with a $12.5 million mutual option or a $5 million buyout for 2024) this past December.
Truth be told, the real reason that Friedman did not even make an offer (that we know of) to the Scottsdale, AZ native and Dodgers fourth-round draft pick in 2013 out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, AZ was to (try to) stay under the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) threshold, which is projected to be (around) $238 million for the Dodgers in 2023. I mean, let’s be real here, signing a guy with a six-year career batting average of .248 to a two-year/$50 deal (with a $12.5 million option for a third year) is not only a huge gamble, but it would have put Friedman and the Dodgers into CBT Tax penalty territory.
So who, then, will be patrolling center field for the Dodgers in 2023 and presumably beyond?
The list of current Dodgers candidates is uncomfortably small: 32-year-old Virginia Beach, VA native Chris Taylor, and soon to be (on March 15) 32-year-old LA native Trayce Thompson.
And then there’s 25-year-old Redwood City, CA native James Outman, who, although appearing in only four games for the Dodgers in 2022, went 6-for-13 (.462), with one home run, two doubles, three RBI, and two walks in his combined 16 plate appearances. That being said, three of those four games were as the Dodgers left fielder, and one as their right fielder, which will (probably) be manned by Thompson and (definitely) by Mookie Betts respectively.
The Dodgers also currently have 22-year-old La Habana, Cuba native Andy Pages on their 40-man roster, but he is probably still (at least) a year away for The Show, as is 25-five-year-old Inver Grove Heights, MN native Michael Busch who, although used primarily as a middle infielder Down on the Farm, has some experience in left field.
The Dodgers also currently have 24-year-old Jonny DeLuca on their 40-man roster, but the Thousand Oaks, CA native and Dodgers 25th-round draft pick in 2019 out of the University of Oregon has yet to play above the Double-A level.
Rounding out the list of potential candidates is 30-year-old San Francisco, CA native and six-year MLB veteran center fielder Bradley Zimmer, who Friedman signed to a free agent Minor League contract (with an invitation to Major League Spring Training camp) on December 17.
Then again, we are talking about Andrew Friedman here, who many consider to be among the very best in the business at his job, and who has a rather lengthy résumé for making (very) last-minute/blockbuster(-ish) deals, so there’s that.
So, in the famous word of Men at Work, “Who Can It Be Now.“
Stay tuned…
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Posted in 
@Dodgers I had that song in my head the whole time I was reading this. It will be interesting to see who gets the most playing time in Centerfield this season.
It has to be “Business as usual”! This is kind of like pre Beli era, we could count on the Dodgers bringing in some new Kid who would have everyone in the league wondering just where the Dodgers had been hiding “The Kid”! Its ok Dodger Fans we will be right there in October again with a shot as usual!
Don’t overlook Jason Heyward. Freddie Freeman is 100% on-board with Heyward still having the ability to be a contributor to the Dodgers (according to reports). Other reports that after he signed as a NRI he immediately started to work with the Dodgers hitting coaches to get his offense back to where it was several years ago. My guess, Freeman will take Heyward under his wing to help him regain his lost offense.
I, in fact, did overlook Heyward, but purely by accident. That said, I am not convinced that he will win the everyday CF job. Then again, I’m not convinced that anyone will win the everyday CF job. I’m not even convinced that there will even be an everyday center fielder – at least to begin the season.
I certainly respect Freddie Freeman’s opinion of Heyward, but Heyward is a .257 career hitter over his 13 MLB seasons. Then again, if Bellinger had a career batting average over .250, he’d probably still be a Dodger.
I believe Hayward will be a good (and occasionally better than that) pinch hitter. I’m thinking the Dodgers wish-but-don’t-trust Thompson to continue his hot hitting ways. They’ll give him every chance but it’s a true stretch for him to do it for a full season – I hope I’m wrong.
Unless someone truly breakouts out in Spring I think it likely all the kids go back to the minors for Opening Day with the exception of Vargas. He’ll get every chance in the infield, Lux too. My fingers, eyes & toes are crossed that Outman is the new phenom taking Seager’s and Cody’s place. C’MON BASEBALL!!!
Great stuff, Dan. Thanks!
All excellent observations. I think we are all at the point that we want to get this party started! Let’s see how it all goes, we can speculate on who can do what and we all want to see what they can do. Heyward, Thompson, Duggar, Zimmer, Outman, Taylor, somebody has to play left field, and somebody has to play centerfield. Stay tuned, and we shall see!