The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired utilityman Cavan Biggio from the Toronto Blue Jays via trade on Wednesday, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. The Dodgers are sending minor league right-handed reliever Braydon Fisher in exchange for Biggio.
Biggio, 29, was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on June 7 after struggling at the plate this season. He posted a slash line of .200/.323/.291 in 44 games in the big leagues.
An exciting prospect upon his initial MLB call-up in 2019, Biggio has not established himself at the major league level. A career .227 hitter, Biggio's Blue Jays career got off to a solid start through 2020. In 159 games from his debut in May 2019 through the 2020 season, Biggio hit 33 doubles and 24 home runs, scoring 107 times with an OPS just below .800.
Several back injuries derailed his 2021 season and he hasn’t been able to get back on track since. Biggio hasn’t had more than 340 MLB plate appearances in a season since his rookie year and when he has been healthy it's been a lot of inconsistency.
Biggio's saving grace is his defensive versatility. He is not a Gold Glove-caliber fielder, but he's played every position aside from pitcher and catcher in his MLB career. Mainly a second baseman, Biggio has over 400 innings played at third base, first base and right field. He has a .983 fielding percentage in 3,613 innings.
Biggio was expected to be a franchise mainstay in Toronto alongside Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. All three made their MLB debuts in 2019, but Biggio has failed to play at the same level Bichette and Guerrero have. The son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, Cavan Biggio now gets a chance at a fresh start with one of baseball's most successful franchises. He is under team control through the 2025 season.
Dodgers eyeing improvements at the hot corner
The Dodgers boast one of the best lineups in baseball but want to see more from the bottom half. After their trio of superstars at the top, All-Star catcher Will Smith and a white-hot Teoscar Hernandez, LA's offense has gotten minimal production from the bottom four spots in the order.
The Dodgers are sorely missing starting third baseman Max Muncy, who's been on the injured list since May 17 with an oblique strain. He said earlier this week that he isn’t progressing as quickly as he wants in his recovery, leaving LA with more questions than answers.
In Muncy's absence, none of Chris Taylor, Kike Hernandez or Miquel Rojas have cemented themselves as an everyday option at third. Second baseman Gavin Lux hasn’t found his groove at the plate either, recording a .574 OPS in 51 games.
Cavan Biggio might not be the answer at either third or second, but he provides the Dodgers with another option down the line. For what it's worth, Biggio has not been great defensively at third base in his MLB career.
LA puts together offensive explosion
The Dodgers missed an opportunity to sweep the New York Yankees on the road over the weekend. They took their frustrations out on the defending World Series champions on Tuesday.
The Dodgers scored 15 runs against the Texas Rangers with the exclamation point coming in the sixth inning. LA clubbed four home runs in the inning, putting a seven spot on the board to take a commanding 14-1 lead. They eventually won 15-2.
Eight of the nine Dodgers starters recorded a hit and scored a run, with Rojas the lone man out after an 0-for-5 night.
LA improved to 42-26 with the victory, keeping a firm seven and a half game lead over the San Diego Padres in the NL West.
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