When the Toronto Blue Jays designated Cavan Biggio for assignment last week, it was a little surprising -- he's been a perfectly fine utility player for them going back to 2019. But Toronto's roster was full of utility types, and Biggio is in the midst of his worst offensive season, hitting .200/.323/.291 in 131 plate appearances with a career-high strikeout rate of 32%.
Five days later, Biggio is headed from a team stuck in the middle of the AL East to the top of the National League West, after being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday morning. The Blue Jays will receive right-handed minor league reliever Braydon Fisher in the deal, according to sources. Why would L.A. roll the dice on the 29-year-old infielder?
For the Dodgers, it comes down to how much Biggio can add over the available options on their roster. And sure enough, even his .614 OPS would be an upgrade over Chris Taylor, the Dodgers' current utility player -- and that's without factoring any potential regression to his career norms or improvement L.A. can find.
Taylor is hitting just .100/.196/.111 in 103 plate appearances this season, with 41 strikeouts and one extra-base hit. Taylor has been a valuable player for the Dodgers going back to 2017, but he is signed for $13 million this year, plus $13 million for 2025 (with a $4 million buyout of a $12 million option for 2026), and the team might have to consider eating the rest of that contract if his production doesn't improve soon. He may keep his roster spot for now, with Miguel Vargas going back to the minors, but there will be a roster crunch once Max Muncy returns from the IL.
The left-handed-hitting Biggio could platoon with Enrique Hernandez at third base until Muncy comes back or even get some time at second base, where Gavin Lux has struggled with a woeful .223/.277/.297 line and just one home run. Indeed, though the Dodgers lead the National League in runs scored thanks to the superstars at the top, the offensive struggles of Lux, Taylor, Hernandez and backup catcher Austin Barnes have given the Dodgers one of the weakest benches in the majors, and Biggio could settle into a key role there when Muncy does return.
Biggio's biggest strength as a hitter has been a higher-than-average walk rate, although that has dipped to a career low this season. His average exit velocity was also down from a consistent 88 mph over the years to just 82 mph this season - but given the small sample size, it's hard to read too much into that. We've certainly seen the Dodgers succeed in some cases in getting more out of players coming from other organizations. Jason Heyward has hit well the past two seasons, and Teoscar Hernandez is having an All-Star season after signing as a free agent. So it is certainly possible that L.A. could find a way to help Biggio reduce that strikeout rate and start hitting the ball a little harder.
With less than 50 days remaining before the July 30 MLB trade deadline arrives, the obvious question that follows this move: Are there more offensive upgrades that L.A. could make from here? June has been the offense's most productive month of the season, with an .882 OPS -- compared to .789 in April and .730 in May -- but this is a team with championship expectations, so it doesn't hurt to keep looking for ways to improve.
Assuming the Dodgers are OK with a second-base combo of Miguel Rojas, Lux and Biggio -- in some capacity -- the biggest hole would be a platoon partner for Heyward. Maybe that becomes Enrique Hernandez, but it's possible an upgrade could be in order. They could perhaps go after a center fielder that would allow them to move rookie Andy Pages into a platoon with Heyward. Pages has crushed lefties but struggled a bit against righties (James Outman, after a horrid start, is back in Triple-A.).
But this is the Dodgers and we are accustomed to seeing this franchise go for big splashy additions, so let's end with one blockbuster name to consider: Luis Robert Jr. The Dodgers have a deep enough farm system to make that kind of deal if the Chicago White Sox decide to trade their All-Star center fielder.
