The Los Angeles Dodgers lost Cody Bellinger to the Chicago Cubs after they decided not to tender him a contract.
They also lost Trea Turner, too, to the Philadelphia Phillies; and Justin Turner to the Boston Red Sox.
One would think their offense will struggle to score runs in 2023 but we have seen them lose top hitters and still find a way to be even better than before.
They are the masters of identifying talent and looking for ways to extend careers, particularly on the position player side.
In December, they secured the services of designated hitter JD Martinez, formerly of the Red Sox, on a one-year, $10 million contract.
He is expected to take over as the Dodgers’ DH, and is already rocking their blue uniform.
Blue looks good on you, @JDMartinez28. pic.twitter.com/oQxZojRCuC
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 6, 2023
The 35-year-old Martinez is not the player he was at his peak, but he showed last year that he is still comfortably above the league average.
In 2022 with the Red Sox, he hit .274/.341/.448 with 16 home runs and a 119 wRC+ (100 is considered league average offensive performance) in 139 games and 596 trips to the plate.
The power output was a bit disappointing, but he was overall still solid.
If any team has a chance to help him regain his power stroke, it’s the Dodgers.
Let’s not forget this is a man who hit 184 home runs from 2015 to 2019, a span of five seasons in which he averaged almost 37 round-trippers per year.
He is more than capable of returning to hitting 30 long balls in 2023 if health is on his side.
NEXT: MLB Insider Discusses The Dodgers' Outfield Options
