3 moves Dodgers can still make after Shohei Ohtani to complete dream offseason

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The Los Angeles Dodgers actually did it: they signed Shohei Ohtani. It'll cost them $700 million over an as-yet uncertain number of years beyond the 10 dictated by his contract, but they put an end to everyone's misery by pulling off the biggest signing of the offseason, featuring one of the most special players in baseball history. With that being said: what comes next? From an on-field perspective, Ohtani fulfills the Dodgers' need for a good DH, but the other part of his services won't be available until 2025 at the earliest.

Rotation help, upgrades in the both the infield and outfield — there's still a lot of work to be done for the Dodgers to become a complete juggernaut in 2024. Despite the record-breaking nature of Ohtani's contract, it seems like they're quite not done spending either. They have already put themselves in a position where they seem even more like postseason, even World Series inevitabilities than they did before, which should give them all but their choice of available free agents if they're willing to figure out the right terms. After pulling off an historic feat, here are three more moves the Dodgers can make to complete a dream offseason.

Snatch another huge free agent off the market by signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto

The Dodgers pulled off a feat by signing Ohtani, but it shouldn't make them complacent or feel like their offseason work is close to done. The rotation still needs help and Ohtani won't be able to provide it until 2025 — and, even then, he might not be ready by Opening Day that year. Bobby Miller stepped up and did good work for LA this year, but Walker Buehler's status by Opening Day in 2024 is unknown. Ryan Pepiot, Emmet Sheehan, and Gavin Stone only got 30-60 innings at the major league level this year, and Clayton Kershaw (if he returns) will optimistically be able to give the team only a half-season.

That's where Yoshinobu Yamamoto comes in. Yamamoto would give the Dodgers an immediate ace in Buehler's absence, while he gets reacquainted with starting after Tommy John, and maybe even well into Buehler's return. In his free agency, Yamamoto has been connected to even more teams than Ohtani, with even the Detroit Tigers alluding to a willingness to spend exorbitantly for Japan's best pitcher. The Dodgers have seemingly been on Yamamoto's list for a while now and, despite locking into paying Ohtani $700 million for the foreseeable future, they still seem in on Yamamoto.

If that's true, they're still facing heavy competition from some East Coast teams. While getting Ohtani is likely a huge plus for the Dodgers in Yamamoto's eyes, they might need to lay it on even thicker if they want to swipe him away from the Mets.

Complete a blockbuster trade with the Brewers for Corbin Burnes and Willy Adames

Speaking of adding elite rotation pieces, the fate of a potential Corbin Burnes trade is still undecided, and a deal between the Dodgers and Brewers might not be as dead as Ken Rosenthal suggested ahead of Winter Meetings. The chatter surrounding Burnes to the Dodgers has more or less lived and died with Rosenthal's reporting, which has more recently shone a more optimistic light on the chances of a deal with the Brewers. Gavin Lux is currently expected to start at shortstop after missing the entirety of 2023 with a torn ACL, but he could be a major part of a trade package sent to Milwaukee for Burnes and Willy Adames.

Throwing Burnes into a rotation made up of of Yamamoto, Buehler, and Miller, then adding Ohtani in 2025, would easily make the Dodgers' rotation one of the most formidable in baseball. Putting Adames at shortstop would represent an upgrade for LA; Adames struggled a bit offensively in 2023 after great 2021 and 2022 seasons, but his defense has improved to an elite level. On the other hand, Lux is more of a wild card coming off of a year lost to injury, but made a good enough showing in 2022 that he could be a big piece of this potential trade.

Get an outfielder to replace Mookie Betts

With Dave Roberts' commitment to moving Mookie Betts to second base on an everyday basis, the Dodgers need an outfielder. This was already sort of true before the confirmation of Betts at second, but now the Dodgers need to move their attentions from possible depth options to a player who will be able to spend significant time there. Betts may have a reputation as a stellar defender, but his outfield production isn't nearly as tough to replicate as his offensive numbers. The Dodgers can focus their attentions on a player with better defensive capabilities, which will be an infinitely easier endeavor than trying to find a player who could match up to Mookie's bat.

There are a few great defensive outfielder options still out there on the free agent market — Kevin Kiermaier, and Michael A. Taylor among them. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is the best all-around and is the youngest of the free agent outfield mix; he had his best offensive year in a lot of categories in 2023 and is a well above average outfielder. Kiermaier and Taylor are both multi-time Gold Glovers (Kiermaier even has a Platinum Glove), but their relative offensive downside has always been an accepted risk by their teams. All of this to say that the Dodgers have a lot of good options, and securing one would only serve the make them more fearsome than they already are.

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