5 free agents the Dodgers should be grateful they avoided this offseason

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While the first month or so did not go according to plan for the Los Angeles Dodgers, we all knew it was only a matter of time before they found a way to leapfrog the Arizona Diamondbacks in the standings.

Here we sit, the Dodgers have played 49 games and are now looking down on all other clubs in the NL West. Somewhat surprisingly, the team actually has the second-best winning percentage in all of the National League, thanks in large part to an impressive 17-7 home record and a run differential of +48.

What is perhaps most impressive about this team's recent performance is that they've put together some solid wins with an awfully un-Dodgers-like team. Let's face it, the 2023 club does not have even close to the amount of starpower that they've had in the recent past, but somehow, the wins are still coming.

Aging position players like J.D. Martinez and David Peralta have been getting consistent at-bats. While they haven't been great, Martinez has a 111 OPS+ and Peralta has been contributing nicely as of late. Heck, even reliever Shelby Miller has put together a quietly promising start so far, posting a 2.91 ERA and 153 ERA+ through 18 appearances.

While the Dodgers didn't end up with any of the top-of-the-market names that had been available in the 2022-2023 offseason, they've still been able to maintain a contending identity. But what if they had signed some of these big names who landed elsewhere and are struggling or dealing with injuries?

Let's take a look at five free agents the Dodgers should be grateful they avoided.

LHP Carlos Rodón - New York Yankees

After beginning his career as a decent-but-not-great starter for the Chicago White Sox, Rodón didn't truly begin to break out on the mound until 2021, when he made 24 starts of 2.37 ERA-ball, posting a 13-5 record, 2.65 FIP and 185 ERA+. That year, he not only threw a no-hitter, but he made the first All-Star Game of his career and finished fifth in the AL Cy Young voting.

In 2022, he signed on with the San Francisco Giants, who saw him continue his dominance on the mound. The southpaw made 31 starts (the first time he's ever made over 30 in his career) and cemented himself into the conversation of one of the best pitchers in the game.

After going 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA and league-leading 2.25 FIP, Rodón elected to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract and return to the open market. While he was smart to do that, the Dodgers were equally smart in choosing to avoid him, despite being interested in bringing him aboard.

Here we are just about two months into the 2023 regular season, and the Yankees' prized lefty has yet to throw a single pitch for them. Instead, he has been on the shelf with a multitude of injuries. After beginning the season on the injured list with a forearm strain, he began dealing with a back issue that continues to keep him out of game action.

This is most unfortunate for the Yankees, as Rodón is locked up on a massive six-year, $162 million contract. He has been notoriously injury-prone and is not off to a good start in the Bronx. Even though the Dodgers have had some uncertainty in their rotation, they dodged a bullet here.

OF Andrew Benintendi - Chicago White Sox

While the Dodgers could use an additional outfielder right now to replace the so-so production they've gotten from anyone not named Mookie Betts or James Outman, Benintendi is certainly not the answer.

Over the years, he has established himself as a contact-oriented hitter who was good for 15-20 home runs on a good year. He sits around a .300 average every year and is coming off of two consecutive seasons with OPS+ marks of 106 or higher.

Now patrolling left field for the White Sox, Benintendi hasn't quite emerged as any sort of solid contributor for them, either on offense or defense. While the team has been spiraling, he has done very little to reverse that.

In 44 games so far, he has a .280 average and .692 OPS with an OPS+ of 92. He also has yet to hit a single home run and has an alarming amount of blue on his Baseball Savant page.

As a matter of fact, the only thing he has been doing well so far is limiting his strikeouts, which is squarely in line with his career norms.

The White Sox seem to already be sitting on an albatross of a contract. His sudden collapse at age 28 is somewhat confusing, but the Dodgers can rest easy knowing that they didn't overpay for a player they definitely didn't need.

RHP Jameson Taillon - Chicago Cubs

Taillon is another pitcher with a bit of a checkered past that could've been a fit on the Dodgers on paper, but is better suited elsewhere. After all, he's made over 30 starts just twice since debuting back in 2016 and hasn't quite been able to replicate a strong 2018 showing in Pittsburgh.

After two decent (at best) seasons on the Yankees, Taillon signed with the Cubs on a four-year deal that will pay him, well, way too much money ($68 million). He hasn't been anywhere close to as dynamic on the mound as this payday suggests, and the Cubs are going to be stuck sitting on a lot of money.

To kick off the 2023 season, the 31-year-old has been shockingly bad for the Cubbies. To this point, he has made seven starts and has an 8.10 ERA, 4.94 FIP and 54 ERA+. In that time, he has walked 3.4 batters per nine innings and has allowed over 12 hits per nine innings -- both of which are way too high for a pitcher of his stature.

Through just 26.2 innings of work, Taillon has somehow already been worth -0.8 bWAR and has allowed opposing batters to post a .313 average, .892 OPS and .369 BABIP along the way. No matter how one looks at it, this was a foolish contract offer by the Cubs and the Dodgers should be grateful that they did not take this leap on such an unreliable starting pitcher.

RHP Jacob deGrom - Texas Rangers

It's so tough to put someone like deGrom on a list like this. After all, the 34-year-old has emerged as one of the best starting pitchers of this generation and has arguably already done enough to warrant a Hall of Fame nod.

While deGrom has been utterly dominant over the years, the consistent issue with him has been staying healthy and making a full season of starts. In his 10 years in the big leagues, he has topped the 30-start mark just four times. In 2021, he made 15. In 2022, he made 11. To start 2023, he made it through six before making his annual trip to the injured list.

deGrom currently being on the shelf hurts more than just the Rangers; it hurts the game of baseball. He's easily the best right-hander in the league, and it's a shame we aren't able to watch him do his thing right now. Before his placement on the injured list, he had a 2.67 ERA, 1.58 FIP, 163 ERA+ and 13.4 SO/9, all of which are on par with his career norms.

Having someone like this living legend in the Dodgers' rotation certainly would've been a welcome addition, but with his inability to stay healthy, he's ultimately going to fit more in the "dodged a bullet" category than "the one that got away," especially since he's making $37 million per year on his big contract with Texas.

SS Carlos Correa - Minnesota Twins

Man, what an eventful offseason it was for Correa. After opting out of his original three-year deal with the Twins, he was briefly a member of the San Francisco Giants on a massive 13-year agreement. After an issue with his physical arose, the contract was voided and he signed with the Mets on a 12-year deal. Shockingly, it happened again, and essentially forced him back to the Twins.

Instead of securing his $300+ million contract, Correa pivoted to Minnesota and re-upped on a six-year deal that can reach up to $270 million ($200 guaranteed).

Unfortunately for the Twins, he has not gotten off to a strong start this year and looks like a shell of the player he was as recently as last season. In 43 games, the 28-year-old has just six home runs, 24 RBI, a .206 average and an OPS+ of 90.

It's hard to fault the Twins for pursuing a reunion with their superstar shortstop, but there's a reason all the top-paying teams expressed a bit of restrain with him. Minnesota sits on top of the AL Central division over four sub-.500 teams, but they could be even better if Correa continued to produce at the level he has in years past.

For the Dodgers, this is just another example of a player who may help them out on offense, but whose contract is entirely not worth the potential headache/regression. While Miguel Rojas has not been everything Los Angeles has needed him to be, he can at least say that he's not being massively overpaid for medicore production.

Plus, right now, the Dodgers are better off with Rojas, Betts and Chris Taylor at shortstop. Somehow.

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