Remember all that talk of the Los Angeles Dodgers paying down nearly half of Andre Ethier's contract to get rid of him in a trade? Well, at this point in the season, it doesn't look like that's an option anymore.
Manager Don Mattingly weighed in on the team's outfield situation on Monday because Carl Crawford is nearing his return from the disabled list as he recovers from an injury he suffered in late April.
"Andre's kind of taken that spot [in left field], to be honest with you," Mattingly told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
"Carl's got to work his way back in," Mattingly told Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do with Carl at this point."
"Crawford is progressing from a torn oblique muscle well enough that Mattingly said he could embark on a minor-league rehab assignment in as little as 10 days, putting him on schedule to return shortly after the All-Star break. However, when he returns -- presuming the Dodgers have no further injuries to their outfielders -- he will be playing off the bench," Saxon added.
Ethier has been the subject of trade talks since before the deadline last season, but it was apparent no team was interested in absorbing the remaining three years and $56 million on his contract after his career-worst season in 2014. However, the veteran has bounced back in 2015 to hit .273/.352/.485/.836 with 28 runs scored, 9 home runs and 27 RBIs.
The 33-year-old said in the offseason he would prefer to be traded if he wasn't a starter because he was coming off the bench last year and accumulated the fewest plate appearances since his rookie season. Early injuries to Crawford and Yasiel Puig gave him more playing time and over that span he's proven he's worthy of a spot in the lineup.
But there remains an issue. It's clear Puig and Joc Pederson are mainstays in the outfield, which leaves the Dodgers with a very expensive quandary. Ethier is still owed over $45 million while Crawford is owed around $55 million through 2017. Will Mattingly really keep one of these outfielders in a lesser role or even on the bench?
At this point Ethier would be much easier to trade than Crawford because he's owed less money and has performed well up until this point in the season. Crawford is going to need time to work himself back into the lineup and get in a rhythm, so it's hard to believe another team will look to acquire him before the trade deadline.
Los Angeles does need to keep solid outfield depth given they've had health issues in that department this season, but one of these two veterans will likely be disgruntled if they assume a part-time role with the club.
Mattingly's plan is likely different than that of the team's front office. It wouldn't be surprising if president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi explore deals for either of these two. We'll see what happens as the deadline approaches, but Ethier appears to be the much more marketable candidate leading up to July 31.
