December 18:
After problems arose with Iwakuma’s physical earlier today leading to his deal with the Dodgers falling through, the Mariners have now re-signed the righty to a one-year deal with vesting options for 2017 and 2018, according to the club on Twitter.
Iwakuma reportedly had a three-year, $45 million deal pact in line with the Dodgers, but a deal was never formally announced by the club, most likely due to the aforementioned complications with his physical.
It’s been a frustrating offseason for the Dodgers, after failing to re-sign Zack Greinke, failing to trade for Aroldis Chapman, and now having their deal with Iwakuma fall through. Yikes.
December 6:
According to Jon Heyman on Twitter, the Los Angeles Dodgers and starting pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma have reportedly agreed to a three-year deal. The dollars have yet to be reported.
Iwakuma spent the last four seasons with the Seattle Mariners, pitching to a 47-25 record and a 3.17 ERA with a 7.7 K/9, and has proved to be a top of the line starter since his debut in 2012.
After failing to re-sign Zack Greinke, the Dodgers needed to make a move to fill a big hole in their rotation.
Iwakuma, going into his age 35 season, was most likely appealing to Los Angeles because he wasn’t seeking a long term (4+ years), expensive deal, but should still prove to be a quality addition to the Dodgers rotation.
The Dodgers have been actively looking to bolster their pitching staff, as there were also reports that they were linked to Aroldis Chapman earlier today as well.
