The Dodgers are shedding millions in payroll. Will they sign Aaron Judge next?
The Dodgers don’t necessarily need superstars, or familiar faces, to fill all of their current 2023 roster holes.
They could look into cheaper starting pitching options and try to replicate the success they had last season with Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney (who also remains a free agent and could be re-signed).
They could turn to former first-round pick Gavin Lux at shortstop, and fill out the rest of their infield with a mixture of younger players (such as Miguel Vargas and Michael Busch) and low-cost veterans.
Their newly created opening in center field could be addressed the same way. Trayce Thompson, Chris Taylor and James Outman all serve as in-house options. External names such as Kevin Kiermaier, the former Tampa Bay Ray who broke into the big leagues while Friedman was that club’s GM, could also make sense.
“We’re gonna spend the next few months vetting all of our various options and trying to be as aggressive as we can be,” Friedman said. “Balancing that with trying to give some opportunity to some of the talented young pitching we have, some of the talented young position players we have.”
The only thing clear for now: Just about every door possible is open for the Dodgers this winter.
They’ve stripped off about as much fat from last year’s roster as they could. Now, it’s time to see what recipe they’ll use to concoct their 2023 team.
“I’m confident we’ll have a real good team on the field and we’ll be in position to contend for a championship,” Friedman said. “Exactly what that looks like, I don’t think we’ve ever really had clarity on what that’s going to look like on Nov. 18.”
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