Historically, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been able to rely on a potent pitching staff, especially in the beginning rotation. However, because of injuries and patchy play, that was not the case in 2023.
The Dodgers found themselves without a sufficient number of healthy and productive starters for the second consecutive October, but they are now in a position to make up for that shortfall.
The best starters available as free agents are Yoshinobu Yamamoto once he’s posted, Blake Snell, Sonny Gray, and Jordan Montgomery. Shohei Ohtani is expected to return to the mound in 2025, and trades could result in the acquisition of Dylan Cease and Corbin Burnes.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman claims that the Dodgers are one among the clubs looking for an ace, and Yamamoto might be the candidate:
The teams that prioritize having a No. 1 starter are the Red Sox, Cards, Braves, Phillies, Dodgers, Astros, and maybe the Cubs. Yamamoto is one of those players.
The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals are thought to be the main teams participating in the Yamamoto sweepstakes, in addition to the Dodgers. There are rumors that Yamamoto would rather sign with a West Coast team.
In 24 games this season, the 25-year-old went 17-6 with a 1.21 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 176 strikeouts for the Orix Buffaloes.
Yamamoto won the Sawamura Award, the Japanese league’s version of the Cy Young Award in Major League Baseball, three times in a row to cap off his Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) career. The only other pitcher to win three Sawamuras in a row is Masaichi Kaneda, who did it from 1956 to 1958.
On Monday, Yamamoto is anticipated to be listed for MLB free agency; on Tuesday, a 45-day window for team negotiations will commence. Wasserman’s Joel Wolfe represents Yamamoto.
Rumors of a Dodgers tradeThe White Sox have said that every player on their roster is available, and it is said that the Dodgers are interested in concluding a Cease trade with them.
While Cease hasn’t exactly played at the ace level that the Dodgers are supposedly looking for, the team may be able to get some value out of him.