The Dodgers were already thought to have baseball's deepest rotation, but that group got even deeper Friday with the announcement of Trevor Bauer's record-breaking deal. While the move is great for fans in Los Angeles, RDBL Front Offices are losing sleep tonight over the drop in value for a trio of starting pitchers.
The Alamo Short Stacks had Julio Urias (Minors) firmly in their plans for 2021 as a key activation for the starting rotation. Urias, coming off a dominant Playoff run, is the most likely to still hold down a rotation spot for the Dodgers to open the season alongside Bauer, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and David Price. But with the history of shoulder issues and his success out of the bullpen in the 2021 Playoffs, a swing role is far from out of the question for the left-hander which would be a big blow to the Stacks for this season.
The Lake Merced Goutfish have been entertaining offers for right-hander Tony Gonsolin (2FA/$5). Carrying a 2.31 ERA in 2020, the skills are certainly there for Gonsolin to be a major contributor but without a deal out of Los Angeles this Winter, he'll likely be pushed back into Free Agency. If he is retained, he could start the season in a RP slot for a RDBL club, though the upside is limited long-term as he enters the final year of his 2FA/$5 deal.
Rounding out the trio of stock drops is Free Agent right-hander Dustin May. May was set to be the 1st or 2nd pick in the 2020 Reserve Draft and was thought to be one of the more intriguing Free Agents available in Auction but a move back to the bullpen to open 2021 will certainly dip his value. The ability to lock him in on a three year deal will still have plenty of allure, but a pitcher once thought to command a $25+ contract now could be headed for single digits.
While much is made of Opening Day roles, the most likely scenario, which aligns with the Dodgers strategy for much of the last five or more seasons, is to mix and match all of these eight arms throughout the season. It's clear Los Angeles is a lock for the Playoffs and keeping all of their starters in a 150-160 innings range is in their best interest, even though it doesn't align with the wishes of their RDBL counterparts.
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