Earlier this week Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com wrote that “James Loney is the position player the Dodgers are most willing to trade,” yet today Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times wrote that “Loney, despite rumors the team is looking to trade him, is all but certain to return at first base.”
Two good reporters with what are no doubt very connected sources ... and two very different reports about the same player.
I have no idea which report is right--although technically they could both be accurate--but I do know that the Dodgers should be shopping Loney. He earned $3.1 million this season and is line for a guaranteed raise via arbitration despite hitting just .267 with a .329 on-base percentage, .395 slugging percentage, and 10 homers in 161 games.
There’s been a lot of talk about the Dodgers needing to improve their offense by bringing in some big bats and that’s certainly true, but the fact that their first baseman hasn’t cracked an .800 OPS in three seasons doesn’t help either. Loney is a solid enough all-around player, but his offensive production is below average at first base and he’s about to get expensive. He’s exactly the type of player the Dodgers should be fielding calls on.