Los Angeles Dodgers: Why Stephen Strasburg is the most likely to sign

The trio of huge free agents this offseason is Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in on all three.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the perfect position to make a splash this winter and there are several names that would make a huge splash.

A trio of players who all played in the World Series headline this year’s free-agent class. Gerrit Cole is perhaps the most valuable of the three coming off of a Cy Young-caliber year with elite stuff that played in the postseason.

The other two are from the Washington Nationals. There is one position player in Anthony Rendon and another pitcher in Stephen Strasburg, both of which are going to get paid this winter as well.

There is even the possibility of a Mookie Betts trade and the Dodgers are contenders for that as well. There is so much speculation and anticipation that every Dodger fan wakes up every morning hoping to hear the great news.

The chance of that great news happening for each player is different and as the hot stove has warmed up and more reports have emerged, it has become clear which of the big three free agents has the best chance of signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In fact, it was the free agent that we initially gave the slimmest chance of signing with the Dodgers — Stephen Strasburg. Let’s break down why that is the case, first starting with the other free agents.

With Cole, it really appears that he is either going to the New York Yankees, who drafted him, or the Los Angeles Angels, who play where he grew up, Orange County. The Dodgers have been thrown in the mix as Los Angeles is not that far from Orange County and the Dodgers present an actual contender, whereas there are questions around the Angels.

While they are in the mix for that regard, I do not think they really have the chance. With the reports that the Yankees were cleared by ownership to spend an unheralded amount on Cole to the insistence that Arte Moreno will match anything the Yankees offer, it appears to be a two-horse race that the Dodgers should not waste resources on.

As for Rendon, I cannot really see the Dodgers signing the NL MVP candidate as the team does not really need an infielder. The team already has its starting infield of Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Gavin Lux and Max Muncy.

The team could open up space by trading Lux in a super-trade for Betts, moving Turner to first and Muncy to second, but it is hard for me to see the Dodgers parting way with Lux after they have already held onto him during Manny Machado talks and Felipe Vazquez talks.

Plus, Rendon seems like the kind of guy that is content where he is with the Nationals. If he gets the contract he wants, who is to say that he even leaves?

That leaves Strasburg, who I initially speculated would go to his hometown San Diego Padres as the Padres are not afraid to make a splash and could use a frontline ace.

However, reports in early November indicated that the Padres’ front office is not looking to add another massive free agent, taking them out of the mix.

The Dodgers have a somewhat close home-field advantage as LA and San Diego are not that far, heck, Kawhi Leonard has a home in San Diego and plays in Los Angeles. Plus, they have the culture of having a great pitching staff, could use a frontline ace to keep the rotation deep and have the money to spend.

Strasburg opted out of the remaining four years of his contract, worth $100 million. With Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin already having large contracts and Rendon being a free-agent as well, I doubt the Nationals match his desired contract.

Spotrac estimates Strasburg to get a seven-year, $211 million deal. At 31 years old, the Dodgers might be afraid to offer him something that long (as they were with Zack Greinke), but with Clayton Kershaw‘s contract freeing up after next season they certainly have the immediate funds to sign a starting pitcher.

Personally, I think that is a hefty number to give a starting pitcher who is only a few months older than Kershaw. But after his performance in the postseason and with the funds to spend, maybe the Los Angeles Dodgers go against the grain and spend.

So while the Angels and Yankees fight with each other for Gerrit Cole, the Los Angeles Dodgers can do business with Stephen Strasburg, guaranteeing they don’t come out of this winter empty-handed.