Los Angeles Dodgers Rumors: Delin Betances and what else to expect

The Los Angeles Dodgers missed out on the trio of superstar signings but are now heavily linked to an elite reliever, Delin Betances.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have not yet made that massive signing this offseason and with all three of the superstar free agents off the board, Dodger fans, especially on Twitter, have been livid.

Whether or not it is justified is a debate that I do not want to have but there is reasoning on both sides regarding whether or not the team should or should not sign a superstar. What we do know is that the Dodgers reportedly offered Gerrit Cole an eight-year, $300 million contract and that they didn’t even offer Anthony Rendon a contract.

With both of those players off the board, and after signing Blake Treinen to a one-year, $10 million contract on Wednesday, the Dodgers are reportedly the most aggressive team that is in on Delin Betances.

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Pessimistic fans will find a way to pick apart any signing that the team makes and the case against Betances is that he practically did not pitch all of last year and is “another dumpster dive” by Friedman.

However, while he did not pitch last season, he has been one of the best relievers in baseball. From 2014 to 2018, Betances has a 2.22 ERA and 607 strikeouts in 373 and one-third innings pitched.

Only four pitchers in the league have had a 14+ K/9 and an ERA under 2.30 (with at least 100 innings pitched) in that span. Age should not be a worry, either, as Betances is 31 and likely won’t get anything longer than a three-year deal from any team.

The narrative last season was that the Dodgers’ bullpen was so terrible and the front office is doing what it can with the resources available to improve it. Complain all you want about the season Treinen had last year and Betances not playing but those are literally the two best options available.

The Dodgers are doing what they can to improve the weakest part of the team. If one of the two returns to all-star form and the other is 80 percent of what they were in their best season then the Dodgers bullpen will be resoundingly better.

What else should be expected moving forward?

Personally, I see Hyun-Jin Ryu returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers seemingly need a pitcher that can give the team a solid 1-3 yet again and Ryu is the fit as he is not going to get a contract more than four years and allows the team to have someone solid now without restricting the team when it is time to give extensions to the young core.

Granted, Madison Bumgarner has also been talked about but he is going to get more than Ryu because of his age and his namesake and even if Bumgarner is better over the next three years, he likely won’t be much better and is not worth the extra dollar signs.

I also think the reports that the Dodgers are in trade talks for Francisco Lindor will not culminate in anything. The Indians reportedly want both Gavin Lux and Dustin May and the only way the Dodgers do that is if they get a starting pitcher in return.

Personally, while I am a huge fan of both Lux and May, I would be okay with parting ways if it meant getting Lindor and another young pitcher, such as Mike Clevinger. I am doubtful that Cleveland would part ways with Clevinger, though.

With Lindor being young, I am okay with giving up Lux, especially with Jeter Downs in the farm system. If the Dodgers can keep one of Lindor or Seager once it is time to extend them and then call up Downs then they should be fine in the long-term.

A Mookie Betts trade is the most intriguing for me. A package of Dustin May, Keibert Ruiz and Joc Pederson is more than enough for Betts and would not hurt the Dodgers’ farm system much, especially if they re-sign Ryu or simply sign another pitcher to fill May’s shoes.

They still have a young promising prospect in Tony Gonsolin and have Josiah Gray in the farm system. Ruiz is expendable with Will Smith thriving at the big-league level and Betts is someone who the Dodgers could extend.

However, I would not be surprised if the Red Sox hold onto Betts and hope that they can again be World Series contenders and then end up trading him at the deadline, similar to Manny Machado. This is great for the Dodgers as the cost at the deadline would be less and they might only need to send Ruiz and another mid-tier prospect.

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What do you think the Los Angeles Dodgers do moving forward? A lot of fans are pessimistic, but the way I am looking at it, even if they don’t make any more moves the team has already gotten better with Treinen and won 106 games last season. They will be in a position to win the World Series again, which is all you can ask for.

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