{"id":51572,"date":"2025-05-27T08:29:27","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T08:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=51572"},"modified":"2025-05-27T08:29:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T08:29:27","slug":"dodgers-may-be-forced-to-cut-third-slumping-veteran-after-34-million-bust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=51572","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers May Be Forced to Cut Third Slumping Veteran After $34 Million &#8216;Bust&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Los Angeles Dodgers have some weaknesses on their roster and their patience might be running out.<\/p>\n<p>The team has clear championship aspirations after another offseason of significant star additions. And the Dodgers made it clear that nostalgia has no place in their march toward the World Series.<\/p>\n<p>The Dodgers recently cut their two longest-tenured position players in Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor. Now, as a third veteran continues to slump, they could be looking to part ways with Michael Conforto, too.<\/p>\n<p>After joining the Dodgers on a one-year, $17 million contract, Conforto has slashed a dismal .163\/.297\/.261 so far this season. His performance has been so bad that Bleacher Report&#8217;s Kerry Miller ranked him as one of the sport&#8217;s worst &#8220;contract busts&#8221; of the season.<\/p>\n<p>And given that the Dodgers pay a 100% tax on their payroll this season, that bust has really been a $34 million hit.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"imageBox\">\n<div class=\"innerBox ar23-innerBox\"><picture class=\"mapping-embed\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2651564\/los-angeles-dodgers-executive-andrew-friedman.webp?w=790&amp;f=3c6b6ab1414f9c86b7ab60ea652eaaf6 1x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 992px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2651564\/los-angeles-dodgers-executive-andrew-friedman.jpg?w=790&amp;f=3c6b6ab1414f9c86b7ab60ea652eaaf6 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"(min-width: 992px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2651564\/los-angeles-dodgers-executive-andrew-friedman.webp?w=900&amp;f=5dcff7ebf0aa409727c2833793a40d18 1x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2651564\/los-angeles-dodgers-executive-andrew-friedman.jpg?w=900&amp;f=5dcff7ebf0aa409727c2833793a40d18 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2651564\/los-angeles-dodgers-executive-andrew-friedman.webp?w=790&amp;f=3c6b6ab1414f9c86b7ab60ea652eaaf6 1x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 481px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2651564\/los-angeles-dodgers-executive-andrew-friedman.jpg?w=790&amp;f=3c6b6ab1414f9c86b7ab60ea652eaaf6 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"(min-width: 481px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2651564\/los-angeles-dodgers-executive-andrew-friedman.webp?w=450&amp;f=ad7906d7e875eb4940631b3f284dee06 1x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2651564\/los-angeles-dodgers-executive-andrew-friedman.jpg?w=450&amp;f=ad7906d7e875eb4940631b3f284dee06 1x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2651564\/los-angeles-dodgers-executive-andrew-friedman.webp?w=1200&amp;f=5f034663b99da2afe3feb9a48317f0e4\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i2651564\" class=\"mapping-embed imgPhoto\" src=\"https:\/\/d.newsweek.com\/en\/full\/2651564\/los-angeles-dodgers-executive-andrew-friedman.jpg?w=1200&amp;f=5f034663b99da2afe3feb9a48317f0e4\" alt=\"Los Angeles Dodgers executive Andrew Friedman\" width=\"1200\" height=\"843\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"caption ar23-caption\"><span id=\"short-cap-description\" class=\"cap\">LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA &#8211; DECEMBER 03: Andrew Friedman of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts during a press conference introducing Blake Snell as a Dodger at Dodger Stadium on December 03, 2024 in Los Angeles, California&#8230;.<\/span>\u00a0<button id=\"read-more-cap\">More<\/button>\u00a0<span class=\"credit ar23-credit\">How\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Conforto has struggled so mightily, the Dodgers might have little choice but to cut him.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;At this point, they probably wouldn&#8217;t even be able to trade him away,&#8221;\u00a0Miller wrote. &#8220;If he doesn&#8217;t start showing legitimate signs of life, the Dodgers might just have to bite the bullet and drop him like the (Houston) Astros did with Jos\u00e9 Abreau last June.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>After the Dodgers did likewise with Taylor and Barnes to clear some room for more promising roster talent, Conforto could be next. Moving him off the roster would make some room for another prospect call up or a trade acquisition.<\/p>\n<p>And as the Dodgers look for more production on their way to another World Series, no player seems safe from a harsh wake up call.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Los Angeles Dodgers have some weaknesses on their roster and their patience might be running out. The team has clear championship aspirations after another offseason of&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dodgers May Be Forced to Cut Third Slumping Veteran After $34 Million &#039;Bust&#039; - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=51572\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dodgers May Be Forced to Cut Third Slumping Veteran After $34 Million &#039;Bust&#039; - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Los Angeles Dodgers have some weaknesses on their roster and their patience might be running out. 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