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Dodgers Free Agency Rumors: Anthony Rendon Never Received Contract Offer

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Sports

Despite assurances from president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman the Los Angeles Dodgers were in position to spend however they saw fit, and manager Dave Roberts describing their approach as being more aggressive than years past, free agency has been an unmitigated disaster.

The Dodgers had been connected to each of this winter’s top free agents — Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg — and missed on all three. Granted, Stephen Strasburg re-signing with the Washington Nationals was long considered the likely outcome.

The Dodgers reportedly were aggressive in their bidding for Cole, whom it’s believed their entire focus was on before he signed a record-breaking nine-year contract with the New York Yankees.

That left Anthony Rendon, but as of Wednesday afternoon the Dodgers reportedly were pessimistic over their odds of signing the All-Star third baseman. By the end of the night he agreed to a seven-year, $245 million deal with the L.A. Angels.

According to Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times, that transpired without the Dodgers so much as extending a contract offer to the 29-year-old:

In some regard the Dodgers can fall back on having Justin Turner as their productive third baseman. However, he is entering the final year of his contract and already informed the front office moving to a different position would not be an issue.

Furthermore, in the wake of Rendon agreeing to a deal with the Angels, the Dodgers have reportedly shifted their focus to pursuing Josh Donaldson. While he enjoyed a bounce-back season in 2019, Rendon represented an opportunity to add one of the game’s premier right-handed hitters.

While L.A. may be able to sign Donaldson to a contract that is less than what Rendon received, they would need to forfeit a draft pick due to his declining the qualifying offer from the Atlanta Braves.

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Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com