Los Angeles Dodgers still pursuing rotation help in tumultuous offseason
By Tim Haberin
This certainly has not been the smoothest of offseasons thus far for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
General Manager Farhan Zaidi’s mandate seemed fairly clear at the start of the winter: re-sign starting pitcher Zack Greinke and solidify the rotation behind him and fellow ace Clayton Kershaw.
The Dodgers naturally appeared the odds-on favorites to bring Greinke back into the fold, but the Arizona Diamondbacks surprised nearly everyone by securing his services with a six-year, $206.5 million mega-deal.
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Suddenly, the Dodgers front office’s task grew significantly more difficult. L.A.’s rotation often struggled in 2015 outside of the spots occupied by Greinke and Kershaw. If the Boys in Blue were to advance further into the postseason next year, they were going to need to shore up the middle and back-end of their pitching staff.
In the wake of Greinke’s exit, the Dodgers seemed to shift their focus to the bullpen. They reportedly came to an agreement with the Cincinnati Reds to acquire flamethrowing reliever Aroldis Chapman.
It was a somewhat unexpected move, with top-rate closer Kenley Jansen already holding down the ninth inning for Los Angeles. But the Dodgers were likely thinking that if their rotation was potentially going to be weaker in 2016, they may as well fortify their bullpen, which was another source of frustration this year outside of Jansen.
Allegations of past domestic abuse surfaced against Chapman, however, and the trade fell into doubt.
L.A. turned back to its rotation, agreeing to terms with free agent Hisashi Iwakuma. The signing appeared all but complete, but reports over the last several days claimed that the Dodgers did not like something they saw in the right-hander’s medical evaluation. The deal fell through and Iwakuma returned to the Seattle Mariners instead.
Johnny Cueto had been identified as another potential target, but he ended up inking a contract with the division rival San Francisco Giants, further complicating the Dodgers’ plans.
The Dodgers come away from all of this looking like the team left out in the cold, but there is still plenty of offseason ahead. With many of the bigger starting pitching names in free agency now accounted for, they may look to the trade market, and according to FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi, that’s exactly what L.A. is doing:
Sources: #Dodgers engaged in ongoing trade talks with #Indians (Carrasco or Salazar) and #Rays (Odorizzi) aimed at acquiring starter. @FS1
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 18, 2015
Zaidi and team president Andrew Friedman will be incredibly hard-pressed to replace Greinke’s production in the rotation, but they will have to get creative with what is available, and Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Jake Odorizzi could all be intriguing options.
The Dodgers have prospects at their disposal, even more so after this week’s three-team blockbuster that sent Todd Frazier to the White Sox. Though the club has been reluctant to part with top-ranked youngsters Corey Seager and Julio Urias in any deal, they could still manage to add a quality arm with their other pieces.
Carrasco and Salazar won a combined 28 games for Cleveland in 2015. The 28-year-old Carrasco posted a 3.63 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 5.02 K/BB ratio over 183.2 innings. Salazar, at age 25, managed a 3.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 3.68 K/BB in 185 frames.
The 25-year-old Odorizzi enjoyed a strong season with the Tampa Bay Rays, putting up a 3.35 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 3.26 K/BB over 169.1 innings in the hard-hitting AL East.
In each of these hurlers, the Dodgers would have a starter under the age of 30 with some potentially great years ahead. Each comes with several more seasons of team control as well.
The worst thing Los Angeles could probably do right now is panic. Though they have suffered some setbacks, there are still plenty of ways for the Dodgers to improve their rotation for next season. Replicating the tandem of Kershaw and Greinke may be a pipe dream, but they still have it in their power to craft a more balanced starting staff while bolstering their relief options.
Next: Frazier to White Sox in 3-team trade
Also worth noting is that Hyun-jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy will both potentially be returning from injuries in 2016, providing the Dodgers with additional choices.