Fresh off World Series Win, Dodgers Add Even More Talent in Quest for World Series Repeat

Blake Snell – Fresh off a World Series win, the Dodgers made an early splash in free agency, landing 2 time Cy Young winner, Blake Snell, adding another frontline starter to the rotation. Snell broke the news himself on Instagram Wednesday night, posting a picture of himself in a Dodgers uniform. Snell should be pretty familiar to Dodger fans, pitching against LA in the World Series back in 2020, as well as LA’s division rivals in San Diego and San Francisco. Last season, Snell pitched well for the Giants, posting a 3.12 ERA with a 34.7% strikeout rate. Snell falls under the 98th percentile in whiff rate and throws electric stuff. Snell’s best game of the season came against the Reds, when he threw a no-hitter in Cincinnati. Snell will receive $182M over the next 5 years with LA with $66M of it being deferred. Snell adds to an already elite rotation, making the Dodgers even scarier. (Reported 11/27/24) – 11/31/24

Tommy Edman – The Dodgers inked super utilityman Tommy Edman to a 5 year extension. Edman, who was acquired from St. Louis at the trade deadline, immediately made an impact in LA. Edman’s versatility offensively and defensively was crucial in LA’s World Series run. Edman left his mark in the Postseason. The NLCS MVP slashed .328 with an .862 OPS in 16 Postseason games, while crushing 2 homers and driving in 13 runs. Edman’s ability to play the most premium positions on the diamond at an above-average level gave LA a solid option to plug in at shortstop and center field. Edman will receive $74M over the next 5 years with a club option for the 2030 season. – 11/29/24

Michael Conforto – LA added to their outfield picture, signing veteran outfielder Michael Conforto to a 1 year, $17 million dollar deal. Conforto has a career slash line of .251 with a .804 OPS, with 167 career home runs across 9 seasons in the majors. Last season with the Giants, Conforto went deep 20 times, hitting .237 with a .759 OPS. Conforto will most likely be used in a platoon role in left field, with the majority of his playing time coming against right-handed pitching. (Reported 12/8/24) – 12/10/24

Blake Treinen – The Dodgers re-signed arguably their best reliever in Blake Treinen to a 2 year deal for $22 million. Treinen was one of the most important pieces in LA’s World Series run. Treinen threw over 40 pitches numerous times throughout the Postseason, notching 3 saves. Treinen posted a 2.19 ERA in 9 appearances and struck out 18 batters. Treinen will remain one of the most trusted options out of the bullpen for Dave Roberts to turn to for the next couple of years. (Reported 12/8/24) – 12/10/24

Teoscar Hernandez – After a long staring contest, the Dodgers finally brought back All-Star slugger Teoscar Hernandez on a 3 year, $66 million deal. Teo was arguably one of the most important pieces in LA’s World Series run. Hernandez bet on himself following a down year in Seattle, signing a 1 year deal with LA and put together the best season of his career, slashing .272 with an .808 OPS, while slugging a career high, 33 home runs. He also became the first Dodger to win the Home Run Derby and was selected to the NL All Star team. But the main reason Teo was brought back was because of his poise at the plate and ability to come through with a big hit in clutch situations. From his offensive outburst in the Yankees series at Yankee Stadium back in June to his big hits throughout the Postseason, Teoscar showed that the brighter the lights were, the more he shined. It was clear that the Dodgers needed Teo and he needed the Dodgers and at the end, both sides were able to come to terms on a new deal. (Reported 12/27/24) – 1/3/25

Hyeseong Kim – Minutes after the Dodgers officially announced the Teoscar Hernandez signing, LA landed Korean second baseman Hyeseong Kim to a 3 year, $12.5 million deal with a club option for 2028-29. Kim brings a different hitting profile to LA, known more as a bat to ball type hitter, bringing a different dynamic to a lineup with a lot of swing and miss. Kim had a career .304 batting average in 8 years in the KBO and hit a career-high 11 home runs in 2024. Kim is also very versatile defensively, spending the majority of his time in the KBO at second base and shortstop. Apparently when the Dodgers played an exhibition game against Korea prior to the Seoul Series, scouts were impressed with Kim, who roped a double off the wall in his first at-bat of the game. Kim will serve a super utility role in LA and will look to add to an already loaded team. – 1/3/25

