After losing Zack Greinke, Dodgers pursue possible deals for Aroldis Chapman, Hisashi Iwakuma
Reds closer Aroldis Chapman pitches in the ninth inning against the Tigers at Great American Ball Park on Aug. 24, 2015.
Only two days removed from the stunning departure of Zack Greinke, the Dodgers started reinforcing their suddenly vulnerable-looking roster.
They reached an agreement Sunday with six-time All-Star Chase Utley, who will return to them in his newfound role as a backup infielder, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke under the condition of anonymity because the contract was being finalized. They were also said to be closing in on a deal with right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma, who finished third in voting for the American League Cy Young Award in 2013.
A more significant move could come at baseball’s annual winter meetings, which officially begin here Monday.
The Dodgers are negotiating a potential trade with Cincinnati to acquire All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman, according to multiple reports. Fox Sports reported that in exchange for Chapman, the Dodgers would send prospects to the Reds.
The pursuit of Chapman indicates the Dodgers could now be looking to build around their bullpen instead of their rotation. Pairing Chapman with incumbent closer Kenley Jansen would almost certainly make their eighth- and ninth-inning combination the best in baseball.
Armed with a fastball that frequently touches 100 mph, Chapman had 116 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings this year, an average of 15.7 every nine innings. He saved 33 games.
Or perhaps the Dodgers have other ideas, as acquiring Chapman would present them with the opportunity to trade Jansen and address another of their shortcomings.
Here’s a look at what else the Dodgers would like to accomplish this week:
Replacing Greinke
The first order of business will be to find someone to take Greinke’s place in the rotation.
Greinke, David Price and Jordan Zimmermann are off the market, leaving Johnny Cueto as the remaining free-agent frontline starter. Cueto is looking for more than the six-year, $120-million proposal from the Diamondbacks that he rejected. If the Dodgers wouldn’t offer Greinke six years, why would they do that for Cueto, who is 28 months younger but has a history of elbow issues?
The run on second-tier starting pitchers has already started, with bounce-back candidate Jeff Samardzija having agreed to a five-year, $90-million with the San Francisco Giants.
Iwakuma is part of this group. The Japanese right-hander turns 35 in April and presumably would require a shorter contract than the likes of Mike Leake and Scott Kazmir. The one drawback of acquiring Iwakuma would be that he would cost the Dodgers a first-round draft pick, as Iwakuma rejected a qualifying offer from the Seattle Mariners.
Iwakuma was 47-25 with a 3.17 earned-run average in four season with the Mariners. Injuries limited him to 20 starts this year, but he still managed to compile a 9-5 record and post a 3.54 ERA.
Barring the acquisition of Cueto or another right-hander, Iwakuma would be the sole righty in a projected rotation featuring left-handers Clayton Kershaw, Brett Anderson, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Alex Wood.
The same old problem
As was the case last year and the year before that, the Dodgers have too many outfielders. They have at least three corner outfielders who view themselves as everyday players when healthy: Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier.
Puig has diminished his trade value as a result of his declining performance and a recent bar fight.
Ethier and Crawford have two years remaining on their contracts, with Ethier owed $38 million and Crawford $41.75 million. The Dodgers likely would have to agree to pay significant portions of their salaries to move them. They could be inclined to do so with Ethier, who will become a 10-and-five player in the first month of the upcoming season, a status that serves as a de facto no-trade clause.
Joc Pederson is the team’s only natural center fielder, but the team could be open to moving him after the sharp decline in production in the second half of his rookie year.
Depth in the middle
Rookie Corey Seager is expected to start at shortstop. Enrique Hernandez and Jose Peraza are the leading candidates to take over for departing free agent Howie Kendrick at second base.
“With some of the young guys we have, particularly in the middle of the infield, some veteran support for them would help,” General Manager Farhan Zaidi said.
Utley, who turns 37 this month, will offer a left-handed-hitting alternative to Hernandez and Peraza at second base. Utley could also back up at third base, where Justin Turner is the starter. Turner is recovering from a microfracture procedure on his knee.
The team could also use a similarly experienced backup for Seager.
The new crew
Dave Roberts, the team’s new manager, will be part of the Dodgers’ contingent in Nashville. At some point this week, the team is expected to formally announce his coaching staff, which could offer insight into how much autonomy he will be granted.
The front office is known to have selected Bob Geren as Roberts’ bench coach. Geren, who once managed the Oakland Athletics and was most recently the bench coach of the National League champion New York Mets, was interviewed by the Dodgers for their managerial position.
There is also talk of farm director Gabe Kapler being part of the staff. Kapler was widely believed to be Friedman’s preferred choice to manage the team.
Twitter: @dylanohernandez
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