The Los Angeles Dodgers remain in somewhat of a holding pattern as they are among several teams awaiting decisions from Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The two are among the top players available in free agency, and the Dodgers are heavily favored to sign both.
When Ohtani or Yamamoto will make their respective decisions is unclear, although some believe during MLB’s Winter Meetings in Nashville is a likely scenario for the two-way star. Meanwhile, Yamamoto is expected to sit with teams after the Winter Meetings.
As the start of baseball’s annual event is on the precipice of beginning, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman acknowledged the level of activity across the sport has increased, per Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“Right now, things are building momentum in a lot of different areas,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters Friday, three days before MLB’s winter meetings open in Nashville on Monday. “Whether that means a lot of things will get done during these three days in Nashville or not, I’m not sure. But I do feel like a lot of things are starting to come to a head.”
While Friedman believes there’s a possibility for signings and trades during the Winter Meetings, he doesn’t necessarily consider them a guarantee:
“There is something about the 24/7 focus on transactions during those three days … that we feel like there’s going to be a number of things that could line up for us, but not clear exactly when,” said Friedman, who didn’t discuss any free agents or trade targets individually.
The Dodgers are heading into the Winter Meetings still with plenty of work to be done on their roster. Most notably the team has a need for starting pitching, which of course Yamamoto would help address.
L.A. has additionally been linked to a potential Dylan Cease trade, deal for Corbin Burnes, and the likes of Seth Lugo and Lucas Giolito in free agency.
Dodgers offseason signings
Up to this point, the Dodgers’ activity this offseason includes re-signing Ricky Vanasco, and reportedly agreeing to terms with Jason Heyward on a one-year, $9 million contract that has not yet been made official.
Max Muncy was signed to a contract extension, and the Dodgers exercised a team option on Blake Treinen for the 2024 season.
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