The Dodgers have ‘postponed’ their contract with pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma after reviewing the results of his physical, according to the Japanese news agency Asahi Shimbun.
It’s been more than a week (at least nine days to our knowledge) since Iwakuma and the Dodgers agreed to terms on a three-year, $45 million contract. The contract was believed to be contingent on just the physical, so it makes sense that the physical is the cause for the delay.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers are still active on the trade front:
Dodgers are in talks with rays about jake odorizzi
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 17, 2015
Odorizzi, a 25-year-old right-hander, went 9-9 with a 3.35 ERA (118 ERA+) in 2015. He was eighth in the 2014 American League Rookie of the Year voting.
The two acquisitions aren’t mutually exclusive. In theory, the Dodgers could still find a way to sign Iwakuma and trade for Odorizzi.
The sequence could be important. If Odorizzi were to join a rotation that already includes Clayton Kershaw, Brett Anderson, Alex Wood, Hyun-Jin Ryu and, at some point late in 2016, Brandon McCarthy, it’s one less reason for the Dodgers to extend themselves to sign an injured pitcher.