In Major League Baseball, you never know what you are getting when you commit to players financially, especially those aging and already showing signs of regression. It’s a testament to the battle between MLB front offices and players’ agents that can maximize value.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of those MLB organizations consistently in the news for their high payroll, steady offseason signings, and dedication to improving the team’s roster. However, sometimes it can backfire when a player is well below average in terms of what they are getting paid.
Dodgers’ Michael Conforto Has Been a Disaster Signing
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Michael Conforto to a one-year, $17 million deal this offseason in a flurry of free agent additions after winning the 2024 World Series. One of the Dodgers‘ weaknesses was corner outfield help, which they believed they had addressed with the addition of Conforto.
However, he has been a disaster to this point in the season and is one of the reasons the Dodgers have struggled offensively for the past two months. Michael Conforto has been pretty much an everyday player for Los Angeles, and in 104 games this season, his average is just .189 with nine home runs and 25 RBIs.
Manager Dave Roberts has shown clear trust in Conforto by putting him in the lineup, but it’s also a sign that the front office doesn’t want to admit they were wrong with the signing. At this point, though, it’s time the Dodgers decide on Conforto’s future, because he is becoming an obvious hole in the lineup, and they can’t afford to have that in October.
His OPS is just .632 and has an OPS+ of 78, 22 points below league-average. Because of the Dodgers’ injuries to Tommy Edman, Kiké Hernandez, and Hyeseong Kim, Conforto will likely have until the end of August. Still, he could be a favorite to be released and hit waivers later this month.
Michael Conforto Lands on ‘All-Overpaid Team’
Bleacher Report recently ran an article that names an overpaid player at each position, and Michael Conforto was the selection for left field:
However, Conforto entered July with a .602 OPS, has more than regressed to a .431 mark thus far this month and may well be a candidate to hit waivers in late August if some combination of currently injured Kiké Hernández, Tommy Edman and Hyeseong Kim are healthy by then. Conforto always has been a streaky hitter. Just last year, he had an .821 OPS at the end of May, plummeted to a .589 mark in June and July and surged back with an .859 mark in August in September. Bit of a similar story in 2023, mashing in both May and August in between runs of ineffectiveness. Los Angeles rather hoped there would be more hot streaks than this, though.”
The Michael Conforto experiment is over, and it’s time Dave Roberts starts to remove him from the lineup and figure out another option. The Los Angeles Dodgers have enough payroll to eat the loss, but it is beginning to hurt their offense daily.
Dodgers Disastrous Offseason Addition Lands on ‘All-Overpaid Team’