October 25th, 2013 at 6:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka We all heard the hype and hoopla – ‘Local kid Ricky Nolasco finally gets to play for the Dodgers, the team that he grew up watching at Dodger Stadium as a kid.’
It was fun, it was exciting, it was the ultimate feel-good story… and it is now nothing more than a distant memory.
After the Dodgers were eliminated from the postseason, due in large part to Nolasco losing Game-4 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium after giving up 3 runs in the third inning, Nolasco immediately became a free agent. It was his fourth consecutive start in which he gave up three or more runs in a single inning, with the others being a 3-run, a 6-run and a 7-run inning.
Although it was fun while it lasted, Ricky Nolasco very well may have already pitched his final game for his hometown Dodgers.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
To his credit, Nolasco ended the regular season with the Dodgers with a respectable 8-3 record and 3.52 ERA. Unfortunately, his ERA in his last three starts (not counting the NLCS game) was a horrible 12.75; and were it not for the Dodgers great offense and even greater bullpen, Nolasco would have ended the season 8-6.
You don’t have to look very hard to see that the market for top-of-the-rotation free agent starting pitchers will be slim this off-season – extremely slim, in fact. And though Nolasco ended the 2013 season with a fizzle, it is very likely that he will still be among the most sought-after free agent starting pitchers on the market this winter and could very well land a multi-year deal north of $50 million.
But wait a minute… what happened to the: “Going to play for the Dodgers, the team that I have always rooted for, is a dream come true” stuff that Nolasco said on the very day that he was traded from the lowly Marlins to the postseason bound Dodgers? Won’t he be willing to give the Dodgers a ‘hometown discount’ like Jared Weaver did with the Angels a few years ago?
Don’t count on it. It’s all about the money, folks – and money trumps feel-good stories every time.
Will the Dodgers even make Nolasco a qualifying offer, which is $14.1 million this off-season (up $800,000 from last season)? My guess is yes – if for no other reason than to avoid losing a draft pick. But why on earth would Nolasco ever accept a one-year/$14.1 million qualifying offer from his “dream come true” Dodgers when he will undoubtedly receive several multi-year offers for a lot more money on the free agent market? Multi-year deals are huge when you are turning 31 years old in December. The bottom line is that he won’t.
For as poorly as Nolasco ended the regular season, the Dodgers other late season acquisition, Edinson Volquez, finished rather well. Although going 0-1 in his final three starts of the regular season, Volquez had an ERA of 3.17 in those three games (17 innings pitched). Whereas it is very unlikely that Nolasco will accept a qualifying offer from the Dodgers, it is quite possible that the 30-year-old Volquez, who is at best a number 4 or number 5 guy, just might – if the Dodgers even want to keep him.
Edinson Volquez struggled when he first arrived with the Dodgers but after correcting a mechanical flaw spotted in his delivery, he finished the season strong. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
Although nobody knows for sure what Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti will due this off-season, he has already tipped his hand that the Dodgers are in hard on 24-year-old Japanese phenom right-hander Masahiro Tanaka. Should the Dodgers land Tanaka, that would give them a starting rotation of Kershaw, Greinke, Ryu and Tanaka. Word has it that the Dodgers might even make a run at 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner David Price from the Tampa Bay Rays. Can you even imagine having a starting rotation with three Cy Young Award winners in it? Yikes!
So just how badly does Ricky Nolasco really wants to be a Dodger? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
Stay tuned…
Posted in 
Good points.
He wanted to pitch for the Dodgers, and he did, only to be dumped from the post season roster. That tells me the Dodgers may not think that much of him. And you’re right, if the money is offered from some other party, he’ll take it.
With that said, I have no problem with him starting the year in the rotation. I also hope Beckett is back strong. And of course, I hope we land Tanaka. Sorting that problem out would be one any GM would love to do.
RT @Think_BlueLA: New post: How badly does Ricky Nolasco really want to be a Dodger? – http://t.co/ALTd6Kxrf6 #Dodgers #Dodgerfam
@Think_BlueLA Wouldn’t be surprised to see him in a Angel uniform next year.
This article, I can see, is mostly about Ricky Nolasco and how much he wants to remain a Dodger. Something happen to him or the league somehow got his number. He definitely wasn’t the same pitcher in his last four starts.
That said, aside from Kershaw, Greinke and Ryu there wasn’t anything sensational about the rest of the starting rotation when the season came to an end.
IMO the Dodgers are in need of a 4th and 5th starter.
I think it’s a little unfair to judge nolasco on that stretch of bad starts, it happens to a lot of pitchers. He was really great prior to that. I don’t want him on the rotation though. Tanaka, Lee, and Beckett pls
I wasn’t judging him on his last four performances (although they were really bad at the worst possible time), I was merely pointing them out – just as I pointed out his overall 8-3/3.52 ERA.
The point is, is he worth the 1 yr/$14.1M qualifying offer? I say he is not worth that but it is definitely worth making the offer so the Dodgers do not lose a draft pick.
I would like to see Beckett make a comeback, but I expect to see him retire instead.
How do you figure not offering Nolasco a qualifying offer would cost the Dodgers a draft pick?
I’m sorry Norm, I should have explained that better.
If a team makes a qualifying offer to their free agent and the player declines and signs with another team, the original team receives a compensation draft pick at the end of the first round and the new signing team loses a first round draft pick.
This is what I meant when I said that the Dodgers would lose a draft pick if they don’t make Nolasco a qualifying offer. It’s not that they actually lose a draft pick, it’s that they do not pick up a (free) compensation draft pick, which is huge.
This is why I think the Dodgers should make Nolasco a qualifying offer – because he will never agree to a one-year/$14.1 million offer when he will receive a multi-year/multi-million dollar contract elsewhere (probably several).
Sorry for the confusion.
Perhaps this explains it better: Free-agent qualifying offers set at $14.1 million
Ron, qualifying offers don’t apply to players who were acquired via trade during the season. They need to have spent the entire season on one team. In a similar situation, the Angels were not able to make a qualifying offer to Greinke last season.
You are right. I now recall that discussion when the Dodgers signed Zack.
I apologize and stand corrected.
I couldn’t find a way to reply to your last comment, Ron. There’s certainly no need for an apology. As far as signing Nolasco, I’m also not certain how I feel about it. I guess the bidding war for Tanaka should help clarify matters.
Just don’t see him coming back. Someone will make him an offer he can’t refuse. If the Dodgers make any move for a top rung starter, he will not be needed. They should have Billingsley and/or Beckett back at some point and Nolasco will command a hefty price in a down year for starters. Just don’t see many scenarios where he comes back but then again I am a little thriftier in my mentality than the Dodgers are right now — haha.
I heard today that the Yankees might be in on Ricky, which doesn’t surprise me at all.
How badly does Ricky Nolasco really want to be a Dodger? – http://t.co/rNTj32sXH8 #Dodgers #Dodgerfam” @RNolasco47 isn’t about $.family 1st.
So much for that “@RNolasco47 isn’t about $…” thing – he wants $80 million.