Dodgers hoping that depth gives them edge in loaded NL West
After a very slow start to the offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers ended 2015 with consecutive signings that will upgrade their rotation depth behind ace Clayton Kershaw.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles signed veteran left-hander Scott Kazmir to a three-year, $48 million deal. On Thursday, the Dodgers followed up by reaching an agreement with Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda, according to a Jon Heyman report. Maeda’s deal will be eight years at $24 million, with $10-12 million a year available in incentives, according to Christopher Meola.
[Elsewhere: Randy Johnson and Bryce Harper ring in new year at Fiesta Bowl]
All things considered, those are two solid additions that would fit well in any rotation, though obviously things are looked at differently when it comes to the Dodgers. The expectation was that Los Angeles would spend above and beyond to land at least one of the marquee free agent pitchers, whether it be their own in Zack Greinke or another like Johnny Cueto. Instead, they watched those stars sign with Arizona and San Francisco respectively, furthering strengthening an already improving NL West.
Those signings caught the attention of the baseball world, perhaps just as much as because Los Angeles had come up empty again and again. As a result of those misses, they went from having the best 1-2 pitching combo in baseball to desperately needing a No. 2. The Dodgers thought they’d found a good one in Hisashi Iwakuma, but concerns about his arm nixed that deal. That in turn forced them to focus on building depth, which they believe this week’s signings will help them accomplish.
As it stands right now, Los Angeles will enter the season with Kershaw, Kazmir and Maeda as their top three, which is much more favorable than relying on Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brett Anderson and Alex Wood to not only stay healthy, but take a step forward up the rotation ladder. Now the Dodgers only need 60-65 starts from other sources, assuming of course the big three hold up.
That’s significant, because aside from the New York Mets, just about every team will be searching far and wide to fill those starts. With Ryu, Anderson and Wood down the depth chart down the depth chart where they belong though, few teams will have more interesting fourth and fifth options than the Dodgers. And should Ryu proven healthy and effective coming off shoulder surgery, that could give them four guys locked in. You’d certainly feel comfortable with Ryu in that spot knowing his workload may need to be monitored. That would leave Anderson and Wood to battle with fill-in Mike Bolsinger, who posted a 3.62 ERA in 21 starts last season, for one spot.
Beyond that, the Dodgers have a top pitching prospect in 19-year-old left-hander Julio Urias. There’s reason to believe he could make the jump at some point this season. They have another good prospect in Zach Lee, who could compete in spring training. And then there’s Brandon McCarthy, who figures to return from Tommy John surgery mid-season. That gives Los Angeles up to ten rotation options, and there’s still time to add on before April.
[Elsewhere: Funniest Plays of the Year: Jeff Francoeur can’t throw (No. 1)]
If nothing else, adding Kazmir and Maeda increases the Dodgers chances of consistently featuring a solid five-man rotation. That’s important. But there’s still the question about whether those pitchers will make a big enough impact to matter, and whether or not Los Angeles will have enough talent overall to win another division crown.
Time will tell on that, but there’s no doubt the ante has been upped out West, and this time it’s the Dodgers who need to keep up.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
