Another free agent target of the Dodgers is signed by the rival Giants
The acquisition of Brandon Drury to a two-year contract by the Angels removes a potential infielder for the Dodgers in free agency.The Dodgers are in the market for an infielder
and an outfielder, and the free agency market features a player who can do both and who earned the Silver Slugger in 2022. However, we utilise the past tense because Brandon
Drury is currently unavailable to buy. His versatility is best understood as "plenty of alternatives for where to try to hide him on defence," given that he can play a number of
positions but poorly. Even though he was a strong hitter in 2022, the Silver Slugger year for utility players, it was only the second time in his eight-year career.
It's possible that something snapped for him around age 28 because his two best seasons have come in the last two years. However, it looked likely that Drury's asking price in
current free agent market would be too high for the Dodgers to consider. He was offered two years and $17 million by the Fullerton Angels of the Greater Garden Grove Metroplex
Area, and he accepted.In particular, the AAV of $8.5 million is not terrible for Drury. However, the Dodgers only signed JD Martinez for one year despite his impressive track
record as a batter; they wouldn't have given a weaker batter such a lengthy contract.Not getting Drury is disappointing, but I never thought he would be a good match for L.A. due
to their defensive woes, especially after they signed Martinez. The Angels also have a prominent designated hitter, so it's likely that Drury won't see much time in the outfield.