Dodgers: Potential adds from non-tendered free agent pool

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SEPTEMBER 09: Kevin Pillar #1 of the San Francisco Giants slides to score at home plate during the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oracle Park on September 9, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images) /

The Dodgers have an active roster that is basically full heading into the 2019 Winter Meetings, but Andrew Friedman has hinted at changes in-store for 2020.

The Winter Meetings don’t start up until December 8th, but the flurry of moves has started early this offseason, with the top catcher and top left-handed relievers already flying off of the market.

As the non-tender deadline passed on Monday, December 2nd, the Dodgers chose to re-up Scott Alexander and Austin Barnes to avoid arbitration hearings for the pair of Dodgers who spent just over 100 combined games with the big league club in 2019. Alexander fills a lefty specialist role, and Barnes remains an option to back up Will Smith for the upcoming season, but neither fill a major need.

The same cannot be said of other players non-tendered around the league. From the outfield to the infield, there are plenty of big-time gloves and bats available for the Dodgers to pick and choose from that will certainly have a chance to provide surplus value for the budget-conscious Dodgers, who are seeking to maybe add a star to the top of the rotation or middle of the lineup without losing their hallmark depth.

Non-tender players will allow the front office and Andrew Friedman to do so. In this article, I’ll get into the top starters and outfielders that the Dodgers could add via free agency thanks to the non-tender deadline passing. Some of these moves will be predicated on future hypothetical trades the Dodgers could make, which I will address within the appropriate slide, as the Dodgers roster, as constructed, only has one slot open on the 40-man roster despite plenty of rumors circulating about future changes.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 15: Jimmy Nelson #52 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on June 15, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /

Non-tendered starting pitching options

The Dodgers do not have a shortage of starting pitching from a technical standpoint, but they certainly seem to have a lack of innings eaters and top-end starters, especially if Hyun-Jin Ryu leaves via free agency. In my opinion, Kenta Maeda should also be dealt, maybe even along with Ross Stripling, to make way for the young arms of Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, and Julio Urias to make 15-20 starts a piece at least.

In order for that sort of strategy to be viable though, and even to simply keep an injury-plagued rotation afloat, the Dodgers could look to add some low-cost, high-ceiling starters from the non-tendered pile.

The biggest name that sticks out to me from that group is Jimmy Nelson. The burly right-hander went 12-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 2017 before going down on the injured list with a shoulder injury for all of 2018 and most of the 2019 season. Nelson did not have a strong 2019 campaign in 22 innings, but the upside he possesses makes him a big-time value play for the Dodgers, as from 2015 to 2017, Nelson never threw less than 170 innings in a season.

Another pair of oft-injured starting pitchers with some big-time upside that LA could make a play for are Taijuan Walker and Aaron Sanchez. Both have dealt with injuries for much of their young careers, but they also have some of the best stuff in the game when they’re healthy.

Walker, a former-Arizona Diamondback, has thrown 14 innings over the past two seasons, so he’ll have to be brought back slowly, but that does not mean much to the Dodgers, who have plenty of pitching depth to sustain an early IL stint by Walker. Like Nelson, his best season came in 2017, when he went 9-9 with a 3.49 ERA in 28 starts for the Dbacks.

Sanchez injured himself late in the 2019 season after he was traded to the Houston Astros. Before the injury, he’d amassed over 130 innings for the first time since his peak season back in 2016, when he went 15-2 with over 190 innings of a 3.00 ERA for the Toronto Blue Jays, a season in which he racked up a postseason win as well.

All of these pitchers have injury concerns, but all will be on short-term deals for low salaries. They can used out of the bullpen and as spot starters since they have no developmental meaning in the long-term for the team.

Let’s look into the outfield now.

CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 20: Jose Peraza #9 of the Cincinnati Reds dives for a single hit by Jeff McNeil #6 of the New York Mets in the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park on September 20, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. New York defeated Cincinnati 8-1. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

Available outfielders from the non-tender pool

The current Dodgers outfield is cramped. Cody Bellinger and Alex Verdugo are all but guaranteed spots in 2019, and A.J. Pollock and Joc Pederson are established major leaguers who will either need to be dealt or given 400+ ABs for the 2020 season.

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Based on current rumors, the Dodgers already are considering dealing JocPop away and dealing for All-Star Mookie Betts. If that sort of move is on the table, maybe the Dodgers would be willing to add a non-tendered outfielder with bits and pieces of what makes Betts so special at a fraction of the cost.

My favorite option from this group is Kevin Pillar. A Southern California native, Pillar earned an MVP vote with the San Francisco Giants this season, proving he can play in the NL West after having spent the majority of his career in the AL East. “Superman” had over 170 runs+RBI to lead the Giants. He also stole 14 bases while playing some of the best defense in the game.

Beyond Pillar, Steven Souza Jr. and José Peraza may also make sense for the Dodgers to add. Souza Jr. missed all of 2019 and only played 72 games in 2018, but back in 2017, the dynamic outfielder hit 30 home runs in 148 games for the Tampa Bay Rays. Peraza can play the middle infield and centerfield, and the front office already is familiar with him as he was a former-LA prospect. Though his .285 OBP from 2019 is below his career average, he still has some of the upside he had as a rising young star in 2018, when he hit 14 homers with a .288 AVG.

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If the Dodgers want to deal from their surplus outfielders and add some high-value players to bring a righty bat and defense, then these players all make sense for LA.

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The Dodgers have an active roster that is basically full heading into the 2019 Winter Meetings, but Andrew Friedman has hinted at changes in-store for 2020.

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