With Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer among their group of free agents, and other pitching depth questions, Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman acknowledged addressing the starting rotation during the offseason is a focal point.
The Dodgers’ first step toward shoring it up was to sign Andrew Heaney to a one-year contract. He represents more of a depth component and won’t prevent L.A. from potentially re-signing one of or both Kershaw and Scherzer.
As the Dodgers wait on the future Hall of Famers, their search for starting pitching has reportedly involved another southpaw.
According to Tim Healey of Newsday Sports, the Dodgers are among the teams with interest in Steven Matz:
Free-agent lefthander Steven Matz was at the GM meetings yesterday to meet with some teams interested in signing him. The Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers and Cardinals are among those in on him. He might sign this month, before the CBA expires.
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) November 11, 2021
In addition to the aforementioned teams, the Detroit Tigers have also been linked to Matz thus far in free agency.
The 30-year-old is coming off another quality season in which he went 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 29 starts for the Toronto Blue Jays. Matz has made at least 29 starts in each of the past three full seasons; he was 0-5 with a 9.68 ERA in nine games (six starts) last year.
The Blue Jays did not extend a qualifying offer to Matz, so signing him would not require a team to forfeit a pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Over parts of seven seasons — of which six have come with the New York Mets — Matz is a career 45-48 with a 4.24 ERA in 141 games (136 starts).
Dodgers pitching depth
With Heaney now in the fold, the Dodgers currently have a projected rotation that includes him, Walker Buehler, Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin. David Price could potentially be a factor in that discussion as well.
Meanwhile, Dustin May just began throwing for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery but isn’t expected to return until after the 2022 All-Star break.
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