The Dodgers have waded through the offseason knowing they had a hole in left field. And so on Monday, they took a step towards filling that hole, signing free agent Marcus Thames to a one-year contract.
Marcus Thames Signs With Dodgers To Serve As Half Of Platoon
Terms of the contract aren't yet known, but the salary won't be high, and according to Dylan Hernandez, it will be finalized on Tuesday. With the Dodgers, Thames will form half of a left field platoon with Jay Gibbons, and Tony Gwynn Jr. - acquired earlier in the offseason - will roam around as a reserve.
Thames - who turns 34 in March - spent last season with the Yankees, batting .288 with 12 home runs as a part-time player. For his career, he's posted a .491 slugging percentage, and the veteran righty has punished left-handed pitchers to the tune of an .838 OPS. Thames isn't gifted defensively and he has an aggressive, strikeout-prone approach at the plate, but he hits with a lot of power and should bring some pop to the Dodgers lineup when active.
The lefty Gibbons owns a career .783 OPS against right-handed pitchers.
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