The Dodgers, maybe baseball’s best-run team, elected to do almost nothing this offseason beyond signing J.D. Martinez and Noah Syndergaard to one-year contracts following subpar years. This unexpected plan has understandably sparked a great deal of interest and speculation.
After excellent deals for superstars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in recent years, the Los Angeles Dodgers made only one spirited attempt to sign a major-league free agent (they were outbid for Justin Verlander) and failed to replace many key contributors, including shortstop Trea Turner, longtime Dodger Justin Turner, All-Star Tyler Anderson, and former MVP Cody Bellinger. Their payroll has decreased from a record-tying $290 million to approximately $60 million.
Possible explanations include the following: 1) they wanted to reset their tax rate; 2) they didn’t like the mega deals being signed; 3) they don’t mind giving their kids a chance in one of baseball’s most productive pipelines; and 4) the notion that the postseason is a crapshoot gained traction after their 111-win team was eliminated by a previous patsy, the Padres. One theory that does not hold water is that their superb ownership group is preoccupied with their recent acquisition of a portion of the Lakers.
Another possibility is that they are storing money for an even shinier thing in the near future, namely Shohei Ohtani, the unparalleled two-way star who will be a free agent next winter. Yes, the Dodgers should contend for the once-in-a-century, two-way superstar, and the battle should be fierce.
According to individuals close to Ohtani, he may have altered his preferences since his first free-agent tour, despite persistent rumors to the contrary. Regardless, despite the fact that Los Angeles’s second-largest market may be a little disadvantage, the Dodgers have two significant benefits.
Six of the seven candidates five years ago, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, were located west of the Mississippi. In addition, after years of frustration 45 miles down I-5 in Orange County, the Dodgers’ record high winning % over a six-year span is undoubtedly a selling point. The NL club with the greatest income should have a substantial amount of cash on hand, despite the fact that the Dodgers have opted for shorter contracts or passed on signing some of baseball’s biggest names in recent seasons. And Ohtani may be irresistible, which is reasonable.
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