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L.A. Dodgers’ Alex Guerrero On The Block?

By Pablo Jacobo

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Dodgers’ third baseman Alex Guerrero has been a success this season. He came into 2015 unheard of since he signed a 4-year $28 million deal in 2013. He’s been simply on fire for Los Angeles. He has even been christened by Los Angeles sports radio show LA Today “Guer-Hero.”

Guerrero has hit 5 homeruns in 2015, third best on the team behind Joc Pederson (7) and Adrian Gonzalez (8). He’s the Dodgers best hitter (.364) at the moment. He’s carrying a 1.268 OPS and driven in 13 RBI. Keep in mind he’s not the starting 3B.

In 16 games, mainly off the bench, he’s been productive. Fans have been clamoring for him to start over club and fan favorite Juan Uribe who’s hitting .279 (riding a 12-game hitting streak) with only one HR. It’s highly doubtful Don Mattingly would sit a veteran over the rookie. If that was the case, Jimmy Rollins would be the likely candidate. Rollins is off to a slow start hitting just .167.

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Luckily Guerrero is versatile enough to play left field, second base and shortstop. Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford are currently on the disabled list opening up playing time in the outfield. Puig is scheduled to return shortly and Andre Ethier is swinging the bat like his old self.

The Dodgers’ conundrum with Guerrero is finding a spot for him and his bat. Mattingly is reluctant to sit his veterans (Rollins and Uribe) in the infield and the outfield will be a problem again once Puig and Crawford return. Don’t forget about Justin Turner and Scott Van Slyke who are exceptional back-ups as well.

Will that make Guerrero expendable? His contract is manageable and he can obviously hit the baseball and can hold his own defensively. Ken Rosenthal says the Dodgers may look to trade a third basemen. For obvious reasons, Guerrero has drawn the most interest.

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    • The Dodgers have a nice problem on their hands with plenty of depth, given the flurry of injuries they’ve had to endure early on. LA’s pitchers are dropping like flies for the Dodgers. First, closer Kenley Jansen had foot surgery in the beginning of spring training, Hyun-Jin Ryu was moved to the 60-day disabled list and $48 million signing Brandon McCarthy is lost for the season.

    Brett Anderson slid to third on the rotation and he also carries an injured past. If he goes down (knock on wood) the Dodgers could find themselves relying heavily on Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. Fortunately help is on the way for LA. Jansen, Ryu, Joel Peralta and Brandon Beachy could return by June.

    Can the Dodgers survive until the pitching staff is fully healthy?

    So far, they’re 16-9 and sitting in first place in the NL West. LA is outstanding at home (13-2) but quite the opposite on the road (3-7).

    Would the Dodgers really trade Guerrero, who was named the rookie of the month for April? Could he be used to land a top-tier pitcher like Cole Hamels, Johnny Cueto or C.J. Wilson? Or maybe a less glamorous pitcher like Scott Kazmir?

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    I find it difficult to comprehend the franchise trading away an asset like the 28-year-old Cuban slugger. Three-fourths of the Dodgers infield are on expiring contracts and could be simply keeping the seat warm for highly-rated Corey Seager and summer signing Hector Olivera for 2016. Enrique Hernandez, who impressed during Spring Training, is also another infield option.

    These are just rumors circulating on sports talk radio and blogs I’ve come across, but when credible insiders like Rosenthal and Jon Heyman mention the possibility, then it carries more weight.

    It’s crazy that a team that lost Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez still are second in the majors in home runs (39). Guerrero has been a key contributor to that. It would be a shame to lose a potential star like Guerrero, but if it landed the Dodgers Hamels, would you be mad?

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