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Should Jake Arrieta be on Dodgers’ radar after latest throwing session?

By Thomas Carannante|
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 03: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Jake Arrieta #49 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 03, 2020 in New York City. The Yankees defeated the Phillies 6-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 03: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Jake Arrieta #49 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 03, 2020 in New York City. The Yankees defeated the Phillies 6-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

If any team understands the importance of starting pitching, it’s the Los Angeles Dodgers. Just look how deep their rotation has been amid their current streak of dominance. Andrew Friedman ensures this team has more than enough reinforcements in that department each and every season.

Heading into 2021, the Dodgers are well prepared once again. Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, David Price, Julio Urias, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin will be options for the defending World Series champs, but could LA afford one last potentially impactful addition before Opening Day?

Free agent Jake Arrieta, whose career took a bit of a nosedive after he left the Chicago Cubs and signed that three-year, $75 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, hosted a throwing session for teams to attend this offseason. Given his recent elbow troubles, coupled with how bad he was across his last 33 starts, he definitely needed to do something to help his stock.

According to reports, he looked good. Should the Dodgers be interested?

Eh, maybe not at that price, but Arrieta has earned well over $100 million in his career. Perhaps the Dodgers can convince him to take a discount, guarantee him a certain amount of starts/innings, and give him the best possible chance to capture another ring? At this point, one could argue manager Dave Roberts prefers using May and Urias out of the bullpen. If they want to maintain that status quo, deepening the pitching staff in general with Arrieta could do wonders.

That’s assuming he’s back to full strength. Much of Arrieta’s tenure in Philadelphia was shrouded by a nagging elbow injury, rebounding from surgery, and the overall dismal nature of the Phillies and their pitching staff. It’s really one of the worst places to be if you’re a pitcher.

But now that Arrieta has gotten the surgery out of the way, put forth nine starts in his return from said surgery (though they weren’t good), and is now ready to get back on the horse in 2021, slotting him into the back end of the rotation could make this an even more fearful unit to face in October.

Uhh … and remember that, Dodgers fans? That was back in 2015, but he tossed another in 2016 against the Reds. The upside here is too great for contenders to ignore. And his postseason grit? LA will take more of that at the right price. He’s 5-3 with a 3.08 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in nine starts (52.2 innings), including TWO wins in the 2016 World Series.

If the right-hander can rediscover his lethal cutter and utilize his changeup more effectively, the Dodgers could have themselves an all-time postseason rotation if they bring the former Cub and Phillie into the fold.

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