3 favorites to land Eduardo Rodriguez if geography isn’t an issue

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Well, we know the Los Angeles Dodgers want Rodriguez.

LA made a strong effort to acquire Rodriguez at the deadline and even agreed to a trade, which Rodriguez nixed. One has to imagine there are no hard feelings for the Dodgers, who could use a major facelift on the pitching front.

Clayton Kershaw is expected to hit free agency with his sights potentially on his hometown Texas Rangers. He underwent left shoulder surgery after the season and there is "growing sentiment" that 2023 might have been his last season with the Dodgers, according to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

Even if Kershaw does return, there's no telling how he will look in the aftermath of shoulder surgery. Kershaw saw a sharp decline in effectiveness late in the season, culminating with a ghastly six-run, one-out outing in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Beyond Kershaw, the Dodgers have 24-year-old Bobby Miller and Walker Buehler, fresh off Tommy John surgery, anchoring the rotation. Those are two potentially effective starters, but the Dodgers would prefer to have an experienced, healthy, recently successful ace in the mix. Especially if Kershaw isn't going to be back.

The Dodgers have been involved in the conversation around Shohei Ohtani and other top free agents. LA tends to spend big, so even if the team lures Ohtani with a record contract, Rodriguez isn't off the table. Given the established interest and Rodriguez's new open-mindedness with regard to locale, the Dodgers feel like a strong bet to acquire the 2019 Cy Young finalist.