What Options Do Dodgers Have At Shortstop?

By Michael Booker | Nov 18, 2014

After another disappointing end to a promising season in LA, the Dodgers must look to address a number of concerns if they hope to take that next step and reach the World Series for the first time since 1988.

One of the biggest question marks they will need to address is at the shortstop position. As expected, Hanley Ramirez has rejected the Dodgers’ $15.3 million qualifying offer. This makes him a free agent with the ability to sign with any team (including a return to LA, if both parties so desire).

Hanley’s time thus far in LA has to be viewed positively. In fact, the offensive display he put on in the second half of the 2013 season while propelling the Dodgers from the league’s most disappointing team to MLB’s hottest is reason enough to chalk up the experiment as successful.

Despite that magical run and Hanley’s sustained offensive prowess, it is no sure thing to expect him back in a Dodgers’ uniform next year. There are a number of red flags associated with Hanley Ramirez that make a deal seem less likely for LA than some might realize.

Health woes have plagued Hanley his entire career. It was injury that brought his magical run in 2013 to an end, as he suffered cracked ribs in Game 1 of the 2013 NLCS. A healthier Hanley Ramirez might have been just enough to carry the Dodgers right to the World Series.

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He followed up an 86-game campaign in 2013 with a season that saw him play in only 128 games in 2014. Any team that looks to sign Hanley has to understand that, at age 30 (he turns 31 in December), it is not realistic to expect that injuries won’t continue to hound him moving forward.

Considering both his age and his injury history, the prospect of signing Ramirez to a multi-year deal upwards of $40 million seem less likely for the Dodgers. Any multi-year deals look far more likely to come from the American League, where Hanley can be moved into the DH role to potentially prolong his career while still utilizing his bat.

If a Hanley Ramirez reunion is no longer in the cards for the Dodgers, where do they turn next?

A quick look at the free agent market shows that there aren’t many options to be had at the shortstop position. The most notable names on the list might just be Stephen Drew, Asdrubal Cabrera and Jed Lowrie. All three have positives, but they also carry major question marks that make a multi-year signing a real gamble.

Stephen Drew might offer the lowest risk, highest reward opportunity. Coming off of what could only be called a disastrous 2014 in which he failed to find a home for the first half of the season and put up numbers across that board well below his career averages of .256, 15 HR and 70 RBI (including a paltry BA of .162), Drew might be the most likely to consider a shorter-term deal in an attempt to re-establish his value on the open market.

Nov 2, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Corey Seager against the East during the Fall Stars Game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe the biggest priority set by Dodgers’ management, one that was stressed once again by new Executive VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, has been the importance of building up the Dodgers’ farm system.

By at least presenting the qualifying offer to Hanley Ramirez, the Dodgers have assured that they would receive a compensatory draft pick that could be used to help add talent to a farm system that is already showing signs of growth.

If the Dodgers goal is to improve from within, they have several options currently on the roster that they may hope to groom into everyday starters beginning in 2015.

The first is Miguel Rojas. Rojas was given plenty of opportunity to play in 2014, either due to injuries or Don Mattingly’s confidence in his defensive capabilities late in close games. There is no doubt Rojas can handle the role from a defensive perspective.

It did not take Rojas long at all to establish himself as a gem on the defensive side of the ball. Unfortunately, in hitting only .181 in 85 games, he was unable to prove that he could produce at a level offensively that would make him worthy of the everyday shortstop role.

At only 25 years of age, there is certainly an opportunity for him to improve the offensive aspects of his game, but he will likely remain in that ‘utility defensive specialist’ role.

The next option appears to be Erisbel Arruebarrena. Like Rojas, Arruebarrena is known first for his defense. Also like Rojas, Arruebarrena failed to show much at the plate in 2014 (though he participated in only 22 games). Prior to signing a contract, many scouts were skeptical he could hit above .220 against major league pitching.

That being said, the Dodgers have already invested in Arruebarrena to the tune of $25 million over four years. So it would make sense to give him a real shot at the role to see what he can do.

This brings us to Corey Seager. Seager is the type of in-house talent the new ownership hoped to cultivate moving forward. In 2014, he hit .349 with 20 HR during his combined stints in A and AA ball. So there is no doubt the talent is there.

The biggest risk factor with Seager, however, is his age. Corey Seager will only be 21 years of age in 2015. While he has impressed at the minor league level, and just finished up a solid showing in the Arizona Fall League, it may not be realistic to expect he will be ready to make the jump to the majors for at least another year or two.

The other concern surrounding Seager is his size. At 6-foot-4 and close to 220 pounds, many believe he may be better suited to play third base at the major league level (though he has not really seen much time at that position up to this stage in his career).

While it is unlikely that Seager is a serious candidate for the shortstop positon heading into 2015, the progress of his development heading into next year may ultimately determine who the Dodgers turn to for next season. If the Dodgers feel he will require a few years of further grooming, the Dodgers might be more open to brining Hanley Ramirez back on a multi-year deal.

If, however, they feel Seager is no more than a year or so away, it may make sense to turn to a bargain free agent option or an internal option such as Arruebarrena to keep the seat warm for Seager’s arrival in the future.

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