The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly backing out of a deal with free agent Hisashi Iwakuma after the pitcher failed his physical examination. The Dodgers are in need of starting pitching after losing Zack Greinke to the Diamondbacks and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that a trade for Jose Fernandez could be a potential option, while free agents like Mike Leake or Scott Kazmir could be targets.
The Dodgers and Iwakuma reportedly agreed on a three-year contract worth $45 million, but on Thursday reports came out that the deal could be in danger of falling apart. The first report on the physical came from Asahi Degital of Japan and the report says that the Dodgers are backing off of the deal after seeing the results of the physical. Iwakuma has dealt with injury issues in the past, including a lat injury in 2015 that limited him to 20 games last season.
The 34-year-old finished the season strong for the Mariners with a 9-5 record and a 3.54 ERA before heading into free agency. According to Dodgers reporter Dylan Hernandez, sources said it's "inaccurate" to report that the Dodgers are "out on Iwakuma" and that the team could be "reworking the contract." But if the reports are true, the Dodgers likely will look to find pitching elsewhere, potentially through a trade or with another free agent. UPDATE: Heyman reports that the "Dodgers are in talks with rays about jake odorizzi."
According to Jon Heyman at CBS Sports, the team could be looking at a deal for Jose Fernandez if the Marlins are willing to make a trade, while players like Mike Leake, Wei-Yin Chen, Yovani Gallardo, Ian Kennedy and Scott Kazmir could be free agent options. Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports writes that there is "mutual interest" between the Dodgers and Kazmir despite the fact that the team has a "lefty-heavy" rotation.
The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw, Brett Anderson, Alex Wood and Mike Bolsinger in the rotation, while Hyun-Jin Ryu is coming in after having an injury. CBS Sports reports that the Dodgers could sign Iwakuma to a different deal over the reported three-year contract the sides agreed on before the failed physical.
The Dodgers, Reds and White Sox pulled off a three-team deal this week and that led some in the media to speculate that Los Angeles could be putting together pieces for a larger deal. Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports writes that the team added some quality priospects in the trade with Frankie Montas, Micah Johnson and Trayce Thompson coming over and that could give the team the ammo to make a move.
The team already has names like Julio Urias and Corey Seager as potential options, but the team has been very reluctant to put Seager in any deal this offseason and likely will not do that. But the new haul could make for a decent package if the Marlins want to trade Fernandez.