Fresh off the eighth championship in franchise history, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been linked to three domestic free-agent pitchers at the top of this winter’s class.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, “The Dodgers are looking into ace free agents Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes, and Max Fried, and word is that assuming they land (Roki) Sasaki, they’ll try for one more big pitcher.”
Heyman also notes the Dodgers’ interest in re-signing Walker Buehler, who has spent his entire career in Los Angeles and recorded the final out of the Dodgers’ Game 5 victory over the New York Yankees to clinch the championship.
Sasaki, 23, will be the most coveted – and attainable – free-agent pitcher once he is formally posted by his Japanese team, the Chiba Lotte Marines.
At 20 years old, Sasaki threw a 19-strikeout perfect game in 2022. In his next start, he threw eight more perfect innings. Pitching for Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, his fastball sat 100 mph.
Sasaki went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 starts for the Marines in 2024, with 129 strikeouts in 111 innings. He announced his intention to come to MLB on Nov. 8, foregoing the ability to sign as a professional free agent by jumping before the age of 25.
Fried, 31, started 29 games last year for the Braves and pitched to a 3.25 ERA (3.33 FIP) over 174.1 innings.
His 2.81 ERA over the last five seasons is the best of any major league starter. ESPN’s Jeff Passan also linked Fried to the Dodgers, noting they “are targeting at least one high-end starter.”
Burnes, 30, was the 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner. In 2024, he went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA for the Baltimore Orioles and made his fourth consecutive All-Star team. The right-hander is a California native (Bakersfield) who played collegiately in the Bay Area (St. Mary’s).
Snell, a 31-year-old left-hander, opted out of his contract with the San Francisco Giants after a strong finish to his 2024 season.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner went 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 20 starts and tossed the first complete game no-hitter of his career in August.
Robert Murray of FanSided said on The Baseball Insiders podcast Thursday that the Dodgers are targeting starting pitching and outfielders this offseason.
