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Dodgers: Starting Pitchers to Acquire via Trade
This offseason leaves a lot to be desired in the free agent starting pitching market. There are a few big fish available via trade, but a significant drop off after that. That means the best upgrades for the Dodgers starting rotation may come via trade. Here are a few starting pitchers that could be acquired through a trade this offseason.
The two big arms available in free agency are Jake Arrieta and Yu Darvish. They are both very similar in talent level and pitching style. They also would both be a good fit in the Dodger rotation with the lefty arms that are riddled throughout the rotation and entire Dodger organization.
However, they will likely be asking for a whole lot of dough. The Dodgers have the financial stability to do just that, but Friedman and the Dodger front office have never been the type to spend big in free agency. After all most of the improvements that Friedman has made to this team have come through trades and not big free agent spending.
Outside of Darvish and Arrieta there some other notable names, but with such few quality pitchers are available and plenty of teams looking to improve their asking price will be well above what they are actually worth. There is no need to spend big money on an incremental improvement like Lance Lynn or Alex Cobb.
If they do choose the free agency route, the thinking should be, Darvish, Arrieta or nothing. With those two having many suitors, it will be difficult to land either one. Which is exactly why making an upgrade via trade may be the best way to go this offseason.
Gerrit Cole
With only two years left before he hits free agency, Piratesates may look to trade him now and get value rather than wait until next season and get nickles and dimes for him. His name was one that was thrown around before the trade deadline last season, but nothing ever got done. The Pirates will definitely be fielding calls for him, and the Dodgers should be one of the first ones to give them a ring.
He struggled last season as he returned from an elbow injury that plagued him during the 2016 season. Nonetheless, his stuff is electric. A full offseason to rest and fully recover will do him well. Gerrit Cole would be a perfect fit for the Dodgers. He is a right-handed pitcher with a plus fastball that sits in the mid 90’s, with a nasty slider and is adding a changeup to his repertoire.
His command is impeccable. He paints the corners with such precision which only adds to his effectiveness on the rubber. In 2015 he showed just how dominant he could be when healthy. He finished 4th in the Cy Young race and struck out a career-high 202 batters. In 2017 which was considered to be a down year he fell just four strikeouts short of 200 on the season, showing us his stuff is still elite.
Finally, he fits into what the front office is trying to do; gets younger and cheaper. He is arbitration eligible this year and next year but will still be relatively inexpensive to have on the roster. On top of all of this, he is a local boy. He attended Orange Lutheran High School and went to school at UCLA. It gives the fans just another reason to cheer him on. Cole is a perfect fit for this team, and the Dodgers should attempt to get him to Los Angeles, especially with the trade chips the Dodgers have to offer.
Marcus Stroman
This guy is exactly the type of player that the Dodgers want and need. He is not afraid of pitching in big games as we saw him dominate in the final game of the WBC. In fact, he welcomes pressure and doubt so that he can prove them all wrong. Stroman is fiery on the mound and would be fan favorite instantly in Los Angeles. His underdog mentality will be something fans will gravitate towards.
He is a personal favorite of mine because you can see just how much this game means to him. He plays with such emotion and passion. Oh, he is also an elite pitcher. He boasted a 3.09 ERA and was one of the few pitchers to keep his home run numbers the same as seasons past.
This is even more impressive seeing the division he is pitching in. Tropicana Field, Camden Yards, Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, and his home field Rogers Centre are all notorious hitter-friendly ballparks. Just imagine the type of numbers he could put up in the NL West with Dodger Stadium, Petco Park, and AT&T stadium.
The asking price for him would be higher than that of Cole, but the Dodgers have the depth to make it happen. He is not untouchable; the Blue Jays should be looking to rebuild their farm system because they are likely not going to be competitive with the Yankees and Red Sox anytime soon, so they should blow everything up and start from scratch. Their biggest asset would be Stroman, and the Dodgers should be ready to jump on the opportunity to land the Stro Show.
Chris Archer
We all know the Friedman’s connection to his former employer the Tampa Bay Rays. So Archer to the Dodgers would not be a surprise at all. Also, the Rays usually sell their stars before they get too expensive for a small market team like Tampa Bay. Archer would fit just fine with the Dodgers. Just like the aforementioned Marcus Stroman, he pitched in the AL East.
He has very similar qualities to that of Marcus Stroman. He is not quite as competitive as Stroman, but he is still very competitive. His stuff also plays up in big games and situations. His numbers have not been anything special, but he is always a top pitcher in the bigs. His lack of production these last two seasons could be a good thing for the Dodgers.
The reason for this is the Dodgers could use that to lower the asking price for Archer even more. Archer may not have many numbers that stand out, but one eye-opening number is the number of strikeouts he continues to have every season. Amassing over 200 strikeouts in his last three seasons with the Rays.
He could be a very good option behind Kershaw in the rotation. He has a very team friendly contract and is still relatively young. Both of those things are important when it comes to doing business with Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi. Again, the goal they have is to get younger and cheaper; Archer gets them exactly what they want which is exactly why he is a fit.
Julio Teheran
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Another young right-handed ace could be an option here. Especially considering the Braves farm system got depleted prospects due to the mishandling of the international free agency and the MLB brought the hammer down on them. They could be looking to refill those gaps left by the sanctions and Teheran could be used as trade bait. The Dodgers have a plethora of prospects they could offer for Teheran.
Matt Harvey
He has not been what the Mets expected. After a tremendous start to his career, he has sort of fell off a cliff. With a logjam of starting pitchers for the Mets, they may be willing to unload him for next to nothing.The concern here would be his age and his contract. But Harvey is the perfect candidate to benefit from a change of scenery. With a pitching coach like Rick Honeycutt, Harvey could return to form and his elite level.
Ervin Santana
He is not the same pitcher he used to be, but he has still been productive. Santana could be another veteran in this rotation that could help stabilize it. He is under contract for 2018 and has a club option in 2019 which the Dodgers will likely reject if they acquire him, so he’d be a one-year rental and would not cost much at all. He offers a good deal of upside with strikeout stuff. I like to think of him as a Yu Darvish-esq option.
Next: Looking Back at Ned Colletti's Era
The Dodgers could use another reliable starter on the staff. If it is not Arrieta or Darvish, they should stay away from other overpriced free agents. They should do this and look to improve through trade. All of these players would help, and they have all shown flashes of brilliance at one point or another. They could help the Dodgers get over the hump.