Hisashi Iwakuma is on the Mariners again after the Dodgers backed out

Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage, and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s okay, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning, and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network, as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end, or at least until after you subscribe to the newsletter.

The Dodgers missed out on Zack Greinke, then quickly signed Hisashi Iwakuma to a three-year, $45 million deal. Iwakuma wasn’t meant to replace Greinke’s production to the thousandth of a WAR or anything like that, but he was taking up the roster spot that Greinke vacated by signing with the Diamondbacks. He was step one in a multi-step plan to make up for the loss of the Dodgers’ second ace. He’s no longer part of that plan, as something came up in his physical that caused Los Angeles to call off the deal. Now, Iwakuma is back with the Mariners, on a one-year deal with a pair of vesting options attached.

It’s unfortunate for the Dodgers, who not only lost Greinke but seem unlikely to pry Jose Fernandez from the Marlins. Their 2016 rotation, as of now, is Clayton Kershaw, Brett Anderson and Alex Wood, with Hyun-jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy eventually in the mix if they successfully return from injury. They’re talking about Frankie Montas, acquired in the three-team Todd Frazier deal, as a potential starter even though he should probably be in the pen. In short, the Dodgers have some work to do, as Iwakuma was a necessary piece of the puzzle.

For the Mariners, though, they’ve added Iwakuma after trading for Wade Miley, and suddenly, they look like they have a rotation, both in the present and for the next few years. Felix Hernandez is at the top, Iwakuma and Miley will follow, then Taijuan Walker and James Paxton will try to develop into the quality arms their prospectdom hinted at once more. It’s to be seen, as usual, if the lineup can do enough, but getting Iwakuma back will have significant influence on the Mariners’ fortunes in 2016.