The Los Angeles Dodgers don't need to start panicking, but they do have some issues with their starting rotation. The trade market was once a helpful source of addressing such an issue and Cole Hamels is currently the top arm available.
However, Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi expressed some pessimism about acquiring starters from other clubs.
"We've been looking for starting pitching depth all offseason and that's kind of continued into camp," Zaidi told Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. "This is just a hard time to go out there and acquire starting pitching depth. We're fielding calls from teams that are asking us about our starting pitching depth, so there aren't a lot of starting pitching sellers right now."
The Dodgers have some concerns regarding their pitching staff. First off, Zack Greinke can opt of out his contract after this season, and on top of that, the right-hander received a lubricating injection in his throwing elbow in February. Secondly, although he's expected to be fine, Clayton Kershaw took a soft line drive off the face last week and required dental work. Lastly, Hyun-Jin Ryu is expected to start the season on the disabled list due to a sore shoulder.
Los Angeles has been one of the teams said to have interest in acquiring Hamels from the Philadelphia Phillies, but Zaidi's latest comments suggest that may no longer be feasible. The left-hander is guaranteed $96 million over the next four seasons and the Phillies want three top prospects in exchange for his services. Although this would be a fitting addition for the Dodgers, it's unlikely Zaidi and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman are willing to part ways with some of their most valuable and youthful assets for a 31-year-old starter.
In fact, Zaidi's comments seem to acknowledge that the team has moved on from considering a trade for Hamels, being that they've apparently had no success in other endeavors to acquire starting pitching. Also, it's been a long time since the Dodgers were mentioned in regards to a potential Hamels deal.
With Ryu on the shelf, fellow starter Joe Wieland, who was acquired in the Matt Kemp trade, is likely to earn a spot in the rotation for the time being. Other options include Carlos Frias and Mike Bolsinger. Los Angeles also signed 25-year-old Cuban pitcher Pablo Millan Fernandez to an $8 million signing bonus over the weekend and he's expected to start his career in the upper level of the minors as a starter.
Earlier today the team agreed to a six-year, $62.5 million deal with Cuban infielder Hector Olivera, so it doesn't seem likely they'd be willing to give up value in their farm system to inherit another large financial commitment in Hamels.
However, this offseason has been full of surprises and anything remains a possibility, especially since the Dodgers are now baseball's richest franchise.
