3 intriguing non-tendered free agents the Dodgers could sign

ST LOUIS, MO - JULY 18: Alex Reyes #29 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates after recording the final out of the game to beat the San Francisco Giants at Busch Stadium on July 18, 2021 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - JULY 18: Alex Reyes #29 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates after recording the final out of the game to beat the San Francisco Giants at Busch Stadium on July 18, 2021 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

1. Alex Reyes

To the St. Louis Cardinals, right-handed flamethrower Alex Reyes represented a sunk cost. His injuries caught up to him, and it was not worth the roster spot for the team to keep him around — at least, not at an escalating price. To the Dodgers, Alex Reyes could represent opportunity.

There is a long laundry list of pitchers that teams kicked to the side only for the Dodgers to import them, get their hands on them, and get the absolute most out of what remained. With Blake Treinen’s Dodgers career likely coming to an end, Reyes can be the team’s new reclamation project out of the bullpen.

At his best, Reyes is an extremely promising arm that can get outs at the big-league level. He put together a great rookie season (in a small sample size) back in 2016, and he was electric for most of the 2021 season.

Reyes was an All-Star in 2021 as he sported a 1.52 ERA at the break. While a few bad outings in the second half of the season hurt Reyes’ overall numbers in 2021, the extremely high ceiling was still there.

There is so much raw potential in Reyes’ stuff that the Dodgers can have a lot of fun with. He has a true four-pitch mix with one of the best sliders in the entire sport when it is right. With the Dodgers’ minds behind him, Reyes will maximize the things he is great at, limit the things he struggles at, and could become a lights-out pitcher once more.

Reyes did not pitch at all in 2022 after having shoulder surgery but that should not stop LA from taking a chance. He is still only 28 years old with relatively low miles on his arm (only 145 big-league innings).

If there was ever a perfect Andrew Friedman target, it is Alex Reyes.

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