Dodgers: 3 Creative Options for Right-Handed Starting Pitching

Jake Odorizzi- Tampa Bay Rays

Jake Odorizzi is the epitome of a quality middle-of-the-rotation arm. He’s going to give you five to six solid innings and leave you in a position to win the game. Due to Andrew Friedman’s ties to the Rays, this deal may eventually build up some steam.

He is pitching like how the Dodgers were expecting Kenta Maeda to perform. In his nine starts, he has a 3.14 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. In 2015 and 2016 he had a cumulative 3.52 ERA.

He isn’t flashy by any means, but he gets the job done. For his career, he has a 44% fly ball rate, but that has dropped to 40% this season. However, that is still something to be cautious of because the league average is 35%.

But, that would actually translate to spacious confines of Chavez Ravine pretty well. Chavez Ravine is known for leaning in favor of pitchers, and one reason is the marine layer at night.

Couple that with an elite defensive right fielder in Yasiel Puig, a good defender in center field via Joc Pederson (when healthy), and a reliable defender in left in the form of Cody Bellinger, and Odorizzi would slot in well as the number four starter behind Kershaw, Wood, and McCarthy.

The Rays sit in fourth place in the AL East but just one game back of a Wild Card Spot. I’d expect the Rays to stick around .500 and ultimately be in a position to sell.