The Dodgers have lost the bidding war on Zack Greinke, and therefore they have lost one of the best pitching duos of all time. However I would hesitate before saying that they need to acquire a replacement for years to come. I would probably agree that they should try for a new starting pitcher, but I would like to see them sign someone who they will need to give minimum commitment to perhaps a two year contract with an option to someone like Hisashi Iwakuma, or Doug Fister. I would even like to see them going after someone like Neal Cotts for a 1-2 year deal because by 2017 or maybe even late next year (minus De Leon who will not be ready until 2017) the Dodgers rotation will look something like this:
1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Julio Urias
3. Alex Wood
4. Hyun-jin Ryu
5. Jose De Leon (2016: Brett Anderson)
This still leaves Mike Bolsinger, and Brandon McCarthy in case of an injury or if either of those young players need more time. Below I have my analysis of the players I have mentioned above.
1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Julio Urias
3. Alex Wood
4. Hyun-jin Ryu
5. Jose De Leon (2016: Brett Anderson)
This still leaves Mike Bolsinger, and Brandon McCarthy in case of an injury or if either of those young players need more time. Below I have my analysis of the players I have mentioned above.
Clayton Kershaw: I don't think I really have to convince anyone that Clayton Kershaw is a legend, but here it goes. Over the past five seasons Clayton Kershaw has struck out 1,249 players, and had an ERA of 2.11. He has won three Cy Young awards and a n MVP. In that time the Dodgers have won .667 of the games with Kershaw pitching, but only .523 without him. I could go on and on about him, but I think people get it. |
Julio Urias: He is only 19 and will likely not be called up until late next year. The fact that he is not quite ready is the main reason why I still believe the Dodgers should sign a starting pitcher for next, but he will almost certainly be one of the better pitchers in baseball a few years down the road. He is #4 on MLB Pipeline's top prospects list. He has a great fastball that sits in the mid 90s, and he also has a nasty curveball. He varies his speed masterfully and is worth betting on, as he could be a part of the next great dodgers starting pitchers duo. With Kershaw, Greinke, and Koufax, Drysdale I would argue that they have had the two best 1-2 duos of all time, and it is a possibility for Kershaw Urias to be one of the best too a few years down the road. | |
Alex Wood:
Wood was a valuable piece to trade for last year. The Dodgers traded Hector Olivera, Paco Rodriguez, and a few minor leaguers for Alex Wood, Jose Pereza, Jim Johnson, Mat Latos, and others. Alex Wood is still a year away from arbitration and despite a mediocre performance in his first 70.1 innings with the dodgers there is good reason to believe Alex Wood is going to be a solid piece in the Dodgers rotation. In the last three seasons Alex Wood has started 67 games and has the respectable ERA of 3.30. His career WAR is 7.2 which makes his average in a full eason 2.9. One statistical argument I've heard against him is that his win-loss in his career 26-26 which would suggest he is merely average, however there is great evidence that this is simply poor run support. Even in his 26 losses he still has a 5.65 ERA (the average ERA for the pitcher receiving the loss is 7.78). Among active players with 120 or more innings in losing games this ranks 10th only behind big name players including Madison Bumgarner, Clayton Kershaw, David Price, and Jordan Zimmermann.
Wood was a valuable piece to trade for last year. The Dodgers traded Hector Olivera, Paco Rodriguez, and a few minor leaguers for Alex Wood, Jose Pereza, Jim Johnson, Mat Latos, and others. Alex Wood is still a year away from arbitration and despite a mediocre performance in his first 70.1 innings with the dodgers there is good reason to believe Alex Wood is going to be a solid piece in the Dodgers rotation. In the last three seasons Alex Wood has started 67 games and has the respectable ERA of 3.30. His career WAR is 7.2 which makes his average in a full eason 2.9. One statistical argument I've heard against him is that his win-loss in his career 26-26 which would suggest he is merely average, however there is great evidence that this is simply poor run support. Even in his 26 losses he still has a 5.65 ERA (the average ERA for the pitcher receiving the loss is 7.78). Among active players with 120 or more innings in losing games this ranks 10th only behind big name players including Madison Bumgarner, Clayton Kershaw, David Price, and Jordan Zimmermann.
Hyun-Jin Ryu:
Ryu missed all of last year due to a shoulder injury. The main question about him is how will he recover from surgery. I think that his performance will not be lessened due to the injury. prior to the injury he threw a fastball in the low 90s I would guess that if anything changes it will be a slight drop in velocity (high 80s) however Ryu is not a power pitcher. His success is driven by his great changeup, which should not be greatly effected by the injury, and by his stunning accuracy. His BB/9 innings in 2014 was 1.7 which is well below league average (2.9) I doubt this will be effected by a shoulder injury. Due to his strong changeup and accuracy, I am predicting Hyun Jin Ryu to come back at around the same level he was at in 2013 & 2014, and for a fourth starter that is well above average.
Ryu missed all of last year due to a shoulder injury. The main question about him is how will he recover from surgery. I think that his performance will not be lessened due to the injury. prior to the injury he threw a fastball in the low 90s I would guess that if anything changes it will be a slight drop in velocity (high 80s) however Ryu is not a power pitcher. His success is driven by his great changeup, which should not be greatly effected by the injury, and by his stunning accuracy. His BB/9 innings in 2014 was 1.7 which is well below league average (2.9) I doubt this will be effected by a shoulder injury. Due to his strong changeup and accuracy, I am predicting Hyun Jin Ryu to come back at around the same level he was at in 2013 & 2014, and for a fourth starter that is well above average.
Brett Anderson: After Greinke and Kershaw, Anderson was the Dodgers best pitcher through the whole 2015 season. He is a solid back end starter who had a 3.69 ERA last year He will be a free agent after next year and the dodgers will probably not resign him, but Jose De Leon will probably be able to replace him at that point. |
Jose De Leon:
Like Urias he will not be on the roster opening day, but De Leon is the 7th best pitching prospect in baseball (according to MLBPipeline) and come 2017 he will probably be ready and if there are no injuries, and the Dodgers have another pitcher signed another pitcher it will be difficult to fit him in the rotation.
Like Urias he will not be on the roster opening day, but De Leon is the 7th best pitching prospect in baseball (according to MLBPipeline) and come 2017 he will probably be ready and if there are no injuries, and the Dodgers have another pitcher signed another pitcher it will be difficult to fit him in the rotation.
After this group the dodgers still have Grant Holmes (24th pitching prospect), and Walker Buehler in their deep farm system. As well as Mike Bolsinger (FA, 2022) and Brandon McCarthy (FA, 2019) under team control for years to come, so I really would not like to see them give them 4+ years commitment to anyone. I think the best course of action is a contract for Hisashi Iwakuma looking something like this:
2016: $20 Million
2017: $20 Million
2018: team option $20 Million with $3 Million buyout
I believe Iwakuma would accept this due to the fact that he's committed at least $43 million over two years. The dodgers are sacrificing a possible lower AAV to avoid commitment. For a 35 year old SP two years is a reasonable length. Iwakuma has averaged a 3.17 ERA in his four years in the majors and will be very helpful for the dodgers
2016: $20 Million
2017: $20 Million
2018: team option $20 Million with $3 Million buyout
I believe Iwakuma would accept this due to the fact that he's committed at least $43 million over two years. The dodgers are sacrificing a possible lower AAV to avoid commitment. For a 35 year old SP two years is a reasonable length. Iwakuma has averaged a 3.17 ERA in his four years in the majors and will be very helpful for the dodgers