Los Angeles Dodgers
October 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of playing field following the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 loss against New York Mets in game five of NLDS at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
First, the obvious one. It’s fun to speculate on major free agents landing with new teams, but it’s a safe bet the Dodgers are going to make a strong push to keep Greinke. With a payroll north of $300 million and their recent affinity for offseason spending, they should be able to easily keep up with the bidding, which an executive told CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman will likely top $150 million over five years.
In addition, the Dodgers simply need to retain Greinke if they want to advance further in next year’s postseason. One of their greatest weaknesses this season was the startling drop-off in quality in their starting rotation after Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. Case in point, Game 3 of this year’s NLDS. After their two aces, L.A. had to turn to Brett Anderson, who got tagged for six runs in three innings en route to a 13-7 defeat.
Losing Greinke would make the Dodgers’ offseason much more difficult. They would then likely end up dropping a lot of money on a big-name starter anyway, so why not spend it on the guy they are already familiar with? Doing so would allow them to then address other trouble areas, such as their bullpen.
Next: Team #2