When the Los Angeles Dodgers picked up outfielder Michael last offseason, the decision raised some eyebrows. Still, given the organization’s history of smart moves, it was hard to doubt the front office.
As the season progressed, though, the concerns surrounding the signing proved to be warranted. For the veteran outfielder, it turned into a year he’d likely prefer to forget.
Conforto never managed to establish any real consistency, ultimately costing him a place on the Dodgers’ postseason roster. Now he heads back into free agency, facing even more uncertainty about his future.
For the season, the veteran hit just .199 with 12 home runs and 36 runs batted in. Conforto was given plenty of chances throughout the season to turn things around, but something always seemed off for him this year.
Normally, the Dodgers have been very good about helping guys drive up their value around the league, but Conforto fell into the small number of playres who Los Angeles couldn’t help. This could impact his free agency, but Conforto is also only 32 years old, so teams may still be willing to give him a chance.
Even though it was a rough season for Conforto with the Dodgers, he is still expected to garner some interest around the league. The veteran can give any team a power bat in the lineup, and there is some hope that he can return to form.
However, it remains to be seen where he may land and which teams could be interested. Additionally, due to his issues this year, we could see Conforto look to sign another one-year deal to help bring his value back up around the league.
Michael Conforto Signs With Los Angeles Angels
Since it seems likely that Conforto will need to sign a prove-it type of deal, one team that could be interested is the Los Angeles Angels. Los Angeles is coming off another year of missing the postseason, and they could use a veteran outfield bat for the roster.
The Angels jsut traded away outfielder Taylor Ward, so Conforto could come in to compete for a starting role. Since the Angels won’t have the same level of pressure that the Dodgers had, this could give Conforto a chance to thrive with them.
Conforto still has some pop to his bat, and the Angels could benefit from having another slugger on the roster. Putting him toward the backend of the lineup could allow Los Angeles to have a nice mix of talent up and down, helping to keep pitchers honest on the mound.
Of course, Conforto would need to produce, but since he would likely cost very little to sign, this could be a low-risk, potentially high-reward move for the Angels. Overall, this could be a nice depth signing for the Angels, and Conforto would just need to move down the I-5 freeway to his next team.
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