With just a month to go until spring training starts (pitchers and catchers report February 8), the Los Angeles Dodgers are finalizing their roster and sending out final spring-training invites. With a fairly set roster, though, there are so many options the Dodgers have.
Last season, the backup shortstop was an integral part of the team because starter Hanley Ramirez played just 86 games. The rest of the time, Nick Punto, Dee Gordon, Justin Sellers and Luis Cruz filled in. As the primary backup, Punto was especially valuable—and indeed, he put up nearly 2.0 Wins Above Replacement, according to FanGraphs.
However, Punto is now a member of the Oakland Athletics, and the only shortstops currently on the 40-man roster, other than Ramirez, are Gordon and Sellers, neither of whom has proven to be a quality major league backup.
In addition to backup shortstop, expect the Dodgers to look at bullpen arms and catchers—both of which are positions that organizations often look at for cheap alternatives.
Players mentioned here will be ranked based on their likelihood to make the team and contribute, and all free agents are courtesy of the extremely helpful list at MLB Trade Rumors.