Dodgers Rumors: Dodgers Expected to “Aggressively” Pursue a Closer & RHP for the Bullpen

LOS ANGELES, CA—The book is finally closed on the 2025 Major League Baseball season with the Los Angeles Dodgers completing their quest for back-to-back championships, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series.

Now that the parade and celebration are over, it is back to business for Andrew Friedman and Co., and we have our first rumor about what the front office plans to address this winter.

According to Alden González of ESPN, the Dodgers are expected to be aggressive for a late-inning right-handed relief option for the bullpen and a closer, while also keeping tabs on top free agent Kyle Tucker and top trade chip left-handed starter Tarik Skubal.

So look for the Dodgers to be really aggressive in that space, either through free agency or via trade, or both.

But what will attract the most attention in the early part of this offseason will be the Dodgers’ ties to Skubal and Tucker. They’ll be engaged on both of those players, simply because they can, but it will probably be on the periphery.

The interest in backend help in the bullpen is hardly a shock.

Despite the Dodgers, in some eyes, cruising to yet another World Series title, it was hardly smooth sailing for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who had to weave his way around an inconsistent bullpen that was downright unusable down the stretch.

Luckily for Los Angeles, their plethora of starters went deep into games and ate some innings in the bullpen, where we saw Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto excel and help secure multiple Dodgers victories in October.

Freidman uncharacteristically went big in the free agent market last offseason on bullpen reinforcements, bringing in top left-handed closer Tanner Scott on a 4-year, $72 million deal, along with a one-year deal for top veteran arm Kirby Yates.

Also returning was highly dependable arm Blake Treinen, who inked a 2-year, $22 million deal around last year’s winter meetings.

Still, despite all those arms, only one remained with the team from start to finish, and that was Treinen, who was not used as much as he had during the 2024 postseason run.

Scott posted career-worst numbers in his first season as a Dodger, including ten blown saves, which led the National League.

To solve the Dodgers’ late-inning right-handed bullpen problem this year, the Dodgers reacquired right-hander Brock Stewart from the Minnesota Twins, but the righty was unable to contribute much this season after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.

One name to watch that fits both bills is former All-Star closer Devin Williams, who the team was heavily linked to last offseason, nearly trading for him from the Milwaukee Brewers before he ultimately ended up in the Bronx.

While Williams had a down year, posting a 4.79 ERA and losing his closer job in New York, his advanced metrics still show some promise, including an elite 34.7 strikeout percentage and a 2.68 FIP.

As for the Kyle Tucker and Tarik Skubal mentions, that was a given, given the Dodgers’ large market and ability to pay both their desired salaries.

The Dodgers’ need for another outfielder is there, and the team would very much like to push Teoscar Hernández back to left field and get more production than what they got from their one-year deal to Michael Conforto.

As for Skubal, the Tigers seem to be about $250 million apart in extension talks, leading many experts to expect a trade this offseason with the left-hander and likely two-time American League Cy Young Award winner set to hit free agency next offseason.

The Dodgers, whose farm system ranked No. 1 per MLB Pipeline, have enough to get a deal done and the cash to complete an extension, but would they pull the trigger or just wait to sign him in free agency?

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