Dodgers: MLB Expert Says LA Has ‘Money to Burn’ This Offseason
Regardless of his professional affiliation, Ken Rosenthal is one of the most informed reporters in all of baseball. Once the MLB lockout ends, Rosenthal thinks the Dodgers could be big spenders.
Rosenthal explains why the Dodgers could be aggressive in free agency despite currently having the second highest payroll in baseball according to Spotrac.com ($214.5M).
“When the lockout hit, there were a number of teams in a mode where we expected them to spend. Remember, they [the Dodgers] didn’t sign Corey Seager back. They didn’t sign Max Scherzer back. That’s a lot of money that they will not be spending. They could be getting money back on Trevor Bauer if he is suspended into the 2022 season. So, they are a team that could be active. We’ve heard them linked to Freddie Freeman. Who knows, they could even get involved in (Carlos) Correa. They’ll have money to burn.”
Corey Seager signed a ten-year, $325M contract with the Texas Rangers. The Mets signed Max Scherzer to a three-year, $130M deal.
To Rosenthal’s point, that’s a boatload, or maybe a couple boatloads, of money that the Dodgers aren’t spending.
The Trevor Bauer situation is not as straight forward. MLB will likely suspend Bauer without pay once the LA County DA decides whether or not to press criminal charges against Bauer. One would assume that Bauer will subsequently appeal the suspension. Bauer is set to make $35.3M this coming season. Bauer’s future on the Dodgers is murky at best.
The Dodgers interest in Freddie Freeman is well documented, but Correa-to-LA has not had similar sizzle. Presumably, Trea Turner would have to be on board with primarily playing second base again.
Dodgers fans likely aren’t excited to see the poster child for the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal in Dodgers blue.
There’s no end in sight for the MLB lockout, but whenever it’s over, the Dodgers might have their eyes on not one, but two All-Stars.
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The team went all in last year to win back-to-back before shuffling the roster. They knew when Seager didn’t accept their offer to extend that he was gone and I doubt they thought resigning Scherzer was a slam dunk.
It’s common knowledge that baseball runs are built in large part by a young talent base with strategic FA signings and the cost of the Dodgers’ previous young talent has now come due. Buehler and Urias have to be addressed. Adding expensive veterans – with the exception of someone like Freeman – without added new young talent is fool’s gold.
If they can get Freemen they’ll spend. If they can extend Turner they will. Otherwise, we’ll see a bunch of young pitchers with perhaps Busch and Vargas.
Yea well, the luxury tax threshold and the side effects of exceeding it may have some bearing on how much of the money recently freed up we actually spend. There are numerous other clubs interested in the free agents we are interested in and Andrew is a trade guy who has indicated he is likely to tighten belt a bit.
The Dodgets’ interest in Freeman is NOT well documented! It is only well writtrn about.Well documented would be a statement from Andrew Friedman that they are trying to sign him, and maybe a statement from Freddie about how muchhe would like to play in LA. Hey, maybe even an obvious need for a first baseman. But no, none of those.
All we really have is the same rumor dehashed by countless journalists.
Sign Freddie Freeman, Kris Bryant, and Carlos Rodon, and trade for a starter like Shane Bieber, Kyle Hendricks, and or Tyler Glasnow.