Roki Sasaki – The Dodgers have kept on adding to an already incredible roster, landing Japanese ace Roki Sasaki. Sasaki is just 23 years old and is an elite starting pitcher, making him very intriguing since it is rare to find this sort of talent at his age on the free agent market. The Dodgers have been scouting Sasaki for a while and are now able to add him to an already elite rotation including newly acquired starter Blake Snell, as well as Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Not to mention, Shohei Ohtani will be joining the starting staff in May. Sasaki has the potential to be the best pitcher to ever come out of Japan. Since he is considered an amateur international free agent, all 30 teams had an equal shot to land him since he could only be paid international bonus pool money which was capped at $10 million. Sasaki narrowed his list down to the Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Padres, and ended up picking LA. Roki comes with 6 years of club control and will earn rookie salary along with a $6.5 million signing bonus. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is said to have played a big part in Sasaki’s signing after coming from Japan last season and making the transition from NPB to MLB, signing with LA last offseason with the most lucrative deal for a starting pitcher in MLB history. Dodger fans will get to see Sasaki develop and hopefully turn into one of the best pitchers in baseball. (Reported 1/17/25) – 1/22/25

Tanner Scott – The Dodgers weren’t done yet, signing the best reliever on the free agent market in Tanner Scott to a 4 year, $72 million deal. Tanner Scott is arguably one of the best relievers in baseball and joins an already elite bullpen that carried the Dodgers pitching staff in their 2024 World Series run. Scott had a rough start to his career struggling in his first 6 years of his career but once he was traded from Baltimore to Miami, he had a career year in 2023, posting a 2.31 ERA in 74 appearances. Scott continued his success in 2024 putting up a 1.18 ERA, holding opponents to a .127 batting average in 44 games, and was selected as an All-Star for the first time in his career, before getting dealt at the trade deadline to the Padres. Scott wasn’t as sharp in San Diego but finished the season with a 1.72 ERA. Scott was incredible in the Postseason too. In the division series Scott faced Shohei Ohtani and struck him out all 4 times. It’s rare for LA to pay relievers this amount of money but Scott was too good to pass up. LA also deferred $21 million of the deal. The 30 year old lefty will give LA’s bullpen more balance, as the Dodgers now have 3 lefties to turn to in the late innings. (Reported 1/19/25) – 1/23/25

Kirby Yates – Just 2 days later, the Dodgers added another elite arm to the mix, signing 2-time All-Star reliever Kirby Yates to a 1 year $13 million deal. The veteran reliever has a career 3.17 ERA across 10 major league seasons. Last season Yates was unhittable holding opponents to a .113 batting average over 61 appearances, while posting a career best 1.17 ERA. Yates was also selected as an All Star. However, some bad news came following the signing as reliever Michael Kopech was diagnosed with a forearm injury. Yates will hope to contribute to LA’s already loaded pen, forming arguably the best bullpen in baseball. (Reported 1/21/25) – 1/30/25

Kike Hernandez – A day before pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training, the Dodgers brought back fan favorite Kike Hernandez, on a 1 year, $6.5 million deal. Last season Kike put together another subpar season at the plate, posting just a 85 OPS+ meaning he was 15 percent below average. But the reason Kike has a spot on this team is because of his ability to perform in the Postseason. Kike Hernandez slashed just .229 with a .654 OPS, launching 12 home runs in 126 games in 2024, however in the Postseason, his batting average jumped to .294, and his OPS jumped to .808. This trend can be seen over Kike’s entire career. In 11 major league seasons, Kike has a career average of .238 and a career OPS of .713 but in 9 Postseasons, Hernandez has a career average of .278 and a career OPS of .875. Kike has hung his hat on being a Postseason performer and has carved out a role in LA. Kike will continue to be a spark of energy for the Dodgers as he begins his 9th season in LA. (Reported 2/9/25) – 2/11/25

Clayton Kershaw – Just one day following pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training, the Dodgers capped off their perfect offseason by resigning Dodgers legend, Clayton Kershaw, to another 1-year deal. Kershaw is coming off an injury riddled 2024 season, where he managed to make just 7 starts, while posting a career worst 4.50 ERA. Kershaw’s season didn’t begin until after the All-Star break, after undergoing shoulder surgery in the offseason. Kershaw never really found his rhythm and dealt with a toe injury, which ended his season prematurely. Kershaw underwent surgeries to repair the bone spur in his toe and a torn meniscus in his knee. Although Kershaw will be out for the beginning of the season once again, his arm should be fresh this time around, as Kersh looks to close in on the 3,000-strikeout mark. (Reported 2/11/25) – 2/13/25