Evaluating, Postering, and Negioation
Why haven’t the Dodgers just signed Teoscar Hernandez, Walker Buehler, Willy Adames, Juan Soto, Max Fried, or Matt Snell? I mean… not all of them… but maybe one… or three? Every year, the free agent market is different. This year, several teams are really in on Juan Soto, namely…
Why haven’t the Dodgers just signed Teoscar Hernandez, Walker Buehler, Willy Adames, Juan Soto, Max Fried, or Matt Snell? I mean… not all of them… but maybe one… or three?
Every year, the free agent market is different. This year, several teams are really in on Juan Soto, namely the Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Dodgers, Jays and allegededly a “mystery team.” I did not mention Roki Sasaki because he has not been posted… but while we are talking about Sasaki, some say it is a done deal and that he is going to sign with the Dodgers while others say that Rob Manfred is going to take action against them for tampering with Sasaki. I have no clue – he hasn’t been posted yet. If he is posted this year, the Dodgers can offer him the most money, but I suspect his Japanese team will post him next year, in which case here is what each team has to spend:
$7,555,500 Pool
Cincinnati Reds
Detroit Tigers
Miami Marlins
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Tampa Bay Rays
$6,908,600 Pool
Arizona Diamondbacks
Baltimore Orioles
Cleveland Guardians
Colorado Rockies
Kansas City Royals
Pittsburgh Pirates
$6,261,600 Pool
Atlanta Braves
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox
Los Angeles Angels
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Philadelphia Phillies
San Diego Padres
Texas Rangers
Toronto Blue Jays
Washington Nationals
$5,646,200 Pool
Houston Astros
St. Louis Cardinals
$5,146,200 Pool
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
So, only 28 teams can outbid the Dodgers for Roki Sasaki. Not good odds! Oh, and they are really likely to post him for 2025, so the Dodgers are screwed! Right? No… so fast! Andrew Friedman knows that he will have to overpay for it, but he could get about $3 to $4 Million if he traded some top prospects for International Signing Bonus Money.
It could work, but then AF might have to sign Juan Soto. There are lots of scenerios and I can’t list them all, but Soto is still a possibility…not a huge possibility, but Borass knows that Soto wants to win and the Dodgers are his best option to do that!
Personally, I think the Dodgers have enough starting pitchers. They can start the season with Yamamoto, Glasnow, Gonsolin, Knack, Ohtani, and (pick one) May, Miller, or Wrobleski, and then add Sheehan and/or Kershaw later. There are so many options.
Alex Freeland is ranked the #2 Dodger Prospect by Baseball America in 2025. Here’s what they say about him:
Track Record: Despite being born with a clubfoot which required multiple surgeries to correct, Freeland has thrived on the diamond. First, he starred at Central Florida, where he swatted 18 home runs across two seasons before the Dodgers selected him in the third round of the 2022 draft. Two years later, he was one of the system’s highest risers. In 2024, Freeland moved from High-A to Triple-A and racked up a system-best 32 doubles while hitting 18 home runs and stealing 31 bases in the process.
— Baseball America
Scouting Report: Inside and outside the organization, Freeland drew raves from evaluators for his well-rounded skill set. In the batter’s box, he can work an at-bat until he gets the pitch he likes before spraying a line drive to the outfield—if not over the fence. He’s got quick hands, excellent bat speed and the ability to manipulate the barrel into different parts of the strike zone. Defensively, Freeland has a chance to stick at shortstop but second or third base are also viable options. His bat would profile at either spot. Freeland’s above-average arm makes third base his likeliest non-shortstop defensive home. He’s an above-average runner and was one of just four players in the minor leagues with 30 or more doubles and stolen bases. Evaluators were also particularly fond of Freeland’s makeup, citing a player dripping with the kind of confidence necessary to remain unfazed in key situations.
The Future: Shortstop is one of the few spots where the reigning World Series champions have a bit of a question mark. If they do not sign a free agent to take over the role, Freeland has a shot to earn the job at some point in 2025. If not, he’ll head back to Triple-A to continue getting reps at other infield spots after having played exclusively at shortstop from Double-A onward.
Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 55 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 55
I could see a scenerio where the Dodgers trade DePaula and/or Rushing and get International Draft Money for Sasaki and then sign Juan Soto and Teoscar Hernandez… and are done! Rojas can play SS until Freeland is ready and this would be the lineup:
- Ohtani DH
- Betts 2B
- Freeman 1B
- Teoscar Hernandez RF
- Juan Soto LF
- Will Smith C
- Max Muncy 3B
- Tommy Edman CF
- Miguel Rojas and later, Alex Freeland SS
Rotation: Yamamoto, Glasnow, Sasaki, Gonsolin, Ohtani, Miller, Knack ,Wrobleski, Sheehan, and Kershaw.
I’m not saying that is what will happen… but you never know!
X-CIRES
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Discussion (51)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I like the idea of resigning Teo for left, then using Pages and Rushing for RF. The great Joe Ferguson was a C-RF and was adequate and Dalton should be okay. Love the thought of Freeland and Rojas sharing SS. Then we have Barnes and Taylor for bench reserves. I think the Dodgers should go after Max Fried and Roki Sasaki. Resigning Treinen should be a priority too. With all our young arms and young talented hitters, we can stay in budget and still contend. I think Dalton Rushing is going to a dynamic major league hitter. His on base % is eye popping for a power hitter and Freeland , being a switch hitter with great base running ability has great potential too. Lux and Outman should be traded for young prospects or international signing bonuses.. My 2 cents
would still like Adames! then once Muncy is gone, he can slide over to 3rd and Freeland moves into the SS slot. If Teo leaves, there’s not a lot we can be sure of in the outfield. Pages has promise. Edman is very solid in center, but he needs to be that super utility guy. Left? Rushing is intriguing but not proven. the bench is very weak offensively! The Friars are going to be hungry and talented! Absolutely strengthen the starting rotation, but don’t leave the offense behind!
I don’t want Soto. He’s an average defender and below average base runner. Put the money towards a few good starters, sign Teo and shore up the bullpen. If Mookie moves into 2nd, you may need another outfielder. I like Pages as the 4th OFer or platoon option. Pitching should be the focus this off season. It seems like every year the starting pitching is always the issue in the playoffs. A six man rotation may be the way to go moving forward.
LOS ANGELES — Major League Baseball announced the postseason shares for 2024, during which the total player pool of $129,092,159 smashing the previous year’s record. The Dodgers total share of pool, as World Series champions, was $46,473,177, with full postseason shares tabbed at $477,441 each.