The Los Angeles Dodgers have been in the mix for seemingly every big-name free agent and trade target so far this offseason, but thus far they have not made any significant addition.
L.A. struck out on the three biggest free agents — Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon — leaving them with not many options left to improve a club that fell short of winning the World Series once again in 2019.
One factor that works to the Dodgers’ advantage is that their depth and versatility gives them a variety of options they could pursue. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently echoed that thought when he said the goal is to add elite talent this offseason, regardless of position, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“I think right now it’s more of going after the best player available. Whether it’s a pitcher, hitter, free agent, by way of trade. That’s kind of the mindset. That elite talent, whether it’s out of the ’pen, starting pitching, position-player side, that’s kind of our goal.”
Since Cole, Strasburg and Rendon are all off the board, the Dodgers seemed to have shifted their focus to their trade market. They have been linked to Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor and Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts in recent weeks.
Those are certainly the elite-caliber players the Dodgers are looking for, although they will not come at a cheap price. The Indians are reportedly asking for final offers this weekend and have had their sights on top prospect Gavin Lux, who L.A. has refused to include in any deals in the past.
Other free agents the Dodgers have been connected to include Hyun-Jin Ryu and Josh Donaldson, although they aren’t necessarily at the ‘elite’ level that Roberts alluded to, which explains why they may be falling out of the running for Donaldson, in particular.
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