The Los Angeles Dodgers roster will need to be made up of a variety of a variety of different contracts. Their most famous (or infamous) contracts are protracted and include gobs of deferred money.
With those on the books, short-term deals will be a necessity.
Recent reporting suggests two top free agents are “considering short-term deals with high average annual values.”
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According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, free agents Jack Flaherty and Anthony Santander are open to exploring exactly that.
This approach mirrors the strategy employed by Blake Snell last season when he signed a two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants, including an opt-out clause after the 2024 season. Snell is now on a lucrative five-year deal with the Dodgers
For Flaherty, a contract with an opt-out clause after the 2025 season offers a strategic advantage. This structure would enable him to demonstrate his consistency and potentially command a more lucrative contract in the subsequent free agency period.
While Flaherty enjoyed a strong regular season with the Detroit Tigers and the Dodgers, his postseason performance was less impressive.
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Furthermore, as noted by Rosenthal and Sammon, the absence of a qualifying offer in his current contract could potentially limit his free-agent appeal in 2026.
In contrast to Flaherty, Anthony Santander received a qualifying offer from the Baltimore Orioles this offseason, making him ineligible for a qualifying offer in the subsequent season.
This factor may have contributed to Santander’s continued presence on the free agent market, despite his impressive 2024 season, which saw him achieve career highs with 44 home runs and 102 RBIs.
By signing a short-term deal this winter, Santander can potentially enhance his market value in 2025, particularly given the decline in his batting average to .235 during his final season with the Orioles.