While the Los Angeles Dodgers added much-needed pitching depth in the offseason, they lacked the signing of the big-name free-agent pitcher that fans anticipated.
The pursuit of right-hander Zack Greinke by Los Angeles and the San Francisco Giants was well-documented, until the Arizona Diamondbacks came out of left field and signed the right-hander to an astounding six-year, $206.5 million contract.
Greinke’s deal translated to an average annual value of $34.42 million, which set a new Major League Baseball record. It surpassed the $31 million average David Price received in his six-year, $217 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, which at the time tied with Miguel Cabrera for the highest annual average in baseball.
After missing out on Greinke, Los Angeles, with numerous options on the table, reached an agreement with Hasashi Iwakuma on a three-year contract; that was until health issues undid the deal. Iwakuma later re-signed with the Seattle Mariners.
The next target on the Dodgers’ radar was reported to be Jeff Samarzdija, who was coming off a down year with the Chicago White Sox. However, the interest was meaningless as Samarzdija quickly signed a five-year, $90 million deal with the Giants in mid-December.
After Samarzdija left for the Giants, the best available pitcher at the time was veteran Johnny Cueto, who was fresh off a World Series run with the Kansas City Royals.
However, the Dodgers once again watched their division rival beat them to the punch. This time on a six-year, $130 million contract for Cueto. Los Angeles was thought to have interest in the veteran right-hander, but Cueto recently said the club never offered him a contract, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times:
He said the Dodgers never offered him a contract. “They were telling me to wait,” he said through an interpreter.
Although there was criticism over the structure of Cueto’s deal — he can opt out after 2017 — he’s been strong thus far. Cueto is 11-1 with a 2.06 ERA, 2.43 FIP, 0.99 WHIP, and has thrown three complete games.
In addition, Cueto is 2-0 with a 3.63 ERA in three starts against the Dodgers this season. Although they missed out on the righty, Los Angeles has managed with Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda as they await the returns of Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu.
