Many would argue the new front office that has overseen the Los Angeles Dodgers for the last year or so has failed miserably. Their trades and signings from last offseason were largely unsuccessful and their endeavors this time around are also not promising.
However, the latest rumors indicate they could be poised to go after a top starter on the market.
"The Dodgers, reeling after losing superstar pitcher Zack Greinke to a division rival and to a lesser degree having a trade for top closer Aroldis Chapman derailed, have now joined the fray for star free-agent pitcher Johnny Cueto, sources say," writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Los Angeles has seemingly been wasting its time following the loss of Greinke as well as the unsuccessful trade to bring Chapman to town. The Dodgers have been in trade talks with the Miami Marlins for starter Jose Fernandez despite the myriad reports that suggest he's not available or others about the asking price being so astronomically high that a deal wouldn't even be worth it.
Rumors have also pointed to trade talks with the New York Yankees regarding closer Andrew Miller, but the desired return for the veteran left-hander is also said to be steep. That could be another endeavor for which Dodgers are not utilizing their time wisely.
The team has already reportedly signed starter Hisashi Iwakuma to a three-year, $45 million deal. Rumors have also linked the Dodgers to free agent starter Wei-Yin Chen, who is garnering interest from a number of clubs on the open market.
Cueto, 29, has already reportedly rejected a $120 million offer from the Arizona Diamondbacks before they landed Greinke and Shelby Miller. Cueto's price tag has seemingly dropped a bit after his poor second half stint with the Kansas City Royals, during which he went 4-7 with a 4.76 ERA in 13 starts. It was easily the worst stretch of his career and it couldn't have come at a worse time as he was set to hit free agency just months later.
At this point it's unknown how high he's aiming, but his second half struggles, coupled with the elbow inflammation he suffered earlier in the year, are not very promising signs.
Trade rumors before this year's deadline suggested the Dodgers might try to acquire Cueto, but then it was said they'd rather wait until the offseason so they didn't have to give up prospects.
We'll see what the Dodgers decide to do, but it's clear they need to do something or else they could be joining the Colorado Rockies at the bottom of the NL West.
