A surprise team has emerged as a potential spoiler for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offseason plans: the Miami Marlins.
According to Marlins beat writers, the Fish have made their interest known in one former Dodger who is currently a free agent, as well as another free agent who has been identified as a potential Dodgers target.
The first is Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia, who enters free agency at 30 years after recording a 2.64 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 72 appearances for Los Angeles this past season.
Vesia has been a mainstay in the Dodgers bullpen since 2021 and is undoubtedly manager Dave Roberts’ most trusted high-leverage “fireman” reliever.
He made only $3.65 million last season, and he’s due for a big payday as the No. 27-ranked free agent, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
Vesia’s standing in the Dodgers clubhouse, his status as a fan favorite, and Roberts’ reliance on him to get out of a jam make a compelling case for a reunion. The Dodgers need bullpen help, as the group underperformed mightily down the stretch.
Dodgers Dynasty predicted Alex Vesia would re-sign with L.A. on a team-friendly deal.
But the emergence of Miami, the team that actually drafted him almost a decade ago, throws a wrench into things.
Kevin Barral of Fish on First reports that the Marlins are interested in signing Vesia to fill out its bullpen. The Marlins are eyeing several relievers on the open market, but the left-handed Vesia is among the highest priorities for GM Gabe Kapler and President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix.
“[Vesia’s] unique arm angle has consistently made his four-seamer effective despite below-average velocity. Vesia can get out batters from both sides with ease, which makes him an option to enter games at any time. He is also a great high-leverage option,” Barral writes of the Cal State East Bay product.
The Marlins entering the mix is good for Vesia, but not-great for the Dodgers, who have several big-time financial questions to answer, including the offseason’s biggest unknown: where will Tarik Skubal play in 2027?
The Dodgers are going to have to spend BIG to keep Skubal, and any price inflation on their lower priority free agents (Vesia should be the team’s No. 2 priority) means Andrew Friedman might have some difficult decisions to make.
Marlins interested in a potential Dodgers target
While Vesia seems to be the most realistic target for Miami, the team is also sniffing around the top reliever on the market, Padres’ lefty Adrián Morejón.
In eight years with the Padres, Morejón’s regular season stats are 3.26 ERA, a 3.04 FIP with 262 hits allowed and 89 batters walked across 298.1 innings pitched. His combined ERA over the past three seasons is a ridiculous 2.58 in 211 appearances.
Morejón is by all accounts the top bullpen arm in the free agency pool, and at only 28 years old when next season starts, his market should be robust, to say the least.
With a high price tag likely, the Dodgers have become a logical landing spot for Morejón for various reasons. The Dodgers have signed the top reliever in free agency in back-to-back seasons (first Tanner Scott and then Edwin Díaz), it’s a signing that would hurt their NL West rivals, and the team needs to get younger across the board.
If Vesia or other free-agent reliever Evan Phillips were to depart, Morejón would become a near-necessity for Los Angeles.
But the Marlins, Barral says, could make a run at the Cuban-born Morejón.
“The Marlins would have to go against their past behavior to get a deal done because Morejón will have a qualifying offer attached to him,” Barral writes. That means whatever team signs him, assuming he leaves San Diego, will owe draft pick compensation while also having to pay him one of the richest reliever deals in MLB.
As MLB Trade Rumors notes, Marlins owner Bruce Sherman would likely have to dish out the biggest contract he’s ever made since taking over the team in 2017. The biggest Marlins free agent contract to date was Avisail Garcia’s four-year, $53 million deal; Morejón is expected to get significantly more than that.
For those reasons, the Marlins would likely prefer to go shopping in the (relative) bargain bin—hence Alex Vesia. Barral notes that Miami could also look at Chicago White Sox reliever Sean Newcomb to fill the lefty reliever role in the bullpen, although Vesia is the preferred option.
Dodgers Dynasty has compiled a list of current Dodgers free agents, as well as predictions about where they might land.
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