2026 in Preview: Centerfield and Rightfield

You Can’t Consider CF without Considering RF

I don’t think we see what the final alignment of the outfield will be at this time. A move or “moves” have to be made:

• Kyle Tucker is a long shot.
• The Dodgers (rightfully) have little interest in Cody Bellinger.
• Luis Robert, Jr. and Harrison Bader would be downgrades.
• Byron Buxton would be a disaster or a genius move with 10 to 1 odds against the latter.
• The Red Sox are asking for a King’s Ransom for Jarren Duran, but no one has pulled the trigger. I think the Dodgers can put together a package the Red Sox will like, centered on Sheehan et al. However, we don’t know.

Tommy Edman will likely not be ready to start the season, but all hands point to his being ready in May. Andy Pages has improved incrementally on defense throughout the 2025 season and could play there in 2026. Teoscar is horrible in RF and needs to play LF. I see two possibilities:

1. Trade for Duran and let him play CF; or

2. Put Teo in LF and Pages in RF and play Alex Call in CF until Edman and maybe Kike Return.

I prefer Option 1. Boston wants pitching. I love Sheehan, but I am willing to trade him for a hitter like Duran. It will take more than Sheehan, but I would consider it. Maybe Boston wants to keep Duran. I get that, so I would be willing to trade for Wilyer Abreu, a left-handed right fielder, which would move Pages back to CF. I am okay with that, as well. Sheehan for Abreu? Get ‘er done! If the Red Sox wanted Hyeseong Kim as well, I would not say no. Duran or Abreu (one of them) is the final piece.

Abreu would platoon with Alex Call in RF. Abreu is 26 and projectable to be a 30 HR guy. Maybe one of the Dodgers outfield prospects will be ready in the second half of 2026! If the Dodgers don’t do anything, Alex Call could start the season as the centerfielder. Alex Call’s defensive reputation, especially in center field, skews toward above-average to solid rather than elite — he’s got good tools. He gets the job done, but he doesn’t profile as a top-tier defender relative to the very best CFs in the league. Still, he could fill in until an elite Centerfielder appeared. Metrics and scouting reports peg Call as having good reactions and decent range, which helps him cover ground in the outfield. He’s not the fastest sprinter in the league, but his instincts and reads boost his effectiveness. Alex has above-average arm strength for an outfielder.

Alex Call in CF has to be a consideration. We shall see! He has a career OPS of .712, but OPS’ed .746 last year. He’s very close to Harrison Bader in career hitting, but not his equal in defense. Still, he ain’t shabby! The next time, we will look at starting pitching! Try this lineup out (no trades):

1. Ohtani DH
2. Betts SS
3. Freeman 1B
4. Smith C
5. Muncy 3B
6. Hernandez LF
7. Kim/Rojas 2B
8. Pages RF
9. Call CF

So, we wait!