The offseason is upon us and, with it, some decisions — for the Dodgers and for their pending free agents. Just as we did last year, we will break down some of the Dodgers hitting the open market and what that market should bring for them. Our first entry: outfielder David Peralta.
David Peralta always has perspective. It’s hard not to, given how he got here. Peralta turned a failed career as a pitcher into perhaps the greatest success story from the independent baseball system, working at a McDonald’s as he resurrected his baseball hopes as an outfielder. Now, he’s a major leaguer who next year could reach the hallowed milestone of 10 years of service time.
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Relentless optimism is his currency.
“It’s a hard game,” Peralta said this summer. “Everyone can focus on the mistakes, focusing on results, negative stuff. … But you always have to take a little positive out of everything. All that I went through — pitching, getting released, going to work at McDonald’s. It helps you appreciate the game.”
It’s pushed him to do whatever he can to stay in it, and it made him a fan favorite in Arizona under the moniker, “Freight Train.” He hit free agency for the first time last winter and waited out the market as he recovered from offseason back surgery to address a herniated disk. A deal didn’t materialize until Peralta inked a one-year, $6.5 million contract with the Dodgers days before spring training. For the first time, he was coming to play a platoon role. More than anything, he wanted a chance at playing in October.
Peralta indeed got that chance, starting all three games (and going 1-for-6) as the Dodgers were swept in the NLDS. The regular season was a challenge, too. April frustrated him. And any momentum generated in May and June quickly tapered off. Peralta hit his last home run of the season on July 8. He finished with the worst offensive season of his career (a .675 OPS, 19 percent below league average by OPS+).
At least part of the reason: Peralta underwent surgery this week to repair a torn flexor tendon in his left elbow, a source told The Athletic, an injury he suffered around the All-Star break. His nosedive in production lines up.
David Peralta's production
| BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | HR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BEFORE BREAK | 0.283 | 0.323 | 0.434 | 0.757 | 7 |
AFTER BREAK | 0.231 | 0.259 | 0.319 | 0.578 | 0 |
Peralta played through it, and profited off it: By remaining on the active roster, he was able to hit each of three roster bonuses built into his contract ($500,000 each for 50, 100 and 150 active days), earning him $8 million in total for his lone season in Los Angeles.
The Dodgers’ need
A reunion doesn’t seem to be a strong fit here, depending on what the Dodgers do with some of their young pieces. The Dodgers don’t have a clear left-handed platoon outfield option but have a decision to make with Michael Busch. This month, the former first-round pick turns 26 — far from the typical prospect age. Whether Busch is someone the club uses to access controllable pitching or is part of their everyday lineup, the Dodgers will have to find a way to utilize him. While Busch is more of a bat-first option, he has some experience in left field in the minors. Otherwise, James Outman is the only left-handed hitting outfielder on the 40-man roster.
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If the Dodgers retain a left-handed platoon bat from last year, Jason Heyward would seem to be a better fit. He was more productive last year in a nearly identical role, with better defense (despite Peralta being a Gold Glove finalist this season).
The market
Several of the veteran free-agent outfielders this winter hit right-handed, which should help keep Peralta’s market afloat. The main left-handed sticks out there include Heyward, Joey Gallo, Michael Brantley, Kevin Kiermaier, Corey Dickerson, Raimel Tapia, Jesse Winker, Joc Pederson and of course, on the high end, Cody Bellinger.
Switch-hitters such as Jurickson Profar and Robbie Grossman could operate in a similar market, though the latter has been better against left-handed pitching than right-handed pitching.
It’s a crowded mix of productive but not star-level players outside of Bellinger. Each has questions. Gallo didn’t have the bounce-back year he envisioned after leaving the Dodgers. Pederson didn’t replicate his prolific first year in San Francisco. Brantley and Kiermaier have extensive injury histories, though Kiermaier is coming off an excellent year in Toronto. Dickerson, Tapia and Winker all found themselves on the fringes of rosters this year.
Other teams that might be interested
Peralta struggled last year but has historically hit right-handed pitching (.817 OPS). That would fill a need for a lot of clubs, at least as they look to fill out their bench. It’s easy to talk almost any club into a player of that profile.
Projected salary
It’s hard to see Peralta replicate the one-year, $6.5 million deal (worth up to $8 million in roster incentives) that he got a year ago, especially coming off another offseason surgery. Peralta should be close to a full go sometime in March, a source said, but even that doesn’t offer a full spring. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get a one-year deal in the same ballpark as, say, Dickerson, who got $2.25 million from the Nationals this year after a down 2022 season.
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What should the Dodgers’ level of interest be?
The Dodgers have spoken highly of Peralta’s impact on the club and, by all accounts, he was well regarded by this staff. He accepted a platoon role for the first time in his career and played through injury, which could explain some of his underperformance. But it’s fair to wonder if the Dodgers won’t just have another person fill that same role next season.
(Photo of David Peralta: Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today)
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