NFL
By George Lopez
The MLB Winter Meetings kick off today and a lot of eyes will be focused on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Each year, the Dodgers are linked to every big-name free agent due to the ownership’s ability to maintain a high payroll. This year is no exception. Andrew Friedman, the President of Baseball Operations for the Dodgers, and his staff have been diligently working to address the needs of the Dodgers need to improve the team and get them over the hump and win another World Series championship.
The elephant in the room is whether the Dodgers will be able to sign free agent Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers are expected to be aggressive in their attempts to sign Ohtani as he is expected to get a contract with a total value of $500-$600 million. MLB insiders have listed the Dodgers as the frontrunners to sign Ohtani. Though Ohtani will not be able to pitch in the 2024 season due to elbow surgery, he will be able to serve as the DH. Outside of pursuing Ohtani, the Dodgers will look to address other needs this offseason.
The Dodgers have been known for their starting pitching. However, in 2023, the starting pitching was not what Dodgers fans had come to expect. Injuries decimated the starting rotation as both Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin were lost with arm surgery. Gonsolin is expected to miss the entire 2024 season. May won’t return until mid-summer at the earliest. Walker Buehler will return after missing the entire 2023 season recovering from his 2nd Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers have announced Buehler will be on an innings and pitch limit. Clayton Kershaw is a free agent and has not officially stated whether he will retire. Kershaw did announce he underwent shoulder surgery recently and would be able to pitch until the summer. It does give an indication Kershaw plans on pitching next season. The question remains, will Kershaw return to the Dodgers or will he look to sign with another team? Bobby Miller is expected to be a fixture in the starting rotation with Ryan Pepiot expected to be given a good look in spring training to earn a spot in the rotation.
The Dodgers will look to upgrade their starting pitching. They have been linked in trade talks with the Chicago White Sox that would bring Dylan Cease to the Dodgers. Cease would give the Dodgers a frontline starting pitcher. MLB insiders have not stated what players the White Sox are asking for in any trade talks with the Dodgers though it stands to reason players such as Gavin Stone, Emmet Sheehan, and Michael Grove will be in any trade talks. The Dodges are not the only team inquiring about the availability of Cease as the Atlanta Braves have been linked to trade talks with Chicago. Early in the offseason, the Dodgers were linked in trade talks with the Milwaukee Brewers to acquire Corbin Burnes. Those trade talks have lost some of their momentum recently as the Dodgers have pivoted to trade talks for Cease.
One of the highly anticipated free agent decisions is where will pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto sign. The 25-year-old pitcher from Japan is one of the most highly sought after free agents this year. Yamamoto has the pitching arsenal that makes him a #1 type of starter. Multiple teams, including both the Mets and Yankees, are expected to meet with Yamamoto this week into next week. Like their pursuit of Ohtani, the Dodgers are expected to be aggressive in their attempts to sign Yamamoto. Reigning Cy Young award winner Blake Snell is a free agent and would be a good fit in the Dodgers starting rotation. There has not been a lot of talk linking the Dodgers to Snell. It remains to be seen if the Dodgers will be in heavy pursuit to sign Snell.
The Dodgers announced that Mookie Betts will be the everyday 2nd baseman in the 2024 season. With Betts moving to the infield, the Dodgers will look to bring in a right fielder. The Dodgers did resign Jason Heyward to a 1-year deal with the expectation he would play right field against right-handed pitching with Betts playing 2nd. With Betts being moved permanently to 2nd, will the Dodgers make Heyward the everyday right fielder or will they bring a free agent, seek to trade for a right fielder, and bring Heyward off the bench? The Dodgers have yet to announce their intentions with regard to the use of Heyward in 2024.
The Dodgers do have holes to fill with their roster, primarily their starting pitching. They are expected to be aggressive in pursuit of free agents they have prioritized, namely Ohtani and Yamamoto. The Dodgers will also look to improve the roster via trades. Dodgers fans are eagerly waiting to see what moves Freidman will make that will help the Dodgers not only get back to the World Series but also win the World Series.
