Heading into the offseason the Los Angeles Dodgers were pegged by many to be among the teams expected to pursue Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg. Indications are they met with each of the three, but only Rendon remains available.
Strasburg was the first domino to fall, agreeing to a record-breaking seven-year contract with the Washington Nationals on the first day of the Winter Meetings. Cole then was next, breaking the records Strasburg secured with his nine-year, $324 million deal with the New York Yankees.
All the while the Dodgers have been identified as one of the favorites to sign Rendon. However, in the immediate aftermath of Cole and the Yankees agreeing to a contract, the Dodgers’ focus reportedly shifted to Madison Bumgarner.
As Rendon continues to mull over his offers, the Dodgers may no longer be part of the equation, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:
#Dodgers pessimistic on chances of landing free-agent third baseman Anthony Rendon, sources tell The Athletic. #Rangers remain heavily involved. #Angels also interested, too. #Nationals a long shot; Rendon balked at deferrals in their initial seven-year, $210M-$215M offer.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2019
At the outset of free agency Rendon appeared the most likely to land with the Dodgers in large part due to a perceived willingness he would be open to signing a short-term contract. However, that’s been dispelled with Scott Boras seeking seven-year deals for Rendon.
The L.A. Angels’ involvement has seemingly picked up as they too were among the teams that missed out on Cole. Meanwhile, Strasburg is attempting to recruit the third baseman back to the Nationals, even if his deal would include deferred salary.
The 29-year-old is coming off a career season in which he hit .319/.412/.598 with 44 doubles, 34 home runs and 126 RBI over 146 games. He carried that success into the postseason as the Nationals went on to win their first World Series.
Rendon earned a first All-Star Game selection, won a Silver Slugger Award and finished third in MVP voting.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events and more!
