Decisions for Dodgers as Astros appear set
The Dodgers finished one win shy of their first World Series championship in 29 years. After a dud of a Game 7 against Houston, it’s time to start over.
Well, not entirely over. Not with young infielders like Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger, and, of course, lefty Clayton Kershaw.
There are decisions to make this winter, however.
Among them is the fate of a batch of possible free agents: pitcher Yu Darvish; second baseman Logan Forsythe; outfielders Andre Ethier, Curtis Granderson and Franklin Gutierrez; pitchers Brandon Morrow and Tony Watson; and infielder Chase Utley.
Darvish crashed in Game 7, giving up five runs — four earned — and three hits. The Japanese pitcher didn’t record a strikeout and walked one in his second World Series outing of less than two innings. Still, he wants to stay in LA. “I would like to come back in the World Series, and I want to pitch better,” he said through an interpreter after the 5- 1 loss Wednesday night. “I just want to come back and pitch better. It’s tough, but personally I want to come back to the Dodgers.”
The Dodgers have an $ 8.5 million club option with a $ 1 million buyout for Forsythe. They have a $ 17.5 million club option with a $ 2.5 million buyout on Ethier.
Bellinger struck out a Seriesrecord 17 times, but he is the favorite for NL Rookie of the Year. His emergence at first base eclipsed Adrian Gonzalez, who went on the disabled list for the first time in his career to make room on the roster for Bellinger. Gonzalez was sidelined with a back problem late in the season and was left off the playoff roster, making his future in L. A. uncertain.
The Dodgers have nine arbitrationeligible players: pitchers Luis Avilan, Pedro Baez, Tony Cingrani, Josh Fields, Yimi Garcia and Alex Wood, along with catcher Yasmani Grandal, infielder- outfielder Enrique Hernandez and outfielder Joc Pederson.
The club boasted baseball’s highest payroll of $ 240 million, and it’s in line to get a luxury tax bill of about $ 34 million.
Also on the minds of the front office is Seager, the shortstop whose right elbow has bothered him for weeks. It affected his throwing more than his hitting, and Seager suggested there were issues he would need to address in the offseason.
Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt’s contract expired after the World Series, and neither he nor the club has indicated what his future is. Honeycutt is the only pitching coach Kershaw has had in the majors, and Honeycutt’s departure would be a significant loss.
Meanwhile, in Houston: It’s not just one World Series title that has Houston excited. With Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, George Springer and more set for years, the Astros should be a force for some time.
Houston’s plan to endure a difficult rebuild has put the team in a great position. No player in Houston’s starting lineup for Game 7 of the World Series will be a free agent before 2019.
Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel are under control until 2023, and Correa, an All- Star shortstop, can’t hit free agency until 2022. Springer, the World Series MVP, is under control through 2021, and young starter Lance McCullers Jr. is under team control until 2022.
While everyone else is chasing high- priced free agents, Houston should be set, especially after acquiring pitcher Justin Verlander on Aug. 31 from the Tigers. Verlander is owed $ 56 million over the next two seasons combined before possibly becoming a free agent.
Houston’s situation was made possible by patience from owner Jim Crane and general manager Jeff Luhnow. The Astros were the laughingstock of baseball after trading many players to shed payroll, losing 100 games each year from 2011 through ’ 13, including a franchiseworst 51- 111 mark in 2013.
With the losing came a bevy of high draft picks, and Houston hit big on a few of them. In Luhnow’s first draft in 2012, the Astros took Correa with the first overall pick and nabbed McCullers at 41st overall. In 2015, they grabbed Bregman with the second overall pick.