Yankees Brett Gardner a Fit for Injury-Plagued Dodgers

New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner could be a fit to replace the injured Andre Ethier in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup before the trade deadline.

With three outfielders currently on the disabled list and a fourth, the talented but troubled Yasiel Puig, day-to-day with a hamstring issue, the Los Angeles Dodgers are on the hunt for outfield depth before the August 1st trade deadline.

One of LA’s biggest losses this year has been outfielder Andre Ethier, who has yet to play in 2016 after fouling a pitch into his leg in spring training and suffering a fractured right tibia. After a monster 2015 campaign in which he hit .294/.366/.486 (137 wRC+) in 445 PA, Ethier was expected to be central to the Dodgers offense this year, and they have missed him sorely.

Enrique Hernandez (rib cage inflammation) and Trayce Thompson (lower back irritation) are also currently on the 15-day disabled list, forcing Los Angeles to play the struggling Howie Kendrick everyday in left field. It’s not going great. 

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Dodgers are worried Andre Ethier might not make it back at all this year from his injury, and that Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner “is not atop their list, but would be a consideration.”

With the extent of Clayton Kershaw‘s injury unclear, Los Angeles may have bigger fish to fry than Gardy at the trade deadline. They’ve been linked to every elite starting pitcher available in recent days, from Chris Archer to Chris Sale.

Still, they have multiple needs they need to fill as they attempt to catch the Giants in the NL West and/or hold onto a Wild Card spot over the next two months. Gardner shouldn’t cost a ton to acquire, maybe just one solid prospect.

The Dodgers have the best farm system in the major leagues according to Baseball America’s Organization Talent Rankings. Not only do they have a number of premier talents at the top of the list, even after graduating Corey Seager, but their overall depth is very impressive.

The Yankees certainly aren’t going to land any of their top prospects for Gardy, but they could ask for a high-risk high-reward type arm like 20-year-old Cuban import Yadier Alvarez, who was just promoted to Low-A Great Lakes after an excelling in the Arizona League.

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Other starting pitchers in the 10-20 range of the Dodgers team prospect rankings according to MLB Pipeline are Chris Anderson, Chase De Jong, Josh Sborz, and Jacob Rhame. A guy of that caliber seems about right for Gardner.