The Los Angeles Dodgers are the leading candidate to acquire Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda this offseason, according to an MLB.com report Tuesday.
Other teams expressed early interest in Maeda, notably two of the Dodgers' National League West rivals, the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants. Those two clubs, however, toned down their interest after each acquired a top starting pitcher before the end of the winter meetings.
The Dodgers, on the other hand, have struggled to bolster their pitching staff, having lost former Cy Young Award-winner Zack Greinke to the Diamondbacks as a free agent and declining to sign Seattle Mariners right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma due to health concerns.