ESPN writers all over Cease if LA doesn't sign Yamamoto
Gonzalez: They should trade for Dylan Cease, who comes with two years of control and has the type of stuff that can pave the way for the Dodgers to get him back to his Cy Young-contending play of 2022. Then they should sign someone like Lucas Giolito or Marcus Stroman. After that, acquire another corner outfielder to plug into an outfield mix that could use a little more certainty. The real prize, though, would be to just go out and sign Yamamoto. They'd love nothing more -- but it would mean spending $1 billion on two players in one offseason. Unlikely, of course. But if anyone can do that, it's them.
McDaniel: The high-end starting pitchers still available via trade (Corbin Burnes, Tyler Glasnow, Dylan Cease) or free agency (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell) have to go to the top of the list. There's plenty of young talent in L.A.'s system to make a trade happen, but adding Yamamoto would be the boldest move possible at this point and doesn't seem far-fetched at all.
Schoenfield: Hey, this is a team without an ace right now -- when in the recent past they've had guys like Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias and Max Scherzer to front the rotation. What's another $30 million a year or more for Yamamoto? This is where we remind you: Despite all their massive success over the past decade, the Dodgers haven't won a World Series in a 162-game season in 35 years (no, the COVID title isn't quite the same thing). Yamamoto or bust!
Rogers: Their next three moves should all be for starting pitching or else Ohtani's signing will be a waste. Adding Yoshinobu Yamamoto or trading for Dylan Cease seem reasonable enough. But they can work their way down the ladder as Jordan Montgomery, Shota Imanaga and Mike Clevinger all fit as well. L.A. needs top and middle of the rotation guys. Inventory is important here.
Olney: They need cheap starting pitching desperately, and Cease fits that description perfectly -- he's eligible for salary arbitration this year and next year, at relatively reasonable prices, and he would give the Dodgers the kind of innings volume they really need.