Sometimes in baseball the best trades are the one's you don't make. It was a widely belief by many baseball people, me included, that the Dodgers would trade outfielder Andre Ethier this past off season. The Dodgers Outfield was crowded and Ethier was seen as the odd man out. He had only hit four homeruns in 2014, the lowest total of his career, and his trade value was virtually gone. Spring Training came and went and Ethier was still a Dodger. His role was seen as a spot starter, he can play all three outfield positions, and a left handed bat off of the bench. The phrase "until he is traded" was often added to that assessment of his role with the Dodgers.
As the season progressed, injuries started taking it's toll on the Dodger outfield. Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford, and Scott Van Slyke have all missed major chunks of the season due to injury. Ethier's role with the team became much more valuable, he assumed a more regular place in the Dodgers outfield, and it all culminated with the two homerun game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including the walk off game winner in the bottom of the tenth inning.
Ethier has hit 12 homeruns already this season, tripling last season's total, and is batting a solid .280. The Dodgers would not be in first place in the National League West without him. He is signed through 2017 and there is no telling what will happen this next off season but Ethier has brought his trade value up.
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