Earlier in the offseason Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier noted he wanted to be an everyday player, whether that be with his current team or a new one. The Dodgers' projected starting outfield doesn't include Ethier, which means the team might be exploring trade options.
"I want the opportunity to play every day," Ethier told ESPN's Mark Saxon. "My mind hasn't changed from when I told you guys that a couple months ago. I felt like when I get a chance to play every day, I put up the numbers they ask of me. For some strange reason, it just happened that coming off a good 2012 season, in 2013 they took games away."
Right now it looks as if Carl Crawford will be starting in left field, Joc Pederson will be in center and Yasiel Puig will be in right. It has actually looked like that for a while and Ethier's comments earlier in the offseason prompted the Dodgers to talk with other teams about a potential deal.
However, after a 2014 where Ethier logged career-lows in plate appearances (380), runs scored (29), hits (85), extra base hits (27), home runs (4), RBIs (42), walks (31), batting average (.249), on-base percentage (.322), slugging percentage (.370) and OPS (.691), he obviously didn't garner much interest. On top of that, he's owed $56 million over the next three seasons.
"I would hope so and think so," Ethier told the Los Angeles Times when asked about having the opportunity to earn a starting job in the outfield. "With me still being here, I have to assume that they're at least considering it."
The 32-year-old said he met with manager Don Mattingly, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi and spoke about his current situation and how he intends on playing this year and for the rest of his career. It seems as if the organization won't be addressing any potential issues right now.
"We don't know what's going to happen over the next four to six weeks," Mattingly added. "We'll deal with that when we get there."
It wouldn't be surprising if the Dodgers were quietly contacting teams who might be interested in adding depth to their outfield. Injuries will likely occur during spring training and other players may struggle, which might help facilitate a trade for Ethier if it's clear he won't have a starting position with the Dodgers.
