Dodgers Rumors: Veteran Innings Eater Linked to LA in Free Agency
With the offseason now officially underway, the Dodgers can look ahead to their pressing needs for next season. The biggest need is starting pitching, and the team is expected to make an aggressive push to upgrade this offseason.
They will have plenty of options to choose from, either via free agency or the trade market. But either way, the Dodgers need to do something with their rotation.
MLB insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic broke down his predictions for free agent contracts this winter, and he linked the Dodgers with a solid arm from Chicago. That would be right-hander Kyle Hendricks, who has been one of the more under-the-radar guys in the league for years.
“Contract prediction: Two years, $25 million: Kyle Hendricks had a solid bounce-back year, posting a 3.74 ERA over 24 starts and yielding 138 hits in 137 innings. Opponents hit just .189 against his changeup, his best pitch. The pitch is so good that his offspeed run value ranked in the 98th percentile. His ground-ball rate of 46.3 percent was his best in three years. He pitched well away from Wrigley Field, posting a 3.29 ERA in 11 road starts. The Cubs hold a $16.5 million team option for 2024.”
The Cubs may decline the team option at $16.5 million, and try to use that money elsewhere. Hendricks has been in Chicago his entire career, but this could be a perfect time for a chance.
Getting a veteran like Hendricks could serve as a solid option for LA, as long as they also got a front-line starter to go with this move. Hendricks can’t be the only starting pitcher that the Dodgers bring in, and he can’t be the best one either.
While his days of being in the running for the Cy Young Award are likely over, he is still a very quality pitcher who could give LA a chance every fifth day. He is also an innings eater, similar to how Lance Lynn was this past season.
Hendricks is a reliable pitcher, who has made less than 20 starts in a year once over a full regular year since his rookie season. He also probably isn’t going to cost that much to where the Dodgers would move off trying to land him.
This could be a very good get for the Dodgers, and one that helps them bolster their rotation. He is as solid as it gets for a back-end starter, and LA should really consider looking at signing him.
