Brett Anderson said he rejected multiyear deals to return to Dodgers

By accepting a qualifying offer from the Dodgers last week, Brett Anderson essentially settled for a one-year deal worth $15.8 million.

In doing so, the left-hander said he rejected multiyear contract proposals from other teams.

“There were some multiyear offers, but my situation was a little unique and I just kind of wanted to bet on myself,� Anderson said Monday in a conference call.

Anderson has positioned himself to reenter the free-agent market next winter at the age of 28. If the upcoming season unfolds as he imagines it will, he will be another year removed from a string of physical issues that labeled him as injury prone.

“Hopefully, get the stigma of a bad health record off my back, I can go into next year and see what happens,� he said.

The process of restoring his reputation started this season, when he made a career-high 31 starts and pitched 180 1/3 innings. The last time he pitched more than 100 innings was in 2010.

The free-agent class next year is expected to be significantly weaker in starting pitching, which could further improve Anderson’s chances of landing a more lucrative contract. The current free-agent class includes frontline starters such as Zack Greinke, David Price, Johnny Cueto and Jordan Zimmermann, as well as a strong group of second- and third-tier pitchers.

“Obviously, it’s kind of a record-setting year this year, with not only the numbers but the talent that’s going to be out there,� Anderson said.

Anderson said he spoke to the Dodgers “a little bit� about the possibility of a multiyear deal.

“They’ve obviously got a lot on their plate right now,� he said. “It might be one of those things you talk at a later date. As of right now, it’s just kind of go with this qualifying offer and see where that takes us.�

Anderson, who was 10-9 with a 3.69 earned-run average this year, said he also thinks he can improve his performance.

At this time last year, Anderson was recovering from a back operation. This year, he is expecting to have a “pseudo-normal� off-season.

“I think the biggest thing this off-season is doing more strength training and trying to stay strong for 30-plus starts rather than just trying to get my body able to get through the 30-plus starts,� he said.

He is hopeful the extra strength work will result in increased fastball and slider velocity, which, in turn, could result in more strikeouts.