Dodgers News: Belief is That Tyler Anderson Returns to LA in Free Agency This Winter

The Dodgers' offseason conversation is going to be dominated by a lot of big names. Will Trea Turner re-sign or head elsewhere in free agency? If he leaves, might L.A. go after Dansby Swanson or Carlos Correa or Xander Bogaerts? Will Los Angeles be real contenders in the Aaron Judge bidding? And will Clayton Kershaw be back for his 16th season in Dodger blue?

One storyline that will stay more in the background but could be vitally important involves a different left-handed starter. Tyler Anderson, one of just two L.A. starters to make it through the entire 2022 season healthy, is heading back into free agency after having a breakout season in his one-year deal with the Dodgers.

On SNLA's Access: SportsNet on Tuesday evening, insider David Vassegh and former Dodger Jerry Hairston Jr. talked about Anderson and the likelihood of him returning for a second season in Los Angeles.

First, from Vassegh:

"I firmly believe the Dodgers are going to offer the qualifying offer to Tyler Anderson — about $19 million. He has such great value, not only that 15-5 record, not only one of the lowest ERAs in the National League, but also he posts every fifth or sixth day."

Hairston thinks the breakout season will encourage Anderson to stick around:

"I think if I'm TA, you want to stay here because now you've found a place where you're comfortable. He loves pitching at Dodger Stadium. He loves the coaching staff. Him and Mark Prior have a tremendous rapport and you wanna stay in a place where you've had tremendous success."

Vassegh mentioned the qualifying offer, which would be a one-year deal at $19.65 million. That's nearly 2.5 times what Anderson made in 2022, so it would seemingly be hard to pass up. And he's probably not likely to get an offer with a higher average annual value than that. But if he thinks there's a market for a two-year, $30 million deal, or even three years and $42 million, would he really accept just under $20 million to stay in L.A.?

Vassegh things so.

"I think he would, He would accept it to stay with the Dodgers because he believes in what they teach as far as pitching."

At this point, it seems like a no-brainer for the Dodgers to offer Anderson the QO, and he very well might accept it. More likely, they could negotiate a longer deal with him — they can be the ones to give him three years and $42 million, or whatever the number ends up being. At nearly 33 years old, it's hard to see him getting more than three years, but he definitely seems like a guy who could remain effective into his late thirties.