111 wins. All for nothing. Once again, the Los Angeles Dodgers fell short, but this time in agonizing fashion to the San Diego Padres — a team they’ve owned for the last three years — in the NLDS. Dave Roberts’ World Series guarantee looks even sillier now.
Faster than we would’ve ever dreamed to admit, fans must start thinking about the 2023 roster because Andrew Friedman and Co. have a ton of moves to make once the postseason comes to a conclusion.
The only benefit to the early exit means the Dodgers will have more time to deliberate over tough decisions that could define their future. Many are on the horizon … but there are also plenty of no-brainers that both the front office and fans won’t even flinch at. Though this Dodgers team was historic, it still consisted of players who had no business being here, overstayed their welcome, or had roles that didn’t exactly move the needle when the stakes were elevated.
These won’t be brain-busters, either. The Dodgers have a lot of impending free agents that can simply walk out the door and never return. If they were able to do it with Joc Pederson and Kiké Hernandez after the 2020 World Series run, then this should be a cakewalk.
3 Dodgers free agents who definitely won’t be back in 2023
Joey Gallo #12 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
3. Joey Gallo
Acquired at this year’s trade deadline in an effort to bolster the bench and give the Dodgers an edge like no other, Joey Gallo … didn’t do that. His best attribute was being somewhat versatile on defense, which allowed Roberts to experiment with some different lineups down the stretch.
Hoping to “unlock” what’s been lost for over a year, the Dodgers failed to get much of anything out of Gallo, who returned to the Yankees version of himself in short order. A couple of home runs was never going to change who Gallo was and is.
In 44 games with the Dodgers, he hit .162 with a .671 OPS and 83 OPS+. In his 82 games with the Yankees before being acquired, he hit .159 with a .621 OPS and 77 OPS+. Chalk up those 50 OPS points to capitalizing on a few hits against position players. Same Gallo. His use in the playoffs? A defensive sub in the top of the ninth once. One inning in the field and zero at-bats in four games.
Good luck to Scott Boras, who will be tasked with getting Gallo his next contract. The former Rangers star will be a free agent in a few weeks and there’s next to no shot the Dodgers keep him. If they do, something will have gone very wrong.
3 Dodgers free agents who definitely won’t be back in 2023 - Dodgers Way
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