Dodgers whiff on Gerrit Cole but all hope is not lost yet

The Dodgers struck out in their attempt to sign Gerrit Cole but they are still set up to have a strong off-season if they choose to make bold moves.

Just like many of their World Series matchups from the past, the Yankees came out ahead of the Dodgers, this time in the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes. The Yankees gave Cole a record-breaking nine-year deal and the Dodgers reportedly made a valiant effort to sign the former Astro. MLB Network reported that the Dodgers made an eight-year offer to Gerrit Cole worth roughly $290 million dollars.

A nine-year contract to any player is a bit scary and to sign a 29-year-old pitcher to that type of deal carries extreme risk. Still, there is a feeling of disappointment as the Dodgers once again fell short and according to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers were focused 100% on Gerrit Cole. If their eight-year offer was legit, they should have gone one more season to lure the ace back home to southern California.

Instead, the Dodgers will shift their focus elsewhere with Madison Bumgarner being one of the possibilities. Anthony Rendon is still available although the Angels are now rumored to be interested in him and Arte Moreno has been much more willing to open up his checkbook than Dodger ownership has. Andrew Friedman said ownership is willing to spend big this off-season so there is no reason for the Dodgers to be outbid for Anthony Rendon.

Rendon would be a big boost to a Dodger offense that has been anemic in the postseason. Add in the fact that Justin Turner is entering the last season of his contract and his defense has regressed and there is a legitimate reason to sign Rendon. Corey Seager is also looking to rebound after a comeback season that fell short of expectations and speaking of expectations, there should be none for Pollock in 2020.

If the Dodgers do not want to sign Anthony Rendon then the trade market has multiple stars available such as Francisco Lindor, Mookie Betts, and Kris Bryant. In free agency, there is still Josh Donaldson who is another third baseman the Dodgers have shown interest in this off-season. Aside from adding a slugger the Dodgers certainly need more bullpen help.

The bullpen led to the Dodgers’ demise in 2019 and forced Dave Roberts into using Clayton Kershaw as a setup man against the heart of the National’s order. It worked in 2016 but that was a different Kershaw. He no longer touches 95 miles per hour on his fastball and Kenley Jansen is also no longer the dominant pitcher that he once was.

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The argument can be made that adding multiple late-inning options for the bullpen would improve the team the most this off-season given what has transpired. Joe Kelly and Jansen cannot be counted upon to keep the bullpen in order all season. Pedro Baez was very good in 2019 but he is also entering a contract season. The rotation has plenty of talent as is but the bullpen does not.

Then there is the rotation where the Dodgers truly need a strong second option after Walker Buehler. Gerrit Cole would’ve been the perfect fit but the Dodgers were unable to land him. Hyun-Jin Ryu and Madison Bumgarner are very good starting pitchers but they are a tier below and do not strike fear into opposing lineups like Cole would have.

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Despite losing out on Gerrit Cole there are still big moves to be made for the Dodgers. They can still upgrade their team in big ways whether it’s the bullpen, rotation, or the offense. Rendon, Ryu, and a bullpen arm would make the Dodgers a much better team in 2020. The question now becomes if the Dodgers are bold enough to make all three moves as being bold hasn’t been the Dodger way in quite some time.

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