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3 more starting pitching targets for Dodgers after GM Brandon Gomes’ comments

By Katrina Stebbins |
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The Dodgers have been this offseason's biggest spenders by a margin of over $500 million, and it doesn't seem like they have plans to pump the brakes anytime soon. That number is obviously inflated because of Shohei Ohtani, but he was the first domino to fall so everything else could unfold.

After extending Tyler Glasnow on a five-year, $136 million deal, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes reaffirmed the team's commitment to finding starting pitching. This was sort of stating the obvious because the Dodgers have been aggressive in their pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto (whose market is ballooning by the hour) and have expressed interest in a number of still-available free agents, most of whom are likely waiting on a Yamamoto decision before signing the dotted line.

Even if the Dodgers do get Yamamoto, their rotation could still do with at least one, maybe even two more arms — one to fill out the rotation and another to form a contingency plan if Walker Buehler, who will be coming off of his second Tommy John, and/or Tyler Glasnow, who has never pitched over 120 innings in a single season in his career, become indisposed. Where should the Dodgers start looking?

3 more starting pitching targets for Dodgers after GM Brandon Gomes’ comments

Lucas Giolito

The Dodgers have already expressed interest in Giolito this offseason, and they should try to sign him whether or not they get Yamamoto. Despite a decline in performance after his three consecutive Cy Young vote-getting years from 2019-2021, Giolito gave the White Sox 121 solid innings in 2023 with a 3.79 ERA before being traded twice to close out the season. He struggled in LA with the Angels and then in Cleveland, where he ended the year with the Guardians. However, in one of his last starts, he pitched seven innings and only gave up two hits and a walk while striking out 12. Granted, his next three weren't great, but he clearly is still capable of real proficiency on the mound and the Dodgers still seem willing to work with him.

More importantly, Giolito would also be an innings eater. Disregarding the COVID year, he has pitched more than 160 innings in every season since 2018 and started a career-high 33 games in 2023, his age-29 season. He's younger than Glasnow and seemingly less breakable, and although the Dodgers would have to work on him a bit to facilitate a bounce back, he does seem both willing and capable of doing so. Another plus? He can be had on the cheap.

Shōta Imanaga

If Shōta Imanaga had been posted by NPB in a year without Yoshinobu Yamamoto, we might be making a bigger deal about him than we currently are. Imanaga, who's five years older than Yamamoto but has fewer accolades under his belt in Japan, has seemingly sparked interest from all of the teams who are also in on Yamamoto. It might be a bit harsh -- but not entirely inaccurate -- to say that Imanaga would be a consolation prize for any of the teams that don't get Yamamoto. Imanaga, 30, won't be able to give a team as many years as Yamamoto, and the (deserved) hype for Yamamoto just outshines Imanaga. He would, however, probably cost half of what Yamamoto will.

But the Dodgers, who some expected to pull back on Yamamoto after signing Shohei Ohtani, seem to be operating on a "why not both?" mentality. Why not both Ohtani and Yamamoto, so why not both Yamamoto and Imanaga? Imanaga would add a veteran mentality to the Dodgers' rotation, has consistently pitched over 140 innings in all of his eight seasons overseas, and has maintained a sub-3.00 career ERA. The Dodgers could go from having zero Japanese players on the team to getting three in one offseason.

Shane Bieber

Trade candidate Shane Bieber has drawn seemingly less hype than fellow AL Central ace Dylan Cease, whom the Dodgers have expressed interest in, but Bieber should also be a consideration for them. The relative lack of interest might have to do with the fact that Bieber was hurt for a considerable chunk of 2023, only pitching 128 innings. He also missed a significant amount of time in 2021 with shoulder strain. However, he does still have two 200-inning seasons, one as recent as 2022, when he placed seventh in the Cy Young voting and won a Gold Glove.

Although Bieber's health could be a concern, it doesn't seem all that risky next to Glasnow's track record. Performance-wise, he's been more consistent than Cease during his healthy years. Money-wise, he's not a free agent until the end of this upcoming season, but he could be an extension candidate in the same way that Glasnow was.

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