Predicting where each Dodgers free agent will sign this offseason

Andrew Heaney: Signs with San Francisco Giants

Andrew Heaney was such an interesting pitcher last season. He was the definition of a boom-or-bust arm, as even when he started to regress and allow homers he was still striking out batters at an absurdly high clip.

A lot of teams liked what was under the hood with Heaney last offseason and that will remain the same this year. With other pitchers to prioritize, the Dodgers will allow another smart team to lure Heaney away with an offer.

Farhan Zaidi is another smart baseball mind, and with the Giants in dire need to button up the back end of their rotation, a two-year deal up north seems like a good pact for both parties.

Tommy Kahnle: Re-signs with Dodgers

The worst move Dave Roberts made this October was putting Tommy Kahnle in for a second consecutive day against the exact same Padres batters he faced the day prior. As bad as that decision was, and as unavailable as Kahnle has been, the Dodgers are obviously high on what he can offer when he’s healthy.

This is a classic case of the Dodgers bringing back a reliever they like for very cheap, hoping he can outperform what he’s being paid (and make up for Game 4 of the NLDS).

Justin Turner: Team option is picked up

It might seem like a lot for the Dodgers to pick up Justin Turner’s $16 million team option for the 2023 season, but the team has the space to do so. The Dodgers are entering the winter with $111 million in projected luxury tax space, meaning that they can easily afford Turner.

Turner might not be worth $16 million, but he has done so much for this organization — and just his presence in the locker room is a colossal asset for the Dodgers. Turner and the team may have to get together and work out a smaller role for him because he shouldn’t be an everyday player anymore.

The team re-signed Chase Utley when everyone thought his career was over, and they obviously liked Turner enough to put an option in his deal for 2023. Plus, Turner was really productive in the second half and rallied to finish with a decent season. Not a $16 million season … but this is a multi-billion dollar baseball franchise. Overpaying is the norm.

In a perfect world, the Dodgers and Turner can work out a deal where the team actually rejects the team option, re-signs Turner to a smaller 2023 salary, and then defers the rest of the money he was owed as a “thank you.”

Tyler Anderson: Signs with Texas Rangers

If there’s one team that has tried so hard to be like the Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s the Texas Rangers. It extends past signing Corey Seager, as the Rangers have hired coaches from the Dodgers organization and have brought in lesser names as fliers to see if that Dodgers magic would follow them.

Texas is obviously committed to winning and needs to add some bonafide big-league talent to do so. They might not be players in the premium class of free agents, so they should attack the upper-middle class of free agents, like Tyler Anderson. A slight overpay and no state taxes should sway Anderson to go play in Arlington.

Clayton Kershaw: Re-signs with Dodgers

The Rangers might get one solid southpaw from the Dodgers this winter, but they’re not going to get the greatest Dodger of all time in Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw is coming to the end of his career, but proved in 2022 that he still has something left in the tank. Like last offseason, a one-year deal with the Dodgers seems to be what’s in store.

Sure, he could go home and play in Texas, but Los Angeles has been his home for the last 14 years and he very obviously cares about the city, the organization, and the fans. If the Dodgers weren’t a contending team, it would be one thing, but with the World Series still in reach, he’d probably rather give it a go with the best team in the NL rather than a directionless AL West team that has to fight the Astros.

His only three options are re-signing with the Dodgers, signing with the Rangers, or retiring. If it’s not the Rangers and it’s not retirement (which is still possible), it will be the Dodgers.

Trea Turner: Signs with Philadelphia Phillies

The Dodgers will definitely prioritize bringing Trea Turner back, but at the end of the day, the free agent has the last say. And if Turner wants to go play on the East Coast for the same amount of money, then that’s what he’s probably going to do.

The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off a National League Pennant. After falling short in the World Series, they’re definitely going to spend (and have the money to do so). They’ve been named as an early suitor for Turner. Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire, especially when Dave Dombrowski is involved.

Philadelphia needs an upgrade at shortstop. Of all the options that are on the market, Turner probably makes the most sense for them. They could use a right-handed bat toward the top of the order, giving the team a true speed option to lead off or even hit second behind Kyle Schwarber.

It’s a pretty easy sell for Turner, too, as he can go east, get paid a lot of money, and would be part of one of the best lineups in baseball.

As for the Dodgers, fans would have to hope that they either replace Turner with one of the marquee shortstops on the market or even bring in the white whale in Aaron Judge.

Worst big-time free agent shortstop choice for the 2023 Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers would be making the worst choice in the primetime shortstop market if they targeted Xander Bogaerts.