The Dodgers already appear to be doing their due diligence on the top notch free agents this winter and have met with former Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg, per Chris Lingebach of 106.7 The Fan, a radio station based in Washington, D.C..
In addition, Lingebach mentioned that Strasburg plans to meet with other teams on the west coast this week, likely including the Angels, Padres, and Giants. The Angels and Padres appear to be two front-runners for Strasburg’s services at this juncture with the incumbent Washington Nationals in the fray as well.
Per @Russellmania621, Stephen Strasburg met with the Dodgers last week, and is meeting with other west coast teams this week. https://t.co/Ih37s6fzPc
— Chris Lingebach (@ChrisLingebach) December 2, 2019
Stephen Strasburg grew up in Southern California, but closer to the San Diego area. He went to school in Santee, California, about 20 miles from Petco Park. Also adding to the San Diego ties, Strasburg attended and was drafted from San Diego State. It would not be surprising to see the Padres make a significant offer to the right-hander, even after giving lucrative deals to first baseman Eric Hosmer and third baseman Manny Machado. They have the young core of players and prospects — maybe Strasburg is the piece that catapults them into contention.
For the Dodgers’ sake, Strasburg could fortify their rotation in a big way. He is historically an excellent postseason pitcher and was one of the key reasons the Nationals won the World Series in 2019. He has been one of the best pitchers in the game for quite some time, but injuries have always been somewhat of a concern — the Dodgers are probably fine with that given recent history.
Strasburg had an excellent 2019 campaign, posting a 3.32 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across 33 starts. His DRA showed even better skill, seen at a 2.13 mark. For his career, he holds a 2.49 DRA.
