ORLANDO, Fla. — As the hotel lobby at the Signia by Hilton Orlando filled at MLB’s winter meetings on Tuesday morning, an unexpected prize was falling into the Dodgers’ lap.
Edwin Díaz, the top reliever on this year’s free-agent market, was suddenly slipping away from the incumbent New York Mets, who reportedly made the fan favorite closer only a three-year offer that did little to entice him to re-sign with the team.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, were swooping in late to snatch away the hard-throwing right-hander, submitting a more lucrative three-year bid that would pay Díaz a relief-pitcher-record $23 million per season.
Just like that, the Dodgers had gone from a perfectly content, but unremarkably quiet winter, to one in which they’d once again flexed their financial muscles and stunned the baseball industry.
“There were a lot of scenarios [that could have potentially played out this winter] where we didn’t necessarily end up with a top-end reliever,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Tuesday night, while declining to comment on Díaz directly since the transaction wasn’t finalized. “But we just kind of prepared on a bunch of different fronts. And being aggressive, if something lined up, we’ve known all along [it is something we would do].”
The Díaz signing was an affirmation of the team’s operating procedure on the free-agent market. They always at least target top talent. They always at least stay around the proverbial blackboard, as Friedman calls it, in case a player’s market doesn’t develop as expected. And now, they are armed with the kind of endless resources that can make them a threat to scoop up any rebound.
As they leave Orlando this week and embark on the rest of this offseason, it serves as a reminder:
The Dodgers might not need to make another big move, in the same way they downplayed the need for any big acquisition coming into the winter.
But they’ll certainly be ready to pounce if another opportunity materializes.
“I would say we definitely can,” Friedman hinted when asked if another big move this offseason could be possible. “Whether that makes the most sense within the timing of our roster — there’s so many factors that go into it, and any decision you make has a future cost. It’s just weighing that. So, yes, we can. How likely it is, is probably another question.”
Start with the top overall available free agent, Kyle Tucker.
The Dodgers are not expected to entertain a long-term contract for the soon-to-be 29-year-old and four-time All-Star. If his bidding war, as projected, results in offers upwards of 8-10 years and $400 million, the club is unlikely to engage; given the glut of long-term contracts already on their books, and the crop of young outfield prospects expected to reach the majors in the next several seasons.
But what if Tucker’s market cools? What if, like Díaz, he is left to consider relatively shorter-term deals with higher annual salaries? Granted, that’s unlikely to happen, considering the wide interest Tucker is reportedly attracting, including from the Toronto Blue Jays and their suddenly big-spending front office. If it does, however, the Dodgers could once again become candidates for a blockbuster, still needing to fill out their outfield as they embark on a quest for a World Series three-peat.
The same dynamic could be in play with other top free agents. The Dodgers have already shown interest in familiar face Cody Bellinger, who could bring both positional versatility and a more refined hitting approach than he had during his first stint with the club. Bo Bichette also presents the kind of balanced offensive profile the Dodgers are believed to seeking, as they try to shore up a lineup that too often was boom-or-bust last year.
Like Tucker, both players are unlikely to fit the Dodgers’ bigger-picture plans if their free agencies develop as expected (with Bellinger pegged for roughly five years and $150 million, and Bichette perhaps eight years and more than $200 million).
But thanks to the team’s flush financial outlook — and the fact that a salary cap could be coming next year, potentially incentivizing extra spending right now — all it could take is a slight cooling in either player’s market to make them more realistic targets for the two-time defending champions.
As long as there isn’t an overburdensome long-term risk, the Dodgers don’t seem afraid of lucrative shorter-term commitments to sustain their newly cemented dynasty.
“We have not only a really talented group of players, but an extremely driven group of players, who want to take care of their legacy and create a dynasty and be part of something really special,” Friedman said. “Because of that mindset, it makes it easier to invest. And do everything we can to help support that and be a part of helping bring that to fruition.”
The Dodgers could alternatively get aggressive on the trade market. Brandon Donovan and Lars Nootbaar of the St. Louis Cardinals are seen internally as fits. Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians would be an even bigger-name addition, albeit is less likely to be dealt this winter.
Then there is the real white whale: Two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.
For now, it’s uncertain at best that Skubal, who will be a free agent after next season and is unlikely to sign a contract extension with the Tigers (or any other team that trades for him) before then, gets moved this winter.
If he does, it figures to come at an extremely steep cost for a starting pitcher with one year remaining of team control.
If there’s any team that has the ammunition to pull it off, however, it’s the Dodgers, with their ample pitching depth and top-ranked farm system. Like with their free-agent pursuits, there is likely to be a limit for how much they’d part with. But if the Tigers seriously consider a trade, it would be no surprise to see the Dodgers be seriously involved.
There are less splashy routes for this offseason to go down, of course. If the Dodgers don’t make another marquee addition, they still feel confident with the roster core they have in place.
Then again, that’s the tone they were striking coming into these Winter Meetings, before swiping away Díaz in the surprise move of the week.
Thus, the baseball world has been put on alert again: The Dodgers won’t be reckless. They want to maintain longer-term flexibility. But if they see value in a top-talent target in the short-term, they won’t be afraid to once again spend big.
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