Dodgers Dugout: Where does Corey Seager rank among Dodgers rookie of the year winners?

Hi, my name is Houston Mitchell, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout, which will always remain a politics-free zone.

Rookie of the year

Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager was named the winner of the National League rookie of the year award on Monday, becoming the 17th Dodger to win the award. We all know how well he performed this year, so instead of going over that, let’s have some fun and rank the Dodgers’ rookie of the year award winners. This is based on their rookie seasons only.

1. Jackie Robinson

2. Mike Piazza

3. Joe Black

4. Don Newcombe

5. Fernando Valenzuela

6. Corey Seager

7. Jim Gilliam

8. Steve Howe

9. Raul Mondesi

10. Hideo Nomo

11. Rick Sutcliffe

12. Frank Howard

13. Eric Karros

14. Steve Sax

15. Todd Hollandsworth

16. Jim Lefebvre

17. Ted Sizemore

Now, don’t get all upset if you think a guy that’s 12th should be ninth. It’s just for fun.

Who’s coming back?

It’s free-agent season, meaning the Dodgers have choices to make. Before we get to who they should bring back, let’s look at the team’s free agents this season:

Brett Anderson

Joe Blanton

Jesse Chavez

Rich Hill

J.P. Howell

Kenley Jansen

Josh Reddick

Justin Turner

Chase Utley

Who do you bring back from that list? Chavez has already signed with the Angels -- not that anyone was fired up about him coming back anyway. Of the remaining group, I would definitely do all I could to sign Jansen and Turner, and offer Hill an incentive-laden contract based on total starts and innings, in case his blister problem becomes chronic. If Blanton can come back for a reasonable price, that would be fine too.

I’m not going to get into how much to pay for each one, because that is nearly impossible to predict. The Dodgers did give qualifying offers to Turner and Jansen, meaning that if they sign with another team, the Dodgers get an extra first-round draft pick.

The Dodgers really have no one on the roster who can replace Turner or Jansen, but my big fear is Andrew Friedman’s love of draft picks. Will he let Jansen walk, just so he can get the draft pick, and then sign Aroldis Chapman or Mark Melancon? I’d prefer Jansen, but I would not be surprised to see him with another team next season. And guess who is interested in him? The Giants.

As for Turner, he has to come back. The Dodgers have a dearth of right-handed hitting, and losing Turner just makes it worse.

Best-case scenario

Let’s say the Dodgers re-sign Turner, Jansen and Hill. Guess what? They will be bringing back the team that couldn’t hit lefties and wasn’t quite good enough to get to the World Series. They still need a big right-handed bat, the bat they were hoping Yasiel Puig would be. And with Utley gone and Howie Kendrick traded to Philadelphia, guess where they have a hole? Second base. And guess who the Detroit Tigers are willing to trade? Ian Kinsler. Kinsler is owed $11 million next season, with a $10-million team option for 2018. He has played at least 150 games in five of the last six seasons, and has hit .274 and averaged 35 doubles and 20 homers a season during that time.

Of course, Friedman will want to make it a six-team trade, with the Dodgers getting Kinsler, three minor leaguers and a pitcher coming off an arm injury, but if that’s what it takes to land Kinsler, it might be worth it.

So now what?

We wait. We can play the speculation game every day, but Friedman is usually full of surprises. Trying to think like him is nearly impossible. So we will just have to wait and see what happens, and we can talk about it later.

The only thing I know for certain is the Dodgers need to bring a fresh bat to the offense. If they start next season without an upgrade on offense, then expect teams to throw as many lefties at them as possible.

In case you missed it

What our great crew of Los Angeles Times reporters is saying about the Dodgers:

Dodgers trade Howie Kendrick to the Phillies

Dodgers ponder choice for closer: Jansen or Chapman?

Dodgers prioritize re-signing or replacing Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner

What others are saying

Farhan Zaidi discusses Dodgers’ finances

Cody Bellinger continues power display in Arizona Fall League

Who was the most underrated Dodger in 2016?

And finally

Let’s remember a good moment.

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me and follow me on Twitter: @latimeshouston