Alex Vesia was a fixture in the Dodgers bullpen for the last six seasons, after getting acquired from the Miami Marlins ahead of the 2021 season. So much so that his 367 games pitched are 13th-most in Dodgers history, and seventh-most among relievers in franchise history.
Now, Vesia is one of nine Dodgers free agents, out on the open market for the first time in his career, heading into his age-31 season.
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Vesia during this three years eligible for salary arbitration made a total of $6.9 million, including $3.65 million in 2026. He’s bound to top that three-year total annually with whatever new deal he signs in free agency. Here are some projections for Vesia from various outlets:
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FanGraphs (median crowdsource): 2 years, $16 million
Among all free agents, a pool of at least 183 players as of Monday, Vesia ranks as high as the 27th-best free agent on the market — at both ESPN and MLB Trade Rumors — and as low as 54th at USA Today, with an average ranking of 37th across 11 different outlets.
Alex Vesia free agent rankings
But Vesia is arguably the second-best left-handed relief pitcher on the market, behind only Adrián Morejón, who received a qualifying offer from the San Diego Padres. There will definitely be a market for Vesia.
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“Vesia peppers the top of the zone with his 90-94 mph fastball that has huge ride, created by his high arm slot, the most vertical arm slot in baseball,” Kiley McDaniel wrote at ESPN. “That unique combination of traits leads to odd angles and more whiffs than you’d expect, as well as pop-ups, but also a number of fly balls and walks. It all adds up to a setup-type reliever who should land a two- or even three-year deal.”
Over the last three seasons, among the 392 major league pitchers with at least 120 innings, Vesia ranks 14th in ERA (2.45), 16th in xERA (2.81), and 12th in strikeout rate (32.7 percent). He also has the 18th-highest walk rate among that group (11.8 percent), but has still made it work, all while pitching in the seventh-most games in the majors, 207 appearances over the last three years.
In 2026, Vesia led the Dodgers with 72 appearances and posted a 2.64 ERA, 2.68 xERA, and 31.2-percent strikeout rate, the fifth time his strikeout rate has exceeded 31 percent in six years with the Dodgers. His 13.5-percent walk rate was his highest since 2021.
“The concern here is that Vesia’s fastball velocity has dropped slightly each season, going from a peak of 94.4 mph in 2023 to 92.1 mph in 2026,” Matthew Pouliot wrote at NBC Sports. “It hasn’t been a problem yet, but it eventually will become one if it continues. Still, he’d be a nice fit everywhere.”
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Today’s question is twofold: What contract (years and guaranteed money) will Alex Vesia sign this offseason, and with what team will he sign?
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
