The Los Angeles Dodgers have put aside trade talks with the Chicago White Sox for centerfielder Luis Robert Jr., according to MLB insider Bob Nightengale.
Perhaps the most shocking part of the trade would not have been the arrival of Robert to L.A., rather the departure of outfielder James Outman and a top Dodgers prospect.
Robert is off to a concerning slow start to the season, hitting .163 with a .495 OPS. He has one home run and four runs batted in this season.
The two positions that do not have an everyday player is second base and centerfield. The Dodgers have used Tommy Edman in both positions, but have mainly used the utility man at second base this season.
It appeared the Dodgers had found their starting second baseman when the team signed Hyeseong Kim this offseason. While Kim is a four-time Gold Glove winner in the KBO, he struggled to adjust to big league velocity this spring.
Kim began the season in the minors, which left a hole at second base.
“I think it’s just going to remain fluid,” manager Dave Roberts said of the situation. “I think that’s a position where we have different players that can play second base, can play center field. So it’s not going to be one certain situation, versus left, versus right.
“I think just kind of rotating Tommy [Edman], Kiké [Hernández] , Miggy Ro[jas] at second base, Tommy in center field, Andy [Pages] in center field – so it’s going to kind of remain fluid. I think each of those guys is going to play between three and call it five days (a week) – outside of Tommy, who’s going to be essentially an everyday guy.”
While the Dodgers have paused trade talks with Chicago, if Andy Pages doesn’t show improvement at the plate and Kim is still not ready to reach the big leagues, L.A. could resume discussions.