We have now entered full offseason mode, and there will be periods in which rumors will come and go, some true and some not. Us as fans love to speculate, and it’s part of baseball fandom. The past couple of offseason periods were quite dry early and nothing did not really happen till closer to Spring Training, let’s hope there’s more clarity this time around, even as the chance of a strike looms.
The Dodgers have several big-name impending free agents this winter such as Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Kenley Jansen, Corey Seager, and Chris Taylor. However, we won’t be taking a look at them this time around. We will take a look at other free agents the Dodgers could possibly sign if they fail to retain these players.
Once again this is all baseball fandom speculation, but I’ll be laying out why it can make sense for both sides.
Starling Marte – Outfielder
For Marte, there have been a few rumors of him possibly joining the Dodgers in the past. The 33-year-old outfielder was most recently with the Oakland Athletics after getting traded from the Miami Marlins mid-season. I know many of you will probably not be fond of the Dodgers signing a 33-year-old outfielder, but with Taylor having the career year he just had that definitely raised his stock for other clubs.
The services for Marte will have a long list of teams surely, but the Dodgers are still poised to be a contending team. Last year, Marte stole a league-leading 47 bases, while also batting .310 with a WAR at 4.7. Not to mention his glove — he is a stellar outfielder and a two-time gold glove winner. If the Dodgers lose Taylor who can essentially play all around the field, adding Marte would give the Dodgers insane flexibility, also allowing Lux to go back to the infield.
Raisel Iglesias – Relief Pitcher
The 31-year-old Cuban closer spent last season with the crosstown rival Angels. Iglesias has 140 career saves and could be a possible replacement if Jansen were to walk. Let’s also not forget there’s a big question mark regarding Joe Kelly as well as Corey Knebel entering free agency.
This past season Iglesias had 34 saves and a 2.57 ERA. He recorded 103 strikeouts and a WAR of 2.8. Iglesias will probably warrant some type of closer money, so it will be interesting to look at the market for him. With uncertainty regarding the bullpen, Iglesias and the Dodgers could make sense for each other.
Marcus Stroman – Pitcher
The Dodgers currently have two starting pitchers who are free agents in Scherzer and Kershaw. Dustin May won’t be ready for the beginning of the season, and Bauer did exercise his option but we all know that situation. So in reality, the Dodgers pretty much only have Julio Urias and Walker Buehler in their starting rotation.
Stroman, in my eyes, was one of the more underrated free agency signings last year. The 30-year-old right-hander posted a 3.03 ERA and 158 strikeouts in 179 innings and a WHIP of 1.15. The Mets, Padres, and Angels all are expected to pursue Stroman.
The Dodgers had one of the deeper pitching rotations at the beginning of the season but now depleted by injuries and other external factors there are holes to be filled, so I’d expect at least the Dodgers to do their due diligence with Stroman.
These are just three free agents I feel the Dodgers could target. Obviously, there are plenty more and Andrew Friedman and Company always seemingly seem to find that one hidden gem free agent every winter.
Think Blue Planning Committee 
Marte – would be a nice addition except for the fact we have no place to play him. He needs to play every day, as does Mookie, as does Belli. Marte won’t come cheap so to pay him just to trade Pollock? I think we could use our money better elsewhere.
Iglesias – he may come cheaper than Kenley but I think there would be a couple of other teams more desperate than us who would pay him more.
Stroman – always been a big fan. I’d love to see him here, and he might like the bright lights of Hollywood.
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Sterling Marte would be a solid addition, I like guys that get on base, make contact, are good defenders, and have the speed to steal bases. That type of player can create runs when you are in the playoffs against elite pitching. Marte also hits right-handed so it would help balance the lineup against left-handed pitching.
In the off-season, I enjoy the guessing games about what the Dodgers and other teams will do with free agents, etc. So I appreciate any articles on speculation! It’s fun and hopefully, encourages readers to contribute to the dialogue.
The starting pitching changes all lead through Bauer. If the Dodgers can get out from under Bauers massive contract for 2022, $45 Million that would free up money to sign Scherzer. I firmly believe that if Kershaw is healthy he re-signs with the Dodgers. The Dodgers have a number of young arms they can bring up to get them acclimated to the competition of the MLB as they did with May & Gonsolin a few years ago & Jackson and White in 2021.
The bullpen! Does Jansen sign elsewhere? I feel someone is going to offer him a huge contract. But the Dodgers have Treinen, Graterol, Vesia, Bickford, and Kahnle will reportedly be ready by 2022. Ferguson may be ready and Gonzalez also. There are other young arms like Knack and others that will compete.
But I am sure Freidman will make deals with players no one had considered. I think Seager will sign elsewhere.
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OK Tmax, you’ve signed Marte. What do you do with your other three starting outfielders?
