7 free agents the Dodgers must avoid at all costs

Eddie Rosario

Dodgers fans probably don't need to be reminded of what Eddie Rosario did to them in the 2021 NLCS. Rosario was a man possessed and was the biggest reason why the Braves were able to advance to the World Series over LA that year. It could be tempting to see if the Dodgers could add him as a lefty outfield bat with some power and hope that he could dish out that sort of punishment to others.

Unfortunately, that seems highly unlikely. The problem is that since that fateful postseason run, Rosario hasn't been very good. He was dreadful in 2022 as he battled vision issues that required surgical correction. Rosario was better in 2023 and did hit 21 homers, but the hit tool is still a real question mark. He struggled enough that the Braves were willing to decline his very affordable $9 million option for 2024. Again, LA just has better options available to them to address the outfield.

Lucas Giolito

At the trade deadline this past season, arguably the most coveted trade target league-wide was Lucas Giolito. He had a track record of success, including multiple top 10 Cy Young finishes, some encouraging peripherals (particularly his swing-and-miss stuff), and he passed the eye test as a quality pitcher playing for the dumpster fire that was the 2023 White Sox. While the Dodgers didn't land him at the trade deadline, it would make some logical sense that they could pursue him in free agency.

However, that would be ignoring some really troubling trends. Since the 2020 season, Giolito has seen his FIP slowly tick further and further in the wrong direction while his strikeout and walk rates have gotten worse. Things came to a head in 2023 where he struggled with Chicago and basically imploded with the Angels and Guardians after he was traded. With a pitching class as rich as this one, the Dodgers need to stay far, far away and look at better options that aren't circling the drain.