Jon Heyman On How Much Dodgers Free Agents Will Get
The Dodgers have a number of players who could depart in Free Agency this offseason. We recently gave an update on the rumors surrounding those players, but it’s still unclear how much they’ll be paid for their services. Jon Heyman gave us an idea of how much the top Dodgers free agents are expected to go for in his list of baseball’s top 80 free agents. Heyman, along with an unnamed expert, predicted the salaries of the players. The expert’s prediction is listed as “expert” while Heyman’s is listed as “me” in the article.
The highest ranked Dodger on the list is Yu Darvish, who came in at third. While the struggles that Darvish had in the World Series may have cost him a little in contract talks, he’s still the top ranked starting pitcher available and will be paid as such. Darvish ranks ahead of the likes of Jake Arrieta, Alex Cobb, and Lance Lynn who are all expected to be heavily pursed.
Heyman’s prediction seems fair if not a little low considering the market, at roughly $24 million annually. Darvish has shown the ability to dominate in the past, and he will be paid to find that dominance again.
Here are the numbers that Heyman and the expert predicted for the 31-year old.
Expert: $155M/6 years. Me: $144M/6 years.
The second ranked Dodger on the list is Brandon Morrow, coming in at 22nd. Morrow had a huge season in 2017, and is one of the best relievers on the market. Brandon made just $1.25 million in 2017, which was a bargain considering his production.
It’s been clear since mid-season that Morrow would be getting a much bigger contract in free agency, but many are still hopeful he comes back to the Dodgers. With Heyman predicting the right-hander to make around $8 million a year, he could be a great value for a team looking for a closer or setup man.
Below are the full numbers on Morrow.
Expert: $23M/3 years. Me: $24M/3 years.
The third ranked Dodger is Tony Watson, coming in at 28th. Watson was very reliable after being acquired by the Dodgers at the trade deadline. The lefty posted a 2.70 ERA over 20 innings in the regular season and allowed 2 earned runs over 7 innings in October. With Heyman predicting Watson to make around $7 million per season, he could be a good value pickup for a team in need of a left-handed setup guy.
Below are the full numbers for Watson.
Expert: $19M/3 years. Me: $21M/3 years.
The final Dodger on the list is Andre Ethier, coming in at 78th. Ethier has had a long and successful career in Los Angeles, but after back to back injury plagued seasons his value is much lower.
Andre is likely to take on a bench role unless he proves to not only be able to contribute every day, but also stays healthy. Ethier has also mentioned that he would prefer to only play for a contender.
Below are the numbers on Ethier.
Expert: $3M/1 year. Me: $3M/1 year.
How much do you think these players will make in free agency? Let us know in the comments!
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