The Los Angeles Dodgers have missed out on several free agents and are trying to pick up the pieces with limited options at this point in the offseason. With the departure of Zack Greinke, the Dodgers have a Cy Young-sized hole to fill on the roster and they continue to come up short in their effort to do so. Los Angeles continues to acquire prospects in trade deals, so are they gearing up for a big move sooner rather than later?
According to ESPN's Tim Kurkjian, the Dodgers could be eyeing something big in the coming days after stockpiling prospects in the trade of Todd Frazier. Going with a youth movement in 2016, the Dodgers have freedom to make trades now or later. According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, one of those moves the Dodgers could be targeting is a trade for Miami Marlins' pitcher, Jose Fernandez. The pitcher has been a hot name circling the rumor mill recently as plenty of teams have shown interest. The Dodgers continue to get linked to deal, but Frisaro believes the Marlins will not budge on the move. Miami has a massive asking price for the pitcher and the Dodgers might not be willing to meet it unless they are giving up top players like Corey Seager or Yasiel Puig.
In the short-term, the Dodgers were hoping to get Hisashi Iwakuma in a deal to help in the short-term, but the pitcher has opted to sign back with Seattle. According to ESPN's Mark Saxon, the three-year, $45 million deal with the Dodgers was never completed after issues with his physical and Iwakuma opted to go back to Seattle instead, as the team kept him a priority this offseason. That is a big loss for the Dodgers has the hole left by Greinke only gets wider.
If the Dodgers are unable to pull off a move for Fernandez, who could they target? There are options on the free agent market and while they might not excite a fan base, they would be efficient in 2016. Scott Kazmir might be the best available at the moment. According to ESPN, he is looking for a four-year deal. His veteran presence would provide the Dodgers with a top-of-the-rotation arm. He could sign a deal similar to what Brandon McCarthy got which was four years and $48 million.
Mike Leake is another option and one that might be willing to sign for cheaper the longer he sits on the market. Leake was willing to give Arizona a hometown discount until the Diamondbacks traded for Shelby Miller instead. At 28, he is a reliable arm that can go the distance for the Dodgers. Doug Fister and Ian Kennedy are available, but right now they look like last resort options along with someone like Cliff Lee. If the Dodgers cannot get a trade deal from their prospects, they would be wise to quickly chase Kazmir or Leake before another team sweeps in.
