The Dodgers on Tuesday agreed to acquire utilityman Cavan Biggio from the Blue Jays according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Biggio was recently designated for assignment following another year where he's fallen short of the expectations he set in 2019 with a strong rookie campaign. So what are the Dodgers doing adding a struggling 29-year-old?
There could be a couple things in the works here.
Biggio fills a similar niche to Kiké Hernandez and Chris Taylor where he can play virtually any spot on the diamond. He has played significant time at every infield position except shortstop, and he's logged innings at all three outfield spots. Neither Hernandez nor Taylor have played particularly well this season, so the club could just be looking to shake up their bench and the back end of their lineup.
Hernandez is batting just .207 with a .592 OPS. His best offensive numbers come when he's playing in the outfield, but it's unlikely Hernandez is going to take regular playing time from Teoscar Hernandez, Andy Pages or Jason Heyward at this point.
Taylor is having an even worse year, posting a .100 batting average and a .307 OPS. This is the third year in a row he's scuffled at the plate and it's unlikely at Age 33 there's some dramatic turnaround that puts him back at the All-Star form he reached in 2021.
Perhaps Biggio is simply a replacement for one of those two players. Taylor would appear to be the logical choice since he's a less versatile than Hernandez and struggling far worse. Hernandez has at least posted a positive WAR this season while Taylor's is below -1.0 per Baseball Reference.
This is also unlikely to be the only move they make ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.
LA could also aim to add an everyday shortstop to allow Mookie Betts to head back to the outfield. Such a deal might involve a player like Gavin Lux, who has been the Dodgers' everyday second baseman this year. If Lux goes, LA would be in need of a player to man that spot and Biggio has spent more time at the second bag than he has at any other position in the Majors.
Biggio in 490 games as a pro is batting .227 with a .343 on-base percentage. He has 48-career home runs, 77 doubles, 241 walks and 477 strikeouts in 1,761 plate appearances.