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I am not that smart Jeff LOL…I imagine they could rotate Marte into the DH or the outfield against Left-handers. I am taking it as a given there is a DH next year. There was too much swinging & lunging at pitches last year. The team hit poor pitching well. But elite pitching hurt the Dodgers more than some of the other elite teams from my observation. That is why I like Marte he makes contact. I am hoping Bellinger has pulled his head out and will now continue to use the hitting strategy he used in the playoffs, but there is no guarantee. If not you could platoon him as most of the year he did not hit left-handed pitching well or any pitching well. Is Betts hip going to be OK? Another very good defender could be used to give each of the outfielders some time off especially if they lose Taylor.
It is possible the Dodgers lose both Seager and Taylor. If that is the case they could use a guy like Marte who is an excellent outfielder. If Taylor and Seager are gone then Lux is probably at second and T Turner is at SS.
It’s fun to speculate. Marte was 33 in October but he looks to be aging well. Pollock has another year on his deal or is it two? We have some impressive outfield talent in the minors like Pages, Rodriguez, and Vargas can play the corners as well as 3rd base but they are probably a year or two out.
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WShat about Nick Costellanos? Too expensive?
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Where would you play Castellanos? He’s considered a well below average outfielder, and the outfield is considered his best defensive position. We already have 3 outfielders (Mookie, Belli, Pollock) and Lux and possibly CT3 to back them up. DH would be a possibility but that would leave JT playing third most every day and I’m not sure that’s in the plans.
He won’t come cheap and I’m guessing there will be other teams who want/need him more and will pay him more. He’s definitely a good hitter though. Until AF knows what he’s got with Bauer and what the new CBA will look like, he’s going to have a hard time doing anything.
Remind me about my comment when Nick is our cleanup hitter on opening day. 🙂
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We don’t really need a starting outfielder do we? McKinstry might still be able to take the backup outfielder job. I know they like Beaty so he will probably be back. Re-sign Taylor and even if Seager leaves our infield could still be outstanding. The big questions for me are are 1. is Rios ready and 2. pitching. This roster, at the moment of course, is still outstanding. I think those free agents who want to stay should be signed early, those that want to test the market will obviously be allowed to and the ‘22 roster will take shape and be another good one. This off season, maybe more than any year we’ve seen in a while, may take longer to come together. The team may not take its full shape until Spring Training. All we can do is stand by while the wealthy duke it out.
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I think that we’re going to see the addition of someone who can play third base. Not necessarily an All Star type but someone who could do a decent job on a semi regular basis. This is assuming we have the DH next year. Even if Rios is completely back to where he was before the surgery (and that’s somewhat unlikely to begin the season), his track record isn’t long enough that we can trust him to be productive for a full year. He may be that guy at some point but I wouldn’t take that chance for 2022. If we need to have good production out of both a DH and a third baseman, I’m not comfortable with just saying that JT and Edwin are my guys for a full season.
As far as the starting rotation is concerned, nothing happens until Bauer is resolved. There was a point at which I thought there was no way he would ever wear a Dodger uni again but now I’m not so sure. If he isn’t charged, and Manfred tosses it back in the Dodgers lap, just eating 40 million isn’t something even the Dodgers would be comfortable with. Maybe they could find a trade partner, but they would most certainly get the short end of that deal. So maybe they just swallow hard and take him back. I’m not saying that’s what happens, but it would no longer shock me.
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Jeff that is what I think. I believe Manfred and the MLB drop the Bauer thing on the Dodger’s lap and the Dodgers have to swallow and take him back. The Bauer contract is too big to swallow even for the Dodgers. I am sure Bauer’s people will have him find religion, give money to a battered women’s shelter ( or some other appropriate charity) and he will take some anger management sessions and TAA DAA all is forgiven. That is how it works.
I really like Rios but you never know on shoulders. Rios only had a partially torn Labrum. A good friend is a weight lifter and has had both shoulders done. The first shoulder healed and he rehabbed very quickly the second shoulder took a long time. I have told you guys my daughter works as a PT with athletes she says the same thing, some shoulders heal up quickly and are good in a year or others can take 2 years or never fully get back to 95-100%. Don’t forget we have Vargas in the Minors and he might make the transition to the MLB well as he makes contact. I know he is young but talent can overcome that.
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If Bellinger has fixed his batting issues permanently if Betts’s hip problem is not chronic and they re-sign Taylor they do not need to sign an outfielder. We are just speculating and it’s fun to suggest players and have others comment.
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This is true
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Marte if we don’t resign Taylor…four outfielders for three positions is not a problem, especially since Marte can play center if Belli doesn’t hit lefties or if we need him at first base with Muncy at second some games. Go get Chapman to play third base, with JT moving to primary DH. Trade or sign a free agent starting pitcher because we are going to need another reliable starter even If Scherzer and Kershaw return. Double that if we loose Max and CK.
Go after Kenley and sign Kelly and Knebel if possible. Otherwise we have to rebuild the pen.
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