The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped more than $1 billion in free agency last offseason and reaped the rewards with a World Series victory.
Not only did the Dodgers win it all, but they did it with several crippling injuries to the pitching staff. Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and Shohei Ohtani were all unavailable on the mound in October.
Next season, the Dodgers should trot out a three-headed monster of Glasnow, Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the starting rotation, with Bobby Miller on the come-up and plenty of free agent options at their disposal.
Reunions with Walker Buehler and Jack Flaherty feel distinctly possible, while the Dodgers’ big-spending M.O. affords them an opportunity to add more star power.
That is precisely what opposing fandoms don’t want. More stars in L.A., attracted by the bright lights, gaudy salaries, and lofty World Series odds associated with donning a Dodgers uniform.
And yet, there is a certain feeling of inevitability to this Dodgers team.
With Ohtani in the mix, Los Angeles just has too much talent to fail and too much money to underspend. Free agents will be drawn to the Dodgers like moths to a flame.
One potential target, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, is four-time All-Star and recent Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes.
Corbin Burnes linked to Dodgers, who have ‘edge’ in recruitment efforts
Burnes spent last season with the Baltimore Orioles after a blockbuster trade, posting a 2.92 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 32 starts.
He managed 194.1 innings and 181 strikeouts, operating as a uniquely durable workhorse for an O’s team in desperate need of just such a player.
Well, with so many injuries piled up in the Dodgers bullpen, Los Angeles would also benefit from Burnes’ trademark dependability. Ohtani has two elbow surgeries under his belt, Glasnow is coming back from elbow inflammation, and Yamamoto spent a long stretch of this season hurt.
Burnes is not injury-proof, but he gives the Dodgers a real sense of security if he does sign on.
According to Feinsand, the Dodgers may even have “an edge” in courting Burnes.
“The fact that Burnes hails from Bakersfield — located 110 miles north of Dodger Stadium — could give Los Angeles an edge in its recruitment.”
Of course Burnes is from the greater Los Angeles area. So is Max Fried, another popular Dodgers target in the realm of theory. The Dodgers can offer Burnes more than a path to immortality and accolades.
The Dodgers can offer him a chance to be close to home, back on the west coast where he presumably has family and friends.
That is a potent combination, especially if the Dodgers can match or exceed other offers on the table.
It’s yet to be seen how aggressively Los Angeles will operate after their high-rolling 2023-24 offseason, but Ohtani’s record deferrals on his $700 million contract leave the Dodgers with more flexibility than one might expect.
Burnes would anchor the Dodgers’ lone point of weakness and transform the reigning World Series champs from runaway favorites to borderline unbeatable.
This was not his best individual campaign — Burnes dealt with a few midseason hiccups related to the waning success of his cutter — but at 29, he’s in line for a fifth straight top-10 finish in Cy Young voting.
Burnes is just too good to overthink, and his presence on the Dodgers would put the rest of the National League in a deep hole.
