3 recently non-tendered players Dodgers should sign immediately

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The non-tender deadline came and went last Friday. The Los Angeles Dodgers didn't rock the boat -- they tendered a contract to every arbitration-eligible player they had. Yup, all 13 of them! Even though there were a couple (Dustin May, Ryan Yarbrough, Yency Almonte) worthy of being cut loose for the sake of saving a few million.

How did that make fans feel? Well, there's worry about the 40-man roster only having one open spot. There's also a concern that the Dodgers are content with running it back in some way, shape or form in 2024 after two straight seasons with mostly the same guys that were present for horrible playoff collapses.

Though that's the reality at the moment, the Dodgers have plenty of time to make subtractions from the roster to make room for better talent. There's also enough wiggle room for them to bring in a couple of potential high-upside players that were just non-tendered last week.

Dodgers fans aren't exactly supportive of the front office's recent low-risk, high-reward moves because they don't work out as often as we'd like, but this batch of players could be as low-risk as it gets now that their value is arguably at an all-time low.

The 162-games season is a long one and contributors can pop up out of the woodwork. For guys that will cost almost nothing and possess a convincing MLB track record, the Dodgers can capitalize on a few names without having to kick themselves if the pairing blows up in their face.

3 recently non-tendered players Dodgers should sign immediately

Dakota Hudson

The Cardinals were "aggressively shopping" Hudson before the non-tender deadline, but found no takers. He was set to earn $3.7 million in 2024.

Though Hudson is coming off a career-worst season, the 2023 Cardinals were a cursed bunch. And Hudson's past performance shows that this past year didn't represent who he truly is. We will say, however, that injuries have played a role in his struggles/lack of availability since 2021 (Tommy John surgery and the rocky road that came with it).

But Hudson's out of the woods on TJ and has plenty of experience as a starter. Better yet, his experience in his debut season came out of the bullpen, so he can be a viable swingman option for the Dodgers, and probably better than Yarbrough, Grove, and whoever else is in LA being considered for the role.

A little $2 million bounce-back deal wouldn't hurt anybody.

Adam Cimber

All of these players come with a warning. We're not endorsing signing all of them, nor are we suggesting the Dodgers should continue investing in injured assets, but nobody on this list is at risk of missing the entire upcoming season.

Adam Cimber was just among the league's best relievers in 2021 and 2022. The Blue Jays ditched him last Friday and weren't willing to give him his projected $2.5 million for 2024 because of shoulder issues that knocked him out since June. An uncharacteristic first half was later determined to be a direct result of a shoulder impingement. He never returned after that diagnosis.

But now he's on the mend and, entering his age-33 season, could be the truest form of a low-risk, intriguing-reward signing. Cimber's sidearm delivery, when he's pitching to his potential, is a weapon any bullpen in the league would kill for.

He finished 2021 with a 2.26 ERA, 3.07 FIP and 1.07 WHIP in 71.2 innings with the Marlins and Blue Jays. In 2022, he led the league with 77 appearances and logged a 2.80 ERA, 3.47 FIP and 1.12 WHIP. The Dodgers could use him anywhere in their bullpen and wouldn't need to place high expectations on him, as they hopefully learned from doing so with the Reyes and Tommy Kahnle mistakes.

Spencer Turnbull

Now how about a minor-league deal? The Dodgers struck gold with Jason Heyward last year. Maybe Spencer Turnbull, who was just jettisoned by the Detroit Tigers, could get right in LA.

Turnbull's last three years have been killed because of injuries. He needed Tommy John in 2021 and didn't pitch at all in 2022. He returned in 2023 and dealt with foot and neck issues that mostly kept him in the minors. He's made just 16 MLB starts since 2021.

But he's got that famous fastball-slider combo the Dodgers love. And he throws a hard sinker. He's boasted a high ground ball rate when he's had large enough sample sizes. Typically, these kinds of flyers for injured assets aren't favorable for LA, but Turnbull won't at all be a risk. He's getting a minor-league deal or a very, very cheap MLB deal (if he's lucky). He was due $2.4 million in arbitration.

What's the harm in tossing him at Triple-A OKC to start the year and see how his rebound is going? If it's a failure, he can be thrown right back into the pool. If there's any potential, the Dodgers have someone they can bring up to the big-league level for assistance. And because he's pitched so little since 2020, perhaps he can provide swingman innings, like Hudson, in this hypothetical situation.

Again, the potential here is better than whatever Yarbrough, Grove and the injured Dustin May/Tony Gonsolin can offer in 2024. Plus, guys like Gavin Stone and Emmet Sheehan can use some competition at Triple-A. We're all in favor if it's not going to cost the Dodgers and if the expectations are set properly.

At least one of these three guys can provide the proper risk-reward the Dodgers have been looking for the last three years.

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