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Heading into this offseason, it was clear that the Dodgers were going through a period of change. Trea Turner was a free agent, Cody Bellinger’s future was up in the air and the expectation was that he was going to be let go, and two of the longest tenured Dodgers in Clayton Kershaw and Justin Turner were set to hit free agency. David Price and Craig Kimbrel’s money was coming off of the books. The question was: What is Dodgers GM Andrew Friedman going to do given that he has some money to play with?
The answer: Not much.
Trea Turner, Cody Bellinger, Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney have all signed elsewhere and outside of bringing Clayton Kershaw back on a one-year deal, the Dodgers have yet to make a significant acquisition... but there’s reasoning for that, writes R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports.
The Dodgers are in a tough spot. For the first time in three years they have the ability to slide under the luxury tax. Additionally, Trevor Bauer’s appeal of his suspension complicates things. It is currently unknown whether or not the Dodgers are going to be paying Bauer this upcoming season and if his salary will count towards the competitive balance tax threshold.
Perhaps the more exciting answer is that they have their eyes set on a bigger asset, potentially the biggest to ever hit the open market if he isn’t extended before next offseason. He goes by the name of Shohei Ohtani. The former AL MVP has been on the Dodgers’ radar since he came to the states in 2018. If he tests free agency, the Dodgers could be prepared to offer him a record setting contract.
Read Anderson’s complete article here.
Dodgers Links
Jay Jaffe of Fangraphs recaps former Dodger Gary Sheffield’s career and evaluates his case for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic grades all thirty MLB teams’ offseason so far, giving the Dodgers a very average grade, while the Padres received one of his top grades.
Congratulations are in order for Dustin May and his wife Amelia, as they tied the knot this past weekend. Check out photos here.
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