DALLAS — This time, Mookie Betts has a full winter to prepare for shortstop, and the Dodgers are confident he’ll be able to do it.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said on Monday that the plan is for Betts to play shortstop, further specifying after last month’s declaration only that he’d play “infield.”
“He’s ready for the challenge,” Gomes said. “He feels like with a full offseason, he can go and tackle that. He’s one of those guys that I certainly wouldn’t bet against.”
Betts, a six-time Gold Glove winner in the outfield, was moved to second base last winter. Midway through spring training, however, the Dodgers decided to move Betts to shortstop because of Gavin Lux’s throwing issues at that position.
Betts made nine errors in 65 games at shortstop before fracturing his left hand. When he returned two months later, the Dodgers moved him back to the outfield. That’s where he remained through their World Series championship.
Now that they’re moving Betts back, Gomes said he is already working hard at cleaning up the problems he had at shortstop last season.
“If you look at all of the most challenging parts of the position, he does really well,” Gomes said. “Where he struggled was throwing. You go watch him in right field; it’s one of the best arms in the game. It’s incredibly accurate. So those things that are most challenging to teach – getting off the ball, range, making exceptional plays, his pre-pitch timing – he nailed those.
“It was really syncing up his throw from that because he’s been so used to the outfield. So I think that’ll be the majority of his work. Making sure, how does he access what is an elite arm and having that translate to the infield.”
By locking Betts into shortstop, that settles Lux at second base and versatile Tommy Edman in center field, Gomes said.
OUTFIELD MOVES
The Dodgers made a run at Juan Soto, who ended up agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets.
“Soto is an incredible player, and they got one of the best hitters in the game for a very long time,” Gomes said. “As we do with everybody, we do our due diligence and make sure that nothing is assumed as far as where guys are going to be. I think they got a great player, and I’m assuming we’ll be battling the Mets for years to come.”
Manager Dave Roberts said: “I know we were in there, but I think that obviously there were some other teams that are even more motivated, but what a great player.”
Roberts also said he was shocked that it took just a year to break the record the Dodgers set last year by signing Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million deal, with heavy deferrals. Soto’s reported deal has no deferrals.
“I certainly didn’t see that happening, period,” Roberts said. “Very surprised. I think like all of us.”
Just before the news of the Soto deal hit, the Dodgers reportedly agreed to a one-year, $17 million deal with outfielder Michael Conforto. Neither Gomes nor Roberts could talk about that deal on Monday because it’s not official.
The two were also each asked about outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who is a free agent the Dodgers are still trying to bring back.
“Obviously, I’m a huge fan of Teo,” Roberts said. “We have a great relationship. I thought, his words, he loved everything about being a Dodger, and I’m always going to be a Teo fan. … Obviously, Teo has put himself in a very good position as a free agent and had a very productive year. So he’s got some decisions to make as well. He’s going to kind of suss those out.
“It would be hard for me not to see him coming back.”
EXTENSION FOR ROBERTS?
The Dodgers said shortly after the World Series that they would work with Roberts on extending his contract beyond 2025, but so far those talks have not begun, Gomes said.
Related Articles
Dodgers agree to deal with outfielder Michael Conforto, re-sign reliever Blake Treinen
Dodgers’ deferred-money spending sprees stir controversy
Alexander: Golden at-bat? It would only tarnish baseball
Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman undergoes surgery on injured ankle
Dodgers targeted Blake Snell to reinforce starting rotation
“We’ve talked to him like, ‘Hey, let’s get our team in a good place and then we’re going to sit down and talk,’” Gomes said. “So the expectation is, let’s get through all of this player stuff and then we can have conversations.”
NOTES
First baseman Freddie Freeman, who had ankle surgery last week, has reported to the team that he’s “in a really good place,” and will be ready for spring training, Gomes said. “Obviously, we’ll make sure that he’s handling his rehab properly, but we expect him to be participating in spring,” Gomes said. …
Roberts just returned from a week-long trip to Japan, in which he saw members of his family and basked in the glow of the Dodgers’ success, which was fueled by Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Roberts, who was born in Japan, said the best part of the trip was getting to meet Japanese legend Sadaharu Oh. “I told him, I always thought he was a figment of my imagination,” Roberts said. “I never really believed that Sadaharu Oh existed until I saw him and put eyes on him.” Roberts also met with Hideki Kuriyama, who was Ohtani’s manager when he played in Japan.