Coming off a season in which they won 104 games and reached the World Series for the first time since 1988, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been relatively quiet this offseason on the free agent market.
They have inked right-handed pitcher Tom Koehler to a contract, but he will not make up for the loss of Brandon Morrow to the Chicago Cubs and the possible loss of Tony Watson, who may too sign elsewhere.
The Dodgers could also be losing another key contributor to their pitching staff in starter Yu Darvish, who was expected to command one of the more lucrative contracts amongst starters.
With the Dodgers desire to get below the luxury tax threshold in 2018, signing one of the high-end starters like Darvish or Jake Arrieta seems unlikely, but there hasn’t been much movement on the starters market so if the price tag comes down then the Dodgers may get involved.
One thing the Dodgers value is depth, so it is likely that they will add a starting pitcher at some point this offseason. While the pitchers are comparable in some regard, one may be a better fit for Los Angeles than the other.
The Dodger Blue staff debated which starter the team should to sign if they want to add a top-of-the-rotation arm.
Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand):
Both Darvish and Arrieta are phenomenal pitchers and would slide in great behind Clayton Kershaw in the Dodgers rotation, but if I had to choose one I would lean towards Darvish.
I know it’s hard to get over his World Series struggles, but a lot of that could be attributed to him tipping his pitches. If he hadn’t pitched well for the Dodgers up until that point I would be more concerned.
But he was great for them after coming over from the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline and was masterful in his National League Division and Championship Series starts.
If the Dodgers can correct Darvish’s tipping pitches issue, which shouldn’t be hard to do, then in his second full season coming off of Tommy John surgery, I think he has a chance to return to the dominant pitcher he once was.
Two years ago I definitely would have taken Arrieta, but he has regressed in each of the past two seasons after his 2015 Cy Young campaign. And with him starting the 2018 season at age 32, I would be weary handing out a nine-figure contract to a pitcher on the decline.
Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015):
When free agency began, I didn’t believe the Dodgers would be too involved in potentially signing Jake Arrieta or Yu Darvish. But the longer they remain free agents, the more of a possibility I give it.
They are both entering their age-32 season and through Darvish has logged more career innings, I think re-signing him would be the better option than inking Arrieta. Darvish historically has fared better than his counterpart, and should be improved in 2018.
While there were some bumps in the road this past season, it must be noted it was his first full year since undergoing Tommy John surgery. Yes, many will remember two abysmal starts in the World Series, but there’s a relatively clear answer to that.
It isn’t as though Darvish simply wilted on the biggest stage. So with the familiarity and his superior talent, re-signing Darvish would be a sound decision — assuming the price is right for the Dodgers.
Matt Borelli (@mcborelli):
While you can’t go wrong with either option, I would rather see the Dodgers sign Yu Darvish over Jake Arrieta.
For one, Darvish offers more stability and familiarity to the club, given he was traded to the organization last July and has experience working with the coaching staff and backstops, Austin Barnes and Yasmani Grandal.
Darvish saw his peripherals improve with the Dodgers and enjoyed a dominant one and a half-month stretch with the club that spanned from the beginning of September through the start of the World Series.
Darvish carried his late-regular season success into the postseason, where he initially thrived. He not only tallied wins in the NLDS and NLCS, but his presence allowed the Dodgers to not rely too heavily on Clayton Kershaw by starting him on short rest like in previous postseasons.
Yes, Darvish faltered in the World Series. But if recent reports are correct that he tipped his pitches, it becomes more understandable as to why he struggled to the extent that he did. Bringing back Darvish allows pitching coach Rick Honeycutt to correct any flaws in his mechanics to ensure that a similar incident doesn’t occur again.
Signing Darvish over Arrieta is also beneficiary in that it wouldn’t require giving up a draft compensation. The Chicago Cubs extended a qualifying offer to Arrieta, in which he declined, meaning any club that inks him has to yield a pick.
That isn’t the case for Darvish, as he was traded midseason and thus, wasn’t eligible for a qualifying offer.
