4 free agents Dodgers fans better hope don’t land in the NL West

Jose Abreu – San Diego Padres

Jose Abreu may not be as big of a name as Aaron Judge, but he would still be a huge addition to the NL West that would be a thorn in the Dodgers’ side. The 2020 AL MVP has been one of the most consistent hitters in the entire sport, and he would fit in nicely in the middle of the Padres’ order.

San Diego has been tied to Abreu this offseason, with a hole at first base for a power-hitting right-handed bat. With Fernando Tatis Jr. returning, having Abreu in the lineup would give the Padres perhaps the best 1-4 in the entire sport with Tatis, Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Abreu.

Abreu absolutely torches left-handed pitching and would be a menace in the middle of the order for someone like Clayton Kershaw. It is the perfect kind of signing for the Padres to make without breaking the bank.

What would make it worse would be the fact that Abreu would fit very nicely on the Dodgers as well. While the Dodgers have a first baseman, bringing Abreu in to DH and replace Justin Turner’s presence in the lineup would be fantastic for Los Angeles.

To not only miss out on that, but to see him go to San Diego, would be heartbreaking for the Dodgers.

Kodai Senga – Arizona Diamondbacks

Kodai Senga is the premier international free agent that MLB teams are vying for this offseason. Senga will be 30 before the 2022 season, and has been one of the best pitchers in the Japan Pacific League. In 2022, he posted a 1.94 ERA in 144 IP with 156 strikeouts.

Senga has nasty stuff, with a power fastball that is going to absolutely play in MLB. Whoever ends up adding Senga is going to get an instant boost in someone who can not only pitch at a high level, but can take on a big workload right away as well.

The New York Mets are currently the likely frontrunners to bring in Senga, and definitely have an advantage over a team like the Diamondbacks. While Arizona is never typically in these conversations, they have met with Senga, so there is at least some kind of push there (as have the Padres).

This is the least likely of the four free agents to come to the NL West, so Dodgers fans don’t have to lose sleep about facing Senga’s elite fastball all that often, but you never know. Arizona is on the cusp of being a playoff contender, and a signing like Senga would certainly put them over the top.

Cody Bellinger – Colorado Rockies

The Los Angeles Dodgers non-tendered Cody Bellinger after the 2019 NL MVP posted two awful seasons that were not worth what he would have gotten in arbitration. Being that he is a former MVP and is still very young, there are going to be several teams interested in taking a flyer on Bellinger.

Bellinger’s No. 1 concern at this point should be to find a team where he can thrive, regain some of his old form, and increase his contract value for next offseason. A multi-year deal for Bellinger would be surprising, as a one-year deal seems like the most likely outcome.

If his sole intent is career rehabilitation, then the best place for him to sign is probably the Colorado Rockies. Coors Field is the perfect ballpark for Bellinger to try and find some of his old form. The Rockies certainly have a place for him in the outfield as well to give him everyday playing time.

This would be hard for Dodgers fans to see, as they would be watching a fan favorite leave Los Angeles for a division rival. Having to face Bellinger 19 times a season would be gut-wrenching for Dodgers fans, especially if the Rockies figure something out with Bellinger that the Dodgers couldn’t (sounds laughable, but…).

It still seems very likely that Bellinger is going to leave regardless, and it would probably be best if he signs with an American League team that the Dodgers hardly have to face.

3 intriguing non-tendered free agents the Dodgers could sign

While the Los Angeles Dodgers produced the biggest non-tendered name in Cody Bellinger, there are still several promising options to consider bringing in.

The last thing any Dodgers fan wants to see is Bellinger hitting an absolute moonshot off of his former team at Coors Field.