Rundown on Dodgers headed to Free Agency this offseason

The Dodgers are headed into an interesting offseason.  Unlike last year, there will be plenty of changes coming this offseason.  These are the Dodgers who are headed to free agency.

Another World Series has come and gone, and although the results were the same, the Dodgers were never really close to winning the World Series this time around.  The offseason will begin with their own free agents.  Here are the players LA could lose in free agency:

Manny Machado: The team acquired Manny Machado to fill the void left in the Dodgers’ lineup when Corey Seager was lost for the remainder of the 2018 season.  Although Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernandez filled in admirably at shortstop, the Dodgers knew they needed a bigger bat in at shortstop and they got Machado.

Machado was solid but not spectacular in his tenure with the Dodgers. He hit .273 with 13 home runs during his regular season time as a Dodger.  In the playoffs, Machado had a solid series in the NLDS, but then got worse as the postseason progressed. Look for Machado to cash in with someone else this winter.

Yasmani Grandal: During his time with the team, Grandal has been one of the best two-way catchers in baseball.  He slugged 24 home runs this season and provided his usual stellar pitch framing behind the plate.  His defense fell off the table as the regular season progressed and became unplayable in the World Series after a disastrous series again Milwaukee.  Grandal makes sense on a one to two-year deal but with Will Smith and Keibert Ruiz, anything longer doesn’t make sense.

Hyun-Jin Ryu: It was a nice comeback season for Hyun-Jin Ryu, who was very good when he was on the mound.  After multiple lost seasons with shoulder ailments, Ryu posted a 1.97 ERA in fifteen starts.  Ryu had an up and down postseason as he was solid for two starts and then mediocre in his last two.  This team is stockpiled with good young rotation arms so keeping Ryu is a longshot.

Ryan Madson: Madson was acquired before the postseason waiver trade deadline and was awful in the regular season with the team.  He posted a 6.48 ERA with the Dodgers but had some use in the postseason before falling apart in the World Series. Madson is 38 years old so he will not be back with the Dodgers if he decides to keep playing.

Brian Dozier:  After getting off to a hot start with LA, Dozier’s season came to a forgettable ending. He hit just .182 as a Dodger and his postseason was even worse.  Dozier hit just .125 in the playoffs with no home runs.  The Dodgers should let Dozier go elsewhere this winter.

Daniel Hudson:  There was a point this season where Hudson started to look like the next possible reclamation project in the Dodger bullpen.  Then in August, he was placed on the disabled list with forearm tightness and never returned.  Hudson could make sense on a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.  Anything more would be a bad move for the Dodgers.

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John Axford and Tom Koehler:  These two can be grouped together because they were both dart throws that didn’t pan out.  Axford posted an ERA of 17.18 with the team and fractured his fibula which wrecked the rest of his season.  Axford was activated in September but was never used after that.

Tom Koehler was the original bullpen gamble this season as he was signed to a relief role after starting for the majority of his career.  Koehler was injured in spring training and missed the rest of the season with an anterior capsule strain.  Koehler could provide good minor league depth on a minor league deal but he should not be counted on again.

Clayton Kershaw: This one remains to be seen. Kershaw has until the end of Wednesday to decide whether he is going to opt out or not.  After seeing his velocity decline to an average of 91 miles per hour, Kershaw’s best interest might be to lock himself in for the last two years of his contract with the team.

David Freese: Like Kershaw, David Freese could be back if the Dodgers use their six million dollar option on Freese.  Freese lived up to his reputation of being a clutch postseason performer with the team hitting .364 in the postseason with two home runs.  Six million could be a little high but the Dodgers could always bring Freese back at a cheaper rate.