For the second straight season, the Los Angeles Dodgers watched another team celebrate a World Series Championship on their field as they were defeated by the Boston Red Sox in Game 5. And with that, players across the league officially became free agents Monday at 6 a.m. PT.
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For the Dodgers that equates to John Axford, Brian Dozier, Yasmani Grandal, Daniel Hudson, Manny Machado, Ryan Madson and Hyun-Jin Ryu no longer being under contract. Additionally, Clayton Kershaw has the ability to opt out of the final two years of his contract and hit free agency as well. He has three days to decide if he wants to do.
While midseason acquisitions like Machado cannot be extended a qualifying offer, Grandal and Ryu could be among the players that are offered it. This year, the qualifying offer is worth $17.9 million.
It will be interesting to see how much the Dodgers pursue re-signing Machado as they have Corey Seager set to return and play shortstop. Machado is expected to command one of the largest contracts on the open market.
Machado had a career year between the Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles. Overall in 162 games, Machado batting a combined .297/.367/.538 with 37 home runs and 107 RBI.
His reputation took a bit of a hit in the postseason due to poor judgment on his part in regards to foul play and lack of hustle, so that may cost him some money this winter.
Grandal also had one of his best offensive seasons in 2018, hitting .241/.349/.466 with a league-high 24 home runs among catchers to go along with 68 RBI. Grandal also may have cost himself some money in the postseason, but the reason for his was subpar play.
In 31 career postseason games with the Dodgers, Grandal hit just .107/.264/.200. He also had some defensive issues this year. With the Dodgers having some up-and-coming catching prospects coming up through their farm system, it is tough to see them handing out a long-term contract to Grandal.
Ryu had an outstanding season, although it was once again cut short due to injuries. In 15 starts, Ryu went 7-3 with a 1.97 ERA, 3.00 FIP and 1.01 WHIP while striking out 89 and walking 15 in 82.1 innings.
Given that he is 31-years-old and has not made 30 or more starts since his rookie year in 2013, it is unlikely that the Dodgers bring Ryu back on a long-term deal. Depending on what happens with Kershaw and how they view some of their young pitchers, they potentially could stand to benefit from rotation depth.
Dozier was another player that the Dodgers acquired before the non-waiver trade deadline, but it did not exactly pay off. In 47 games with the Dodgers, Dozier batted .182/.300/.350 with five home runs and 20 RBI. In 151 total games between the Dodgers and Minnesota Twins, he had one of his worst seasons, hitting .215/.305/.391. He did hit 21 home runs and drove in 72 runs.
The Dodgers currently do not have a second baseman set in stone, so Dozier could be a possibility on a short-term deal if they do not sign or acquire someone else.
Madson was the Dodgers’ big bullpen acquisition at the waiver trade deadline, and for a while, it looked as if it was paying off as he was arguably their best reliever in the National League Division and Championship Series.
He faltered big in the World Series though, allowing all seven runners that he inherited to score, which is a Major League record. In 58 games between the Dodgers and Washington Nationals, the 38-year-old pitched to a 5.47 ERA, 3.98 FIP and 1.41 WHIP. He struck out 54 and walked 16 in 52.2 innings.
The Dodgers acquired Hudson from the Tampa Bay Rays at the end of the spring and he provided some valuable innings for them out of the bullpen. In 46 innings across 40 games, Hudson yielded a 4.11 ERA, 4.38 FIP and 1.22 WHIP while striking out 44 and walking 18.
He missed the last month of the season with an arm injury, so will likely need to prove he is healthy before landing another Major League job.
Axford appeared in just five games for the Dodgers before going down with a season-ending arm injury. In 50 games between the Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays, the 35-year-old yielded a 5.27 ERA, 3.98 FIP and 1.35 WHIP. In 54.2 innings, he struck out 54 and walked 22.
One other name to keep an eye on is David Freese. He has a club option for $6 million for the 2019 season, and after how well he performed for the team down the stretch and in the postseason, there is a good chance that option gets picked up.
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