Blake Snell
On November 26, news broke per MLB’s Mark Feinsand that 2-time Cy Young winner and 2018 All-Star left handed pitcher Blake Snell would be joining the Los Angeles Dodgers after opting out of his contract with the San Francisco Giants. Snell confirmed the move by posting an edited photo of himself in a Dodgers uniform captioned “LA 👀” on his Instagram. The Dodgers made the deal official a few days later, signing Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract with a $52 million signing bonus and $10 million option for 2030 on November 30.
The nine year MLB veteran added a significant number to an elite starting rotation for the next season, which includes the likes of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and a healthy Shohei Ohtani. Snell’s signing has garnered a lot of attention from baseball fans, who continue to raise the question as to whether the Dodger’s ability to spend money on big name players without a salary cap is causing harm to the sport. Despite mixed reactions, Snell himself has shown his excitement for his new team, telling the media that signing with the Dodgers was an easy decision.
Snell’s signing makes sense for the club, who have consistently suffered from an injury-prone starting rotation the last few seasons. The Dodgers have never quite been able to establish a completely healthy rotation with all their star starters, with Ohtani ruled out from pitching since preseason, Glasnow’s absence from the postseason following an elbow injury in September, and veteran Clayton Kershaw spending the majority of yet another year on the injured list. The best case would be for Snell to join a healthy and restored star studded lineup in 2025, but if injuries continue to plague the Dodgers pitching, Snell is ready to fill gaps and take on the bulk of our starting rotation.
Tommy Edman
One of the unexpected returners to the Dodgers is National League Championship Series MVP Tommy Edman. The Dodgers announced on November 29 that the clubhouse signed the utility player on a five-year, $74 million contract extension.
Edman, whom the Dodgers acquired halfway through the 2024 season in a three-way trade with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox, lied low during the rest of the regular season before becoming a breakout star in the postseason. Edman played a vital role in the Dodgers’s championship run, most notably the seven runs he batted in as clean up in Games Four and Six of the NLCS.
Extending Edman gives the Dodgers more flexibility in filling the role of shortstop, one that has been bounced back and forth between multiple players since Corey Seager’s departure from the club after the 2020 season. As of now, the Dodgers have indicated ex-outfielder Mookie Betts as their choice for shortstop in the 2025 season and beyond, with Edman looking to potentially play in the outfield.
Michael Conforto
The Dodgers continued to expand their options for the outfield by signing veteran outfielder and 2017 All-Star Michael Conforto to a one-year, $17 million contract on December 10. While Conforto has had a history of injury ridden seasons, his signing echoes the likes of previous one year deals with veteran outfielders such as Jason Heyward and Teoscar Hernández, which have proven to be more beneficial than not in bolstering the Dodgers roster.
Blake Treinen
Veteran right handed pitcher and two time World Champion Blake Treinen signed his third contract with the Dodgers on December 10, agreeing on a two-year, $22 million deal to stay with the club. Treinen, who first signed with the Boys in Blue at the start of the 2020 season, has played a large role as a reliable relief pitcher