The Los Angeles Dodgers have an offseason full of various moves to make, free agents to sign and the necessary tweaks to get back to the World Series.
A prediction was recently made regarding one of the many potential moves they can make to do so, and with a roster that has such little room for error, it leaves a few odd men out. One of them is outfielder Alex Call.
The 32-year-old Call was traded to LA ahead of the 2025 deadline and was exactly as advertised: a solid bench piece who can play in the outfield for a championship-caliber team. This past season, he hit .233 in the regular season (88 games) and did not make the postseason rosters.
Team insiders Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo of the Athletic detailed their predictions on what will come next for LA, and that is a future without Call in the dugout.
"Call was a candidate to be traded at the deadline, but the market didn’t really materialize for him," Ardaya and Woo wrote. "He is a bit redundant on this roster, as shown by the fact that he wasn’t included in either of the Dodgers’ postseason rosters."
"The Dodgers probably missed their best chance to capitalize on Call’s value by not trading him at the deadline," they added. "They’ll go back to the market again, but it’s more likely Call is non-tendered — especially given the crop of outfield prospects on the rise in the Dodgers’ farm system."
Call had four hits in 11 at-bats during the 2025 postseason run, but was a no-show this past October. Due to Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker solidified in center and right field, respectively, plus Teoscar Hernandez in left field, it essentially became a pick between Call and rookie standout Josue De Paula on the bench.
In 11 games at the MLB level before October, De Paula left no room for debate. He hit .323 with an OPS of 1.081, including a three-run home run as his first major league hit.
Something that Call had that De Paula did not was experience in a big league outfield. This defensive advantage wasn't enough to be a part of the short-lived postseason run, but it may also be the reason why Woo and Ardaya's prediction comes to life.
De Paula will get more experience on defense in 2027, leaving even fewer opportunities for Call.
Financially, Call has been projected to be awarded $1.9 million in arbitration for 2027, according to Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors. Instead, however, the Dodgers could non-tender him, and allow him to find a new home in free agency.
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