Dodgers Analyst Feels Justin Verlander is the Perfect Fit to Join LA

As the Dodgers ended their season struggling to get a proper pitching rotation in the postseason, the Astros ended with a World Series victory and gave Justin Verlander his third Cy Young award of his career. The Dodgers have a glaring need, especially with the loss of Tyler Anderson and Verlander may be exactly what the team needs.

Verlander provides the skills to bolster a pitching staff in need of help, but Verlander also is 40 years old and will command top dollar. A number the Dodgers may not be willing to pay so convincingly.

While the Dodgers decide their priorities, Jerry Hairston Jr. on SportsNet LA’s Access Dodgers spoke on Tuesday night and believes Verlander will fit perfectly to LA’s strengths.

“I would think at least two-year deal. You know obviously, maybe record setting numbers as far as dollar signs,” Hairston Jr. said. “I just really love where he’s at at this point of his career even though he’s around, his late 30s, to me he’s looking like a guy who’s still throwing 97, 98 miles an hour, like a 36, 35-year-old. So if you give him that multi-year deal, you put him in our rotation with [Julio Urias] and Clayton Kershaw, to go along with our young studs, I think it’s the perfect marriage.”

Among the reasons for the Dodgers not pulling the trigger relies on their want to stay under the luxury tax. Hairston Jr. brings a counterpoint believing the Dodgers can make way during the regular season to be back below the cap.

“There are trades that you can make to make you get under that luxury tax. But if you have a chance to get a difference maker like a Justin Verlander, you go all in and go all for it, and then you worry about getting under the luxury tax later. So the Dodgers have proven they can get creative, not just in the offseason, but throughout the season if they need to get under that luxury tax.”

If the Dodgers pay top dollar for Verlander, it’s clear where the priorities lie and the team will have to pay less money for other positions of need. The Dodgers have stayed quiet and soon the fans will find out how much money the team is willing to spend.

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