Dodgers exercise Forsythe's $8.5M option
Despite taking a step backward in 2017, Logan Forsythe will be back with the Los Angeles Dodgers next year, as the club announced Monday it has exercised the veteran second baseman's $8.5-million team option.
Acquired by the Dodgers in a January trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, Forsythe managed just 1.7 WAR last season, putting up a .678 OPS - his worst since 2014 - with just six homers and 19 doubles over 119 games while bouncing between second and third base. He was especially vulnerable to right-handed pitching, hitting just .190/.315/.262 with a 25.2 percent strikeout rate in 286 plate appearances against righties.
Forsythe still figures to be the Dodgers' primary second baseman in 2018, though. Over the past three seasons, he was more valuable than all but 10 other second basemen, managing a combined .762 OPS (109 OPS+) while averaging 14 homers and 25 doubles per year. He was a key contributor during Los Angeles' recent World Series run, too, hitting .297/.435/.351 with nine walks, two doubles, and two stolen bases in 14 postseason games.
Forsythe will be eligible for free agency following the 2018 season.