3 Dodgers free agents who definitely won’t be back in 2023

2. David Price

Arguably one of the most wasteful trade acquisitions of all time, David Price ended his Dodgers career in a fitting manner: he wasn’t on the NLDS roster despite the bullpen being as thin as it could possibly be.

Price was tacked on to the Mookie Betts trade because the Red Sox were desperate to shed salary (not sure why) and right off the bat he opted out of the 2020 season due to the pandemic. The next season, he wasn’t built up to be a starter and was mostly used in a spot role while logging most of his games in the bullpen (4.03 ERA, 4.23 FIP and 1.43 WHIP in 11 starts and 28 relief appearances).

Fast forward to 2022, and Price once again wasn’t built up to start for reasons unknown. The lockout likely played a role, but every other pitcher vying for a rotation role was just fine. Then there was Price, lagging behind and one of the late spring training participants as a result of “not being ready.”

He actually had a solid 2022, though. A 2.45 ERA, 3.88 FIP and 1.17 WHIP in 40 games as a reliever made it seems like he carved out a decent role for himself. But then a wrist injury derailed his final month of the season. He pitched just two innings from Aug. 30 until Game 162 and was left off the postseason roster.

All of that for $32 million across 2021 and 2022. Sayonara to an overpaid non-contributor, who, just two years before arriving in LA, made 30 starts and helped defeat the Dodgers in the World Series as a member of the Red Sox.