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Juan Pierre wants to be traded
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(Photo: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Anyone want a lead-off hitter who can bunt, but never walk?
The signing yesterday of Manny Ramirez leaves Juan Pierre as the odd man out of the Dodgers outfield. It's a problem Pierre had to deal with last year when Andruw Jones signed, but he got a decent number of at-bats thanks to the fat, out-of-shape Jones' horrendous season.
Manny is not going to be displaced at all out there in left, barring injury. And Pierre is simply not good enough to move Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier out of the lineup, either. That makes Pierre not only unhappy, but a pretty expensive pinch hitter, pinch bunter, and pinch runner.
So it is no surprise that Pierre — universally hailed as a good guy to have in the clubhouse — is seeking a trade. And he has the Dodgers' blessing, according to MLB.com:
"I understand the situation, and if they hadn't signed Manny, it would have been a surprise," said Pierre. "I'm not bitter about it. I totally get it, you know what I mean? But I want to play. So they gave us permission to talk to teams and try to find a situation that can work out for everybody, and that's all I can ask for."
Pierre made a point to say he'd be willing to defer some salary if another team were to trade for him. He'll have to if he wants to gin up some legitimate interest. The slap-hitting outfielder and base-stealing wiz is among the most over-paid players in baseball — entering the third season of a five-year, $44 million contract. As a candidate to lead off, he's just not that great.
Over his career, Pierre averages about a walk per week, and though he's a career .300 hitter, he has an on-base percentage of about .328 the last four years. That's not good enough for a player trying to sell himself as an ideal table-setter batting high in the lineup.
Pierre is a good guy, an excellent defensive outfielder, and an asset at the bottom of the order. You don't pay such guys $8 million a year. The Dodgers will have their work cut out for them trading him to another team, even with Pierre's offer of deferred payments.
I would be shocked if he's moved before the often-desperate days around the July 31 trading deadline, when a contender might have to fill a hole left by an injured starter. And even then, Pierre would likely find himself in the same situation he was in with the Dodgers — a fourth outfielder with only three spots to give.
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