The Los Angeles Dodgers went into free agency facing a need in their starting rotation with Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney and Clayton Kershaw no longer under contract.
Each of the three was a candidate to be extended the $19.65 million qualifying offer for 2023, though the Dodgers only did so with Anderson. He wound up rejecting it and signing a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
Kershaw has re-signed with the Dodgers, but Heaney joined the Texas Rangers on a multi-year contract. The Dodgers had interest in Justin Verlander, who wound up signing with the New York Mets.
Although L.A. still has a need for starting pitching, they are not in pursuit of San Francisco Giants free agent Carlos Rodón, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com:
With Verlander off the board and no other ace-level starter on the Dodgers’ radar (they’re not in on Carlos Rodón), they’ll have to pivot to some other options via trade or free agency.
After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Chicago White Sox, Rodón signed a two-year, $44 million contract with the Giants that included an opt-out clause.
The southpaw went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA, 2.25 FIP, 1.03 WHIP and 33.4% strikeout rate en route to earning a second consecutive selection to the All-Star Game. However, Rodón did not appear in the Midsummer Classic as he was replaced on the roster by Anderson.
Prior to free agency proving to be quite lucrative for pitchers, Rodón was projected to receive a five-year contract worth an estimated $130 million. In light of how business has unfolded, it stands to reason the 29-year-old could wind up receiving a six- or seven-year deal that is also more lucrative.
Dodgers penalties if signing Carlos Rodón
Should the Dodgers reverse course and look to sign Rodón, it would come with penalties due to his rejecting the qualifying offer from the Giants.
If the Dodgers sign any qualifying-offer free agent this offseason, they would lose their second- and fifth-highest selections in the 2023 MLB Draft, along with $1 million from their international bonus pool for the upcoming signing period.
Nathan Eovaldi, Brandon Nimmo, Rodón and Dansby Swanson are free agents who declined the qualifying offer for 2023 and the Dodgers conceivably could have interest in signing.
In late November, L.A. was mentioned as being among the teams tied to Rodón.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
