The Los Angeles Dodgers recently secured Chris Taylor on a four-year deal, but lost Max Scherzer and Corey Seager and risk losing Clayton Kershaw, too.
In other words, they can use some improvements and have some money to spend.
That makes them dangerous at the time of pursuing targets.
These three players have the potential of being helpful additions for them.
3. Matthew Boyd
The Dodgers just love pitchers with raw stuff and potential that, for one reason or another, have failed or aren’t appreciated by the league like they should.
A recent example of this is the Andrew Heaney signing.
They operate like this because they can get these pitchers to work with their amazing player development and coaching staff, and the results are often positive.
The Dodgers have ‘rescued’ pitchers like this a lot recently.
Shoring up the rotation is a good idea given their lack of depth.
Dustin May will start the season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and who knows what will happen with Trevor Bauer.
Matthew Boyd, non-tendered by the Detroit Tigers, has a great left arm with huge strikeout potential.
He allows a lot of home runs, which leads to inflated ERAs, but has loads of potential.
He underwent September surgery to repair his left flexor tendon, but will return at some point in 2022.
He would be a nice stash option for the Dodgers to take advantage of his career 22.5 strikeout rate.
2. Clayton Kershaw
Kershaw is a Dodgers legend, and even people who doesn’t watch baseball know that.
The Dodgers are worried by Kershaw’s left arm, because he missed a lot of time in 2021 due to injury.
He received a PRP injection to help him with his left flexor tendon issue in early October.
The expectation is for him to be ready for Spring Training.
When healthy, he was reliable as usual, with a 3.55 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 121.1 innings.
It’s understandable there is some skepticism on Los Angeles’ side, but the Dodgers are Kershaw’s place in the world.
Fans probably couldn’t stomach seeing him having success in another uniform.
Kershaw should be a Dodger for life.
— Greer Engonga (@GreerEngonga) November 29, 2021
Expect this one to be resolved after the lockout, with a reunion.
It makes sense for both sides: it’s not like the Dodgers have too much pitching depth at the moment.
1. Freddie Freeman
This one would be difficult to accommodate given the team already re-signed Taylor to play all over the field.
However, if the Atlanta Braves refuse to give Freddie Freeman the money he has earned with his excellent play over the years, the Dodgers should be all over him.
Freeman is a native of California (although he grew up an Angels fan), and could potentially be interested in coming to the Dodgers.
Yankees are definitely interested in Freddie Freeman but like most they have a hard time seeing the Braves let him get away (me: and if he does go, his hometown Dodgers make the most sense)
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 30, 2021
If the issue is money, that won’t stop the Dodgers, who are off the hook with expensive contracts such as Scherzer and Seager, from offering him a nice deal.
He reportedly wants around $180 million for six years, and while it’s a bit risky considering he is already 32 years old, he is very much worth it.
He remained one of the National League’s top sluggers in 2021, with a .300 average, 120 runs scored, 31 home runs, 83 RBI, eight steals, and a solid .896 OPS.
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