Dodgers notes: David Peralta, Michael Busch, Mookie Betts

David Peralta is one of 12 Dodgers set to hit free agency after the conclusion of this year’s World Series.

Peralta was an instrumental piece in the Dodgers’ clubhouse this season, bringing his infectious freight train celebration to the team, with players frequently using it whenever they reached first base.

Offensively, Peralta performed below league average metrics, with a wRC+ of just 82. Peralta’s on base percentage was below .300 — .294 to be exact— for the first time in a full season in his career. His walk rate was at a career low at just 4.7 percent and his batting average on balls in play (BABIP) reached an all time low as well with a .296 clip.

For the second straight season, Peralta failed to connect on a single home run in the second half of the season. Peralta has hit 19 home runs in his previous two first seasons, all coming before the All-Star break.

The offensive mediocrity of Peralta’s 2023 season led the veteran to compile just a 0.1 fWAR, making him just slightly more valuable than a replacement level player.

Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic breaks down Peralta’s free agent market, which players could replace Peralta as the starting left fielder, and whether the Dodgers would be interested in bringing him back for 2024:

“The Dodgers have spoken highly of Peralta’s impact on the club and, by all accounts, he was well regarded by this staff... But it’s fair to wonder if the Dodgers won’t just have another person fill that same role next season.”

Links

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report lists one player from every team that has the possibility of being traded this offseason.

Reuter lists Michael Busch as a player the Dodgers could look to move on from should second baseman Miguel Vargas emerge into a formidable bat for the Dodgers:

“There might only be a spot for one of Busch and fellow up-and-comer Miguel Vargas in the team’s long-term plans, and given his production in the upper levels of the minors, Busch still has enough upside and long-term potential to be the centerpiece of a blockbuster deal.”

Mookie Betts has made his way to the 2023 World Series, but not as a player for one of the two remaining teams. Betts has had the opportunity to interact with members of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers, while reflecting on his own shortcomings in the postseason, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times:

“There’s probably a million people with all the answers. I’m sure somebody is right,” he said. “But I don’t know what those answers are. I just know, for me, I have to do better. That’s pretty much it. I have to do better, no matter what.”