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sports Monday 17 october 2022
Dodgers have much to contemplate during long winter

By BETH HARRIS training. The Dodgers fig- third in singles among MLB
AP Sports Writer ure to part ways with closer leaders. He sprained his
LOS ANGELES (AP) — After Craig Kimbrel, who was de- right ring finger in the eighth
all their gaudy statistics dur- moted from his ninth-inning inning of Game 3 against
ing the regular season — role with two weeks left in the Padres but started in
111 wins, Freddie Freeman the regular season and got Game 4.
and Trea Turner powering left off the postseason ros- OUT THE DOOR?
the offense — the Los An- ter. David Price has indicat-
geles Dodgers appeared TREA TURNER ed he plans to retire. The
on their way to fulfilling Turner becomes a free 37-year-old left-hander
manager Dave Roberts' agent after the World Se- was left off the division se-
spring prediction of anoth- ries ends and would be a ries roster after a wrist injury
er World Series victory. sought-after player among curtailed him in September.
Not so fast. what appears to be a Price, who won the World
The San Diego Padres strong shortstop class. Series with Boston in 2018,
squelched those plans, up- He made his second opted out of the 2020 sea- Members of the Los Angeles Dodgers look on from the dugout
setting the Dodgers in four straight All-Star appear- son because of the coro- during the ninth inning in Game 4 of a baseball NL Division Series
games to win their NL Divi- ance in his first full season navirus pandemic and was against the San Diego Padres, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, in San
sion Series and providing a with the Dodgers. used mostly as a reliever Diego.
stunning end to a historic After splitting time between over the last two seasons. Associated Press
season in Los Angeles. Washington and LA last OLD GUARD 2 for 13 in the NLDS. The pressing Roberts with his
"This was a really good year, Turner hit .298 and fin- The Dodgers hold a $16 mil- 37-year-old is a fan favor- ability to hit to all fields and
team, a really, really good ished second in hits behind lion team option for 2023 ite and a well-respected overall cool-headedness.
team," Freeman said. "Oc- teammate Freeman with on third baseman Justin voice in the clubhouse. But The Dodgers could choose
tober baseball can be bru- 194. Turner tied for second Turner, who hit .278 while the future already is here. to pay Turner's $2 million
tal and it happened for us." in at-bats and plate ap- splitting starts as the des- Miguel Vargas made the buyout and move on with
Two years removed from pearances, and tied for ignated hitter. He was just NLDS roster at age 22, im- Vargas at third.q
winning their World Series
championship in the pan-
demic bubble, the Dodg-
ers have much to contem-
plate and plenty of time to
do it during the long off-
season.
PITCHING
Walker Buehler is expected
to miss most and possibly
all of the 2023 season after
undergoing his second ca-
reer Tommy John surgery in
August.
Kershaw, the three-time Cy
Young Award winner who
turns 35 in March, has in-
dicated he'd like to return
to the only team he's ever
played for during his 15-
year career. He was on a
$17 million, one-year deal
this season.
Anderson, the All-Star left-
hander, had a breakout
season in his first year with
the Dodgers. The well-trav-
eled veteran had a 2.57
ERA in 178 2/3 innings.
Signed for $8.5 million
before the lockout be-
gan, Heaney started the
season on an encourag-
ing note but then missed
two stretches because
of shoulder strains. Mak-
ing his postseason debut,
the left-hander gave up a
home run to Trent Grisham
in a 2-1 loss to the Padres in
Game 3.
Dustin May and Blake Trein-
en returned from health is-
sues in time to make the
division series roster and
should be ready for spring