Trade rumors swirling around Dee Gordon seem to have died down, but Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times has an interesting note about the Dodgers shortstop:
The Dodgers have talked about moving the fleet-footed Gordon to the outfield but appear inclined to keep him at shortstop for now. Gordon figures to start the season at Triple-A Albuquerque.
“I hate to give up on him at short,” [manager Don] Mattingly said.
Gordon hasn’t hit well or fielded well in the majors so far, producing a measly .614 OPS and some terrible defensive numbers. His elite speed would be intriguing in center field, where range is far more important than sure-handedness, but barring a trade the Dodgers have Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier locked in as their starting outfield for a long time.
Hanley Ramirez is ahead of Gordon on the shortstop depth chart, but his moving back to third base could be an option at some point, especially if/when Luis Cruz comes back down to earth a bit. Whatever the case, at age 25 this is a crucial season for Gordon’s career.
