Anderson's departure adds wrinkle to Dodgers' pitching plans

LOS ANGELES -- Left-hander Tyler Anderson had a huge decision to make on Tuesday. He could accept the Dodgers’ one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offer or he could decline it in order to pursue a multiyear deal.

In the end, Anderson is staying in Southern California, but he’ll play for the crosstown Angels, after he opted to decline the Dodgers’ offer to sign a three-year, $39 million deal with the Halos, a source confirmed to MLB.com.

Anderson bet on himself last offseason, turning down multiple offers to sign with the Dodgers. He cashed in on that bet with his best season as a pro, going 15-5 with a 2.57 ERA and earning his first All-Star Game bid.

Anderson enjoyed his time as a Dodger, according to a source. He strongly considered returning, but when the opportunity to sign a multiyear deal was presented to him, it was too good to pass up. The Dodgers, on the other hand, weren’t going to offer Anderson a three-year contract.

Because the Dodgers extended Anderson a qualifying offer, they will receive a compensation Draft pick after the fourth round.

Shortstop Trea Turner also declined his qualifying offer, which was widely expected. The Dodgers will receive another comp pick if Turner signs elsewhere, which has become increasingly more likely as the offseason continues to unfold.

• Tracking qualifying offer decisions

Adding starting pitching was the biggest priority for the Dodgers, and that will be even more at the forefront with Anderson heading to Anaheim. They are close to coming to terms with Clayton Kershaw on a one-year deal. That move will likely become official within a week.

But even with Kershaw set to come back, the Dodgers have some big question marks outside of Julio Urías, who is one of the three finalists for the National League Cy Young Award. Los Angeles has Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May, who are full of potential but have their own injury histories. Kershaw also missed two months last season with multiple back injuries. Walker Buehler is expected to miss most of 2023, if not the entire season, following Tommy John surgery in August.

After those four, the Dodgers have a lot of unknowns in the rotation. Ryan Pepiot, Michael Grove and Andre Jackson all have some big league experience. Pepiot is expected to get a runway to win a job this spring. Top prospects Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone will also get an extended look.

Replacing Anderson won’t be an easy task, however. It was an unexpected end to his tenure with the Dodgers, setting up a critical few months for president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes.