3 moves for the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason
The Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in a strange position this offseason. For the first time since 2012, they are not the defending National League West champions. They also find themselves with plenty of questions about players who have been faces of the franchise in recent seasons and their futures with the team.
As has been the case in recent times, the Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to be very active this offseason, working to not only bring back players who have been instrumental to the team’s success, but also sign free agents who can help the team get back on the top in the division and the National League as well.
So what are three things we think the Dodgers can do to have a successful offseason? Let’s start in the back of the bullpen and work our way forward.
The Los Angeles Dodgers need to build a bullpen around Blake Treinen
There’s plenty of uncertainty about the future of Kenley Jansen and his return to the Dodgers. However, the 33-year-old Treinen has already shown he has the mettle to get the job done should Los Angeles move him back into the closer role he held with the Oakland A’s before coming to the Dodgers.
Treinen is coming off a season where he allowed just 46 hits in 72.1 innings pitched and posted a WHIP of 0.982. As Pitching Ninja points out, the right-hander has some of the filthiest breaking stuff in Major League Baseball today and can be very effective for the Dodgers late in the game.
2021 PitchingNinja Award for the Filthiest Pitcher on the Planet. 🌎 🏆
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) November 18, 2021
Winner: Blake Treinen
[Of course, deGrom won for Most Dominant Pitcher on the Planet & is also featured in the YT video...but, that was obvious.]
Full 5 minute Video: https://t.co/0ENaH4aGYG pic.twitter.com/JOGndJUhQl
Jansen is likely to earn some big dollars this offseason (projected two-year, $26 million deal), and the Dodgers could certainly spend the money elsewhere if they decide to use Treinen as the bedrock of the bullpen. With that thought in mind, Los Angeles can find a cost-effective supporting cast in the back end of the bullpen and push dollars toward the rotation.
Speaking of that…
The Los Angeles Dodgers need to bring back Clayton Kershaw
Can you imagine Clayton Kershaw in any other uniform other than the Dodgers? We can’t either. It just makes too much sense to have Kershaw as a part of the Los Angeles rotation in 2022.
MLBTradeRumors is predicting Kershaw will sign a one-year, $20 million deal to prove himself past the elbow and arm injuries that cut his season short in 2021. The Dodgers did not extend a qualifying offer to him, so inking him to a deal like this would actually be more than Los Angeles would have paid for him had they extended the qualifying offer. However, when you’re talking about a three-time Cy Young Award winner, eight-time All-Star, and former MVP, throwing in an extra million or so doesn’t seem so bad.
Kershaw has said he expects to avoid any kind of surgery this offseason and be ready to compete when 2022 spring training begins. If the Dodgers are confident in his health, bringing back Kershaw would not only add stability to the rotation, but also ensure one of the players most associated with the franchise since he made his MLB debut in 2008 remains in Dodger blue.
Could the Dodgers bring back both Max Scherzer and Kershaw in 2022? Of course, depending on how wide they want to open the wallet. Both would be ideal in a perfect world, but Scherzer’s cost versus Kershaw’s will likely come into play in that decision as well.
Yes, the Dodgers will be taking a chance on bringing Kershaw back, but it’s absolutely one they should make.
The Los Angeles Dodgers should sign Marcus Semien and move Trea Turner to shortstop
It’s not a question of if the Dodgers will make a splash this offseason, but rather how big of one and who will it be. If Los Angeles can ink Marcus Semien to a deal, plenty of questions about the lineup are solved quickly.
The Dodgers can use Semien and Trea Turner as interchangeable pieces in the middle infield if they like, but having Semien at second (where he just hit an MLB-record 45 home runs for the Toronto Blue Jays) and having Turner settle in at shortstop (taking over for a departed Corey Seager) makes plenty of sense. It’s one of the reasons, in fact, that our friends at BetSided have the Dodgers as one of the favorites to sign Semien this offseason.
As we discussed in this article, Turner made a big impact for the Dodgers in the regular season after being acquired in a trade with the Washington Nationals, but struggled in the postseason. If the Dodgers are confident enough that he can hold down the position and make an impact in October, having Semien’s bat slot in the lineup as well would give Los Angeles yet another weapon and give a completely new look to the middle infield.
Semien, of course, can also play shortstop, giving the Dodgers some versatility there as well.
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With Semien having a qualifying offer from the Blue Jays attached to him, there is a price to pay to acquire him other than the six-year, $138 million deal he is expected to earn. However, the deal makes a lot of sense if the Dodgers are going to lose Seager and need to replace his bat and glove in their lineup.