Dodgers: Very Early Offseason Preview

I’m sure we’re all sick and tired of watching baseball at the moment. Like I said in a previous article, don’t freak out just yet. Now, with that being said, let’s take a look beyond the losing streak and even beyond this season entirely. Here’s my way too early offseason outlook for the Dodgers.

We should start off this outlook with guys who currently wear Dodger blue. The Dodgers have some big names that could be on the move this offseason with Dodger legend Andre Ethier finishing his contract up. Mid season acquisitions Curtis Granderson, Tony Watson and Yu Darvish will also be completing their contracts to which the Dodgers will need to decide if they want to let them walk. Other than these guys the only guy I see the Dodgers looking at is Brandon Morrow unless Chase Utley decides he wants to play for free. There’s also Logan Forsythe’s option that will probably be picked up, despite the fact he hasn’t quite panned out.

Ethier is most likely done in Dodger blue after this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is done with baseball altogether. He gave the Dodgers many good years and great memories, but father time remains undefeated so don’t expect Ethier back. He could potentially sign with an AL team giving him an option to play DH, but his tenure with the Dodgers looks to be over.

Granderson has had a less than ideal start to his Dodger career and will most likely go in free agency as well. Tony Watson and Yu Darvish are interesting as their contract options might be decided on how they perform come October. If Watson proves himself as a valuable arm, the Dodgers may keep him as a cheaper reliever. Darvish, on the other hand, will fetch a pretty penny, but this front office may not be against giving him a 3-4 year deal if they see he’s worth the money. Morrow has been one of the team’s best surprises all year, and I think we’ll see the front office reward him for his performance.

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For options outside of the organization, I really don’t see the Dodgers making too many moves, especially with the 2018-2019 free agency super class coming up. There aren’t too many position players that would be worth shelling out money too, and besides that, the Dodgers have more than enough depth to fill out each position with in house replacements. Maybe they look at another starting pitcher such as Alex Cobb or Matt Moore, but don’t expect them to make a run at Jake Arrieta or Johnny Cueto.

The bullpen is where the Dodgers might take a look at a few arms with guys such as Anthony Swarzak and Juan Nicasio building good 2017 resumes. The Dodgers might take a look at some southpaws such as Jerry Blevins. They probably won’t form a super bullpen with Wade Davis or Greg Holland, but we have seen crazier things happen so don’t completely count it out. With Grant Dayton, Yimi Garcia and Adam Liberatore all nursing serious injuries, it would be wise for the Dodgers to look at the available bullpen options.

There aren’t too many names that would be trade options for the Dodgers during the winter, but they could make a run at the few that are out there. Since we’re on the subject of super bullpens, the Dodgers may still make a run at Zach Britton, since they had reported interest in him during the deadline. Another option is Brad Hand, but I don’t see the Padres moving off their asking price that the Dodgers simply won’t meet. Other than that I can’t see any other big trades going down at least right now since this is a very early outlook. We could see the small trades that don’t catch your eye but remember, those trades are important also, just ask Chris Taylor.

Next: Who is the Primary Left Fielder?

The Dodgers offseason goals are going to be contingent on how they fare this postseason, so it’s entirely possible that this very early look will be completely wrong. They may win the World Series and let Darvish walk, or they might get swept in the NLDS and go into panic mode. It’s nice to look ahead into the future, especially when the present isn’t too kind.