Dodgers predicted to admit $17 million mistake at trade deadline

The Los Angeles Dodgers are getting healthy on the pitching side of things, but have some work to do offensively at the trade deadline. They have a hole in the outfield.

The Dodgers do not have much to worry about when it comes to a player like Mookie Betts struggling. Replacing him is not an option, and they likely trust he will turn things around. However, Michael Conforto is replaceable.

The Dodgers signed him to a $17 million deal in the offseason, and he has a .185/.297/.320 slahs line in 89 games. He has had every opportunity to earn his keep, but with the trade deadline a week away, he is all but out of time. While listing players who would not be on the 40-man roster after the trade deadline, FanSided's Katrina Stebbins predicted Conforto would be gone.

"The front office would love nothing more than to not see their $17 million investment in Conforto go to waste, and they might see his improvements as of late as a sign that he's finally trending upwards after months of bad performance," wrote Stebbins. "However, the Dodgers have been loosely connected to some potentially available outfielders on the deadline, including the Guardians' Steven Kwan. Conforto has about a week to prove that whatever improvements he's made will stick. Some Dodgers fans might still argue that a single hot streak won't prove anything, and the team should still replace him if this recent upward trend turns out to be fool's gold. It's a salient point, and if anyone could afford to make that bet, it's the Dodgers."

The Dodgers have scored the sixth-fewest runs in baseball this month. Their slumping stars will figure things out, but Conforto does not need to get the same benefit of the doubt. The Dodgers already have internal options to replace him when Max Muncy returns. Tommy Edman or Hyeseong Kim could take his spot.

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However, if the Dodgers do not want to do that, the trade deadline could be the end of the line for Conforto. The Dodgers have World Series aspirations, and Conforto is not helping that cause.