Dodgers Nation Black Friday Wish List: Top Free Agents LA Should Target That Won’t Be Too Expensive

The holiday season is officially upon us, and with the holidays comes lots of shopping. While the gift-giving holidays may still be a month away, there’s no better time to get those gifts than Black Friday.

With Black Friday here following Thanksgiving, we at DodgersNation.com thought it would be fun to come up with our own Black Friday wish list for the Dodgers this offseason.

To be clear, these are players we think the Dodgers should target that are not top players on the market, and thus won’t be as expensive. To be even more clear, we all still think the Dodgers should go after the top players on the market — Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, etc. — but it’s always important to find the deals where you can, and the Dodgers will still be looking to sign less expensive free agents.

So, without further ado, here’s our Black Friday wish list for the 2023-24 offseason, starting with my own pick.

Noah Camras: The Dodgers will be all in on the top free agents this offseason, but they’ll also be looking for their reclamation projects and cheaper deals. And while Dodger fans may have PTSD from the Noah Syndergaard experiment, expect the Dodgers to try again this offseason to find a struggling starting pitcher on a one-year deal that won’t have any long-term costs.

This year, I think that guy should be Lucas Giolito. MLB insider at The Athletic Jim Bowden expects Giolito to sign a two-year deal worth $24 million with an opt-out after year one, and that $12 million AAV is exactly around what Syndergaard signed last year.

Giolito had his worst year as a pro in 2023, but bounced around from the plummeting Chicago White Sox to the lowly Los Angeles Angels to the struggling Cleveland Guardians. A season back home in LA with the Dodgers — working with pitching coach Mark Prior — could be a match made in heaven to get the former All-Star’s career back on track and get the Dodgers a strong back-of-the-rotation piece.

Noel Sanchez: I hope the Dodgers are able to secure a nice Black Friday deal for Mr. Joe Kelly! He was awesome last season when he was healthy, the fanbase loves him on a whole different level and he has that new mural, as well. Obviously, LA’s top priority is starting pitching this offseason but I would love to see Kelly back on a nice deal.

Matt Levine: My pick is the recently non-tendered Brandon Woodruff. Woodruff isn’t likely to help the Dodgers at all in 2024, but they would be landing him for 2025. And if he can give them anything in 2024, they will take it.

But LA is already expected to be aggressive in upgrading the rotation for next season through other players, so Woodruff is playing the long game with high upside. If they were to sign him and land some of their other high-priced targets, the 2025 rotation may be the best in the league. Woodruff has had All-Star-level stuff over the last few seasons, and this feels like a textbook Andrew Friedman signing.

Kevin Skinner: I’m going to go with outfielder Harrison Bader. His main issue is that he can’t stay healthy, but when healthy, he provides elite outfield defense and speed on the base paths. He has good enough splits so he could be a platoon option if the team decides to bring back Jason Heyward or sign another left-handed outfielder.

Jason Fray: It’s no secret the Dodgers are in desperate need of starting pitching. It’s also very common for the Dodgers to buy low on guys they perceive to have value, with the goal of reviving their careers. Enter Jack Flaherty — an LA native from nearby Harvard-Westlake High School.

Though the 28-year-old has battled some injuries in recent years, he is a player with some terrific upside. An incentive-laden one-year deal might be just what the doctor ordered. Flaherty can perform in a pitcher-friendly park in front of family and friends. In the process, he can revive his career while the Dodgers essentially take a swing with no real downside financially speaking.

Thomas Murray: My pick is Gio Urshela. Urshela would be a perfect fit on the Dodgers roster next year due to his ability to play every day as a utility man in the infield and his clutch at-bat that the Dodgers desperately need.

Despite a groin injury ending his 2023 season, Urshela was a clutch hitter for the Angels as he finished the year with a .299 batting average and 24 RBIs. In 2022 with Minnesota, Urshela hit .285 with 13 home runs and 64 RBIs while totaling 43 extra-base hits. The Dodgers could get him on a cheap deal for potentially two or three years.

Who’s on your Black Friday wish list for the Dodgers this offseason? Let us know in the comments below!

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports