Dodgers Quick Hits: JT Realmuto, Free Agents, Bryce Harper

The hot stove may have just gotten hotter. The JT Realmuto picture, for better or worse, just got clearer and both Bryce Harper and Manny Machado’s free agencies are starting to pick up significant steam. But, the Dodgers are falling behind and after a trade to clear salary that saw stars depart from Los Angeles, the rumors may be cause for concern.

The offseason has felt confusing, to say the least for the Dodgers. At first, they were the favorites to land Bryce Harper. Then as time went by so too did the Vegas odds of the Dodgers landing him as other team’s names appeared higher than Los Angeles. Then the blockbuster. The Dodgers traded Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood, Kyle Farmer and $7 million to Cincinnati to make room for what everyone thought was a Bryce Harper move- it has not been yet.

If the Dodgers miss out on Harper it is no the end of the world though. Corey Kluber and Realmuto are on the trading block still but that could be an issue in its own right. Here is an update on where the Dodgers stand with each situation.

On Thursday, January 3, the Dodgers signed German-born pitcher, Markus Solbach to a minor league deal. Solbach, 27, played in the Australian Baseball League for the Adelaide Bite in 2018 and two years prior, he was a Diamondbacks minor leaguer.

Solbach could quietly be one of the Dodgers best additions of the offseason. Sure, Bryce Harper or Corey Kluber would far exceed this, or any, move the Dodgers make but Solbach is a fantastic addition to the farm.

In 2018, the 27-year old pitched 41.2 innings with a 0.43 ERA and a .672 WHIP. While the sample size was small, the numbers are undeniably impressive.

In his career, Solbach has bounced around between the minor leagues, international baseball and Indy ball. He has played six seasons in a major league team’s system, three outside the United States and four with Indy ball clubs.

While he has not exceeded high-A in the minors, Solbach could be a force in the minor leagues and rise quickly through the system.

Boy is the water muddy with Bryce Harper. You have heard so much information from so many reporters and sources that you do not know where to look yet the answer, at least for Dodger fans, is right in front of you: this situation is far less promising than it ever was.

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Bryce Harper was assumed to be target number one for Los Angeles. His superstar bat in the middle of the order in a Dodger uniform was the dream but it was to come at a cost. Harper wants ten years and $300 million. He wants so much money that the Dodgers, a financially conservative team when it comes to total length and size of the contract, were forced to offer alternative solutions.

They wanted Harper on a shorter deal.

For a moment, that felt like it was working. The Dodgers made a huge trade to clear more space both positionally and financially but what followed was not a press conference with Harper putting on his new uniform. What followed was nothing.

The Dodgers have not made a move or made the headlines for Harper. The Phillies are meeting with him and the White Sox are too. The Nationals submitted an offer worth ‘much more than the $300 million they originally offered’ (The Athletic).

If that is the case, not only do the Dodgers have an extremely slim chance, you can more or less count them out. If Harper is in this for money, he is already an afterthought in the Dodgers’ front office. If he is looking to stay close to home, the Dodgers and the superstar may meet in the middle on a deal.