Report: Zimmermann among Dodgers' top targets
The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly keen to work out a new deal with Zack Greinke this offseason, but he isn't the only talented right-hander on the open market who's piqued the club's interest.
Jordan Zimmermann, a two-time All-Star who finished among the top seven in National League Cy Young voting twice in the past three years, is one of the Dodgers' top targets this winter, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The 29-year-old is attached to draft-pick compensation, though, after rejecting a one-year, $15.8-million qualifying offer from the Washington Nationals.
Though the Dodgers fielded one of the league's best rotations this season, their 2016 starting corps remains somewhat unsettled. Greinke's future in Los Angeles remains uncertain and Hyun-jin Ryu's health is still in question, while Brandon McCarthy continues to recover from Tommy John surgery and top prospect Julio Urias is poised to open the season in Triple-A.
Projected 2016 rotation
| Pitcher | 2015 ERA |
|---|---|
| Clayton Kershaw | 2.13 |
| Brett Anderson | 3.69 |
| Hyun-jin Ryu | -.-- |
| Alex Wood | 4.35 |
| Mike Bolsinger | 3.620 |
Zimmermann, meanwhile, remains one of the top starters available in free agency - along with Greinke, David Price, and Johnny Cueto - despite regressing a bit in 2015. Though Zimmermann still managed a 3.66 ERA (110 ERA+) over 33 starts, his strikeout rate dropped three percent from 2014 and he posted the third-worst strikeout rate in the majors after the All-Star break (1.60 per nine innings).
Still, the former second-round pick ranks sixth among National League starters in WAR (18.6) since 2011, while his park-adjusted ERA (82 ERA-) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.31) are both among the top 12 in the league over that span.