Amidst rumors circulating around the Dodgers’ current outfield situation and their offseason plans, the team filled in a hole in the corner outfield slots by signing former San Francisco Giants outfielder Michael Conforto.
Since arriving in San Francisco ahead of the 2023 season, Conforto hasn’t been the 30-home run power bat he was with the New York Mets after suffering multiple hamstring injuries. Regardless, the 31-year-old left-handed hitting outfielder had surprising splits against left-handed pitching in 2024 along with a solid .254 average in games played away from Oracle Park.
Sonja Chen of MLB.com writes about how Conforto’s change of scenery might benefit him after having just three home runs with a .632 OPS at home in San Francisco last season.
The Giants’ home ballpark is notoriously tough for hitters, especially lefties. The distance to the right-field foul pole is a mere 309 feet, with a high fence, but Triples Alley in right-center is 415 feet away from the plate. Conforto isn’t strictly a pull hitter — he’s hovered around league average in that regard — but he’s shown more power to right field in his career.
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During the winter meetings, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes was asked by former big league outfielder and current MLB Network analyst Sean Casey about his live reaction to Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series.
Gomes’ response, “This is going to be on TV forever.”
Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes’ reaction to Freddie Freeman’s Game 1 walk-off grand slam:
“This is going to be on TV forever.” ✅
MLB Network + @SageUSAmerica pic.twitter.com/gIlfaJVVhS
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 16, 2024
The San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks tried their best to chase down the Dodgers for the division crown during the second half of the regular season, but it ended in the former getting knocked in the NLDS and the latter narrowly missing the postseason altogether.
Both team so far in the offseason have been relatively inactive compared to teams like the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees, and Mets. San Diego has even begun to listen to trade offers for key players such as Dylan Cease, Luis Arraez, and Xander Bogaerts.
Steve Henson of the Los Angeles Times documents the current agendas for both teams, with their previous spending habits currently preventing them from competing for high-end talent.
An update on Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam ball. After 22 bids placed, the only walk-off grand slam ball in World Series history sold for $1,560,000 during the SCP Auctions December Dynasty Auction.