Cody Snavely
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ fabulous 2025 offseason continues with the team now inking star 23-year-old Rōki Sasaki to a minor league deal with a $6.5 million signing bonus. However, with spring training less than a month away, are the star-studded Dodgers done this winter, or do they still have more moves to make? Well, the answer is a resounding yes.
Despite winning the 2024 World Series over the New York Yankees in five games, the team’s second title in five seasons, the Dodgers have continued to add to what was already considered to be the best roster in Major League Baseball.
So far this winter, the Dodgers have re-signed fan favorites Teoscar Hernández and Blake Treinen, added Blake Snell and Michael Conforto, extended utilityman Tommy Edman, inked Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim to a 3-year deal, and have just signed arguably the most hyped baseball pitching prospect since Paul Skenes.
For any other team around baseball, signing one or two of those guys would’ve been enough, but not for the Dodgers in their quest to become a dynasty. So where do they go next?
Relief Pitching Market
One area that the Dodgers have not addressed much this winter is their bullpen, with their lone signing being the reunion of right-handed pitcher Blake Treinen.
Looking back at last season, the Dodgers bullpen was one of their strengths all season, including October, when they were a significant factor in the Dodgers’ eventual World Series title.
Overall, the Dodgers bullpen pitched 648 innings, which was the fourth most in the National League, but still managed to rank third in ERA (3.53), second in WHIP (1.18), second in Batting Average (.220), and third in LOB% (73.5%).
For the most part, that entire unit will be returning for the upcoming 2025 season, but in typical Dodgers fashion, the team has been heavily rumored in the relief pitching market.
Earlier in the offseason, the Dodgers were in deep discussions with the Milwaukee Brewers for all-star closer Devin Williams, with Gavin Lux named as a possible player in the package. However, the New York Yankees swept in and got a deal done. However, according to Ken Rosenthal and Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Tanner Scott was another viable option for Los Angeles.
The Dodgers’ interest in Scott is genuine, and their dreams to add another top-end relief pitcher to their already dominant bullpen is something to take them to an even greater level.
Scott, 30, is the best relief pitcher still on the open market; that would make any team miles better if they could snag his services. However, it seems that his market is shrinking.
Multiple Major League Baseball insiders reported that Scott is still seeking a 4-year, $80 million contract ($20MM AAV), but no team has met his demands so far.
The Boston Red Sox, a team long rumored with Scott, have taken the peddle off the gas in recent weeks with most of their offseason work done. The Philadelphia Phillies, another team that could benefit from adding Scott, seems content with their bullpen. The New York Mets, the latest team heavily in discussion with Scott, has also just signed left-handed relief pitcher AJ Minter to a 2-year, $22 million deal, likely taking them out of the Scott sweepstakes.
That leaves two teams in the Tanner Scott rumor mill: The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs. However, the Cubs have yet to sign a relief pitcher to a multi-year deal, which would bode well for the Dodgers, who could be Scott’s last opportunity for a significant payday.
Tanner Scott was a top-five baseball reliever during the 2024 season and undoubtedly the best left-hander. Scott finished his 2024 campaign with 72 IP, 1.75 ERA, and 84 Ks (28.6%). Scott is also finishing a dominant two-year stretch, posting a 2.04 ERA in 150 innings for both the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres.
Even after signing Sasaki, the Dodgers’ 40-man roster will consist of just thirty-nine players, as the Japanese righty is classified as a minor league free agent signing, and according to Dodgers insider David Vassegh, we should not rule out Scott coming to the Dodgers.
Kiké Hernández & Clayton Kershaw Reunion
Since the start of the offseason, Kershaw, 36, has made it known that he would never wear another team’s uniform and wanted to return to Los Angeles for what would be his 18th season with the team.
The Dodgers front office, led by President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, has also stated that the organization would like to continue the relationship, even calling re-signing Kershaw one of the main priorities of the offseason.
Kershaw is coming off a 2024 season in which he only pitched thirty innings after recovering from offseason shoulder surgery last winter. Still, in those games with an unhealthy knee and planting toe, Kershaw maintained a 3.53 FIP, a key indicator that he still had above-league-average stuff.
Last offseason, with Kershaw set to miss the first half of the season rehabbing his shoulder, the lefty waited until the 60-day injured list opened up in February so he did not take up valuable 40-man roster space while the Dodgers splurged on the trade and free agent market.
This same mindset has been executed yet again this winter with the lefty having knee and toe surgery and is expected to miss most of the first half of the upcoming 2025 season, so don’t expect a reunion signing until mid-Febuarary when the team breaks for camp.
Kershaw is a Dodgers icon and still the face of the franchise with a career 2.50 ERA and is just thirty-two strikeouts away from becoming the 20th member of the 3000 strikeouts club.
For Kiké Hernández, the fit is always there for one reason: October baseball.
The Dodgers and their fans already know what to expect in the regular season, with the 33-year-old utility player, who is slightly below offensive production in the regular season and was a postseason hero in October.
The Dodgers, who lost Hernández in free agency to the Boston Red Sox after the 2020 season, reacquired the righty bat at the 2023 Major League Baseball trade deadline and brought him back for another ride with an emphasis on October last spring.
Hernández is still a free agent and has stated plenty of times that he would love to return to the Dodgers if given the opportunity, and as the great David Vassegh states on Dodgers Talk, the Dodgers, and Hernández are better together than they are apart.
In all likelihood, I would bet that the Dodgers and Hernández come to an agreement on a 1-year contract when the 60-day injured list opens up, giving them a few more roster spots to play with when spring training offically starts.
Hernández, in his postseason career, has hit .278 with sixty-four hits, fifteen home runs, thirty-five RBIs, and thirty-seven runs scored in eighty-six games and is still valued highly by the organization and adored by the fans. Hence, a reunion makes all the sense in the world.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that since the Dodgers are way over the 2025 Competitive Balance Tax for the 2025 season ($241MM), they will be taxed at 110% for whatever deal they sign the rest of the offseason but as we know by now, money is but an object to this organization.
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