Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — Will the last free agent to leave the Dodgers kindly turn off the lights? Your Boys in Blue continue to shed roster positions and salary commitments at the Winter Meetings in San Diego.
One day after losing shortstop Trea Turner to the Phillies, the Dodgers lost out on two of their better arms on Tuesday, losing both starter Andrew Heaney and reliever Tommy Kahnle to the American League.
The most impactful arm for the Dodgers in this duo was Heaney, who fought through injury to put up some pretty decent numbers as a left-handed starter for the Dodgers. After an amazing start to the season, Heaney was on the IL for much of the early going, and was less effective in the second half of the year, when he gave up more home runs than anybody wanted to see. However, his ability to get strikeouts, including a lot of swing-and-miss strikeouts, was a valuable asset for the team as they dealt with injuries to both Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw after the All Star Break. He ended the year with 16 appearances for the Dodgers, posting a 3.10 ERA and a 4-4 record on the season.
Now it looks like he’ll be joining former Dodger Corey Seager in north Texas, to play for the Rangers.
As for Kahnle, he was a bit of a bust with the Dodgers. Though he pitched well, he didn’t get nearly enough innings of work to justify the expense of the two-year deal that the Dodgers doled out after the 2020 season. And, of course, he was the pitcher on the mound at the beginning of that inning in San Diego when the Dodgers’ postseason dreams evaporated. For the 2022 regular season, Kahnle appeared in 13 games with a solid 2.84 ERA over 12.2 innings of work.
But after becoming a free agent at the end of the year, it looks like a reunion with his old club the New York Yankees is on the table.
Meanwhile, Cody Bellinger, already non-tendered by the Dodgers, appears to be getting quite a lot of interest from around the league. I’ve heard the Rockies mentioned most often, with that big centerfield of theirs it makes sense, but other teams seem to be in the running as well. And, with the overheated market right now, it’s doubtful the Dodgers are going to be players for him, especially if it’s going to cost $20 million to bring him back.
And, I’m hearing that Judge might be headed to the Giants. Things are getting interesting, indeed. Oh lawdy!
UPDATE: Since this post, it was announced that Cody will be heading to Wrigleyville next season. Good luck in Chicago, Cody. Hopefully, you can rediscover whatever it is you lost….
![Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias throws to the plate during the first inning of a ... [+]COPYRIGHT 2022 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.](https://i0.wp.com/dodgersbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/960x0.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)