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According to Doug McKain from Dodgers nationa veteran outfielder makes a lot of sense as an upgrade.
Byron Buxton, 31, is currently having the best year of his career. For the lowly Twins, the Georgia native hit 35 home runs, with 83 runs batted in. He hit .264, stole 24 bases, made the All-Star team and recorded an .878 OPS.
Buxton has been the face of Minnesota’s franchise since breaking into the league as a 21-year-old in 2015. He was taken No. 2 overall in the 2012 MLB Draft, one spot behind Carlos Correa and two spots ahead of Kevin Gausman.
It’s no secret that the Dodgers are looking to upgrade their outfield. Michael Conforto certainly didn’t play in left field. Teoscar Hernandez has struggled defensively all year, and there is a world of him being moved to left field to better mitigate his challenges as a center fielder.
Kyle Tucker has long been linked to the Dodgers as a possible free agent target. The same has been said for Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians. Tucker will likely land a mega-deal – and the thought of putting another decade-plus contract on the books may not be ideal for the franchise moving forward.
Kwan is a perfect fit as a player with great defensive abilities and elite bat-to-ball skills. That said, Cleveland is notoriously difficult to negotiate with, and the Dodgers may not want to part with some of their better prospects.
Enter Buxton – someone who is highly respected within the Twins organization. He is a high-level athlete, even into his 30s. This is illustrated by the fact that he is in the 100th percentile in sprint speed. Los Angeles could become more athletic across the board with an older roster.
Buxton also fits as a centerfielder, which would allow Andy Pages to kick to his more natural spot in right field. A potential acquisition of Buxton would make the Dodgers much better defensively in the outfield, as well as a more athletic team. Tommy Edman could then permanently move to second base, where he is also better suited to perform.
The hitting profile is also something that should excite Dodgers fans. This past year, Buxton ranked above the 88th percentile in xSLG, average exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard hit percentage, bat speed, batting run value and baserunning run value. He also performs above average in reach (81st percentile) and arm strength (77th percentile).
The key element worth mentioning here is the fact that Buxton has a no-trade clause. He reportedly enjoyed his time in Minnesota so much that it is unknown if he would ever want to leave.
Buxton is under contract until 2028 on a highly favorable deal, which was initially a seven-year deal worth $100 million.
There’s a world in which Buxton, a small-town native, might not want to play for the star-studded Dodgers. On the other hand, there’s also a scenario where he could be re-energized to perform for the sport’s gold standard with a real shot at winning a World Series.
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Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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