To no surprise, the Los Angeles Dodgers have circulated in multiple free agency and trade rumors this offseason. On Day 1 of the 2018 Winter Meetings alone, the club was connected to the likes of Nick Castellanos, Corey Kluber, J.T. Realmuto and David Robertson.
With obvious holes to fill at catcher and in the bullpen, the Dodgers could very well be one of the more active teams in MLB over the coming weeks. Not only that, but a surplus of outfielders and starting pitchers could lead to even more trade activity.
When discussing his team’s strategy in Las Vegas, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman revealed that’s he more pressured to deliver a World Series championship rather than create shockwaves with splashy transactions during the offseason, via Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
“The pressure we feel is to make a splash in October, much more so than in December,” Andrew Friedman, the team’s president of baseball operations, said Monday. “There’s certainly things we would like to do before the start of the season to accomplish that, but again, we feel like we have a really talented team.”
After falling short in back-to-back World Series, there is speculation around the league that the Dodgers may splurge with a major acquisition or two that puts them over the top next season. Thus far, that’s amounted to reportedly coming to terms with Joe Kelly on a three-year deal.
In addition to the aforementioned trade targets, the Dodgers are reportedly interested in a potential pursuit of free agent Bryce Harper if he’s willing to accept a short-term contract.
Under the guidance of Friedman, the Dodgers have never dished out more than $48 million to any Major League free agent outside of the organization. Whether he shifts course this offseason will be an interesting storyline to follow.
