The Dodgers have been the most aggressive team in baseball this off-season, and it’s given Dodgers fans reason to celebrate. The Dodgers have added a substantial amount of firepower to a roster good enough to win the World Series just last year.
This is the type of off-season you might expect from a “Blue Blood” type organization that has fallen SHORT of its goals in recent times. Not one that has won the World Series twice in the last 5 Major League seasons.
The Dodgers added one of the best starting pitchers in the game, Blake Snell, and the best International free-agent pitcher, Roki Sasaki. They’ve added two of the best high-end relievers, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, and then re-signed Blake Treinen, who was crucial in the Bullpen last year in the World Series.
Position Players
On the position player side, the Dodgers have re-signed Teoscar Hernandez, a fan favorite, who is not only a good ball player but fits perfectly into the Dodger’s culture. They also signed Michael Conforto, who, not too long ago, was one of the best young players in the game, and Hyeseong Kim who they have had eyes on since their trip to Korea last year.
It’s been an incredible off-season, but there is still “Meat Left on the Bone”.
Dodgers fans would still like to see both Clayton Kershaw and Kike Hernandez re-signed for 2025, which, at that point, would cap a perfect off-season.
Be Thankful!
We are lucky to have an ownership group that is this aggressive. We are equally lucky to have a front office that has been smart enough to put the club in a position to make all of these moves.
Looking at the list in the graphic above, it truly is hard to believe. Other teams can complain, but the Dodgers have been smarter on the margins.
Yes, the Dodgers have a fairly unfair amount of financial firepower, but the “Game-Set Match” to the whole thing has been the decision-making process in making the right moves.
Beyond the “Hall of Famer” type players on this roster, like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers have built this type of roster without recklessly committing to too many long-term contracts that could be a problem on the back half of the aging curves.
Ahem…Ahem…Padres!
The Dodgers have created flexibility with guys like Ryan Brasier, Anthony Banda, Blake Treinen, Max Muncy, and, to be honest, even Teoscar Hernandez. Because their contracts are either one year, have one year left or are reasonably priced, the Dodgers can maneuver any of them if needed.
On top of that, Chris Taylor and Austin Barnes come off the books after this year to add even more flexibility for the future.
The only players with the potential to age past the value of their contracts are future “Hall of Famers”, which removes much of the risk because that caliber of player starts with such a higher ceiling. So, even when their skills diminish, they likely will still be very productive even as they age past their prime.
Hyeseong Kim and Roki Sasaski both have Minor League options, which, although those options may never be used, having them in your back pocket creates even more flexibility if push came to shove.
Chess
Because the Dodgers have made the “Right” moves, and signed the right contracts, they’ve given themselves the flexibility needed to build a roster that has set them up to create a “Dynasty”.
Congrats to all who have had a hand in this. It’s truly one of the most incredible roster-building exercises in the history of professional sports.
Become a subscriber to our Dodgers Daily YouTube page and follow us on Twitter @dodger_daily, on Instagram @dodger.daily, on TikTok @dodgers_daily, or on our new discord server by following this link, https://discord.gg/zFM3yYCv.
Also, please consider donating to our Live Dodgers Dawgs shows to help Dodgers Daily keep growing. We go live every Sunday & Wednesday Evening at 5:00 Pacific, and we’d love to have you join the chat. This site will always be free to its viewers, but it does take time and money to run, so any sized donation would be greatly appreciated.
