To no surprise, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the subject of the latest rumors surrounding some of this year's top free agents. Who exactly are they pursuing?
There's a clear urgency for starting pitching in Los Angeles, as evidenced by a report from Wednesday.
"The Dodgers are targeting their own free agent Zack Greinke as their top starting pitching target, with David Price viewed as a very close second choice," writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
"The odds are that LA, with its seemingly limitless coffers, will reel in one of the top two free-agent pitchers, but if say the rival Giants and Cubs win those two pitchers' services, the Dodgers may not necessarily opt for the next highest-priced pitching talents on the market."
However, don't forget rumors surfaced during the year regarding the Dodgers' serious interest in Jordan Zimmermann. The right-hander was said to be atop their trade wish list before this year's deadline, but nothing ever came to fruition.
Los Angeles will also look to upgrade other areas of their roster, including the infield and the bullpen.
"Aiming high makes perfect sense for the $300-million team that's built to win. And so do their intentions at second base, where they are considering Daniel Murphy and a return of Chase Utley as a couple of the main options.
"While a return of Howie Kendrick, who played over Utley, also makes sense, they wouldn't mind a left-handed option who can play both second and third."
The Dodgers gave Kendrick the qualifying offer, but he's expected to turn it down as he's seeking at least a four year deal, according to yesterday's rumors. However, it's unclear if the team's new management will want to hand out long-term contract to two 32-year-olds (Greinke, Kendrick).
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal has a bit of a different take on the Dodgers' second base situation.
"Enrique Hernandez and Jose Peraza are the leading options at second if the team declines to re-sign free agent Howie Kendrick."
The Dodgers used Hernandez extensively last season and Peraza made his MLB debut after coming over in a trade from the Atlanta Braves when Los Angeles was dealing with a slew of injuries. Then again, they have endless amounts of money so it's hard to rule out any of the aforementioned free agent targets.
Heyman also noted the Dodgers are in the market for bullpen help and one pitcher to keep an eye on is right-hander Ryan Madson, who enjoyed a superb comeback season with the World Series champion Kansas City Royals. It was previously mentioned that the team does not plan on re-signing Joel Peralta or Jim Johnson, so they'll need to replace those two veterans.
The Dodgers main challenge will be acquiring the top starting pitchers. They'll need to beat the Cubs to the chase because a report from earlier today suggested Chicago is meeting with the agents of Greinke, Price and Zimmermann this week.
It should be a wildly entertaining offseason.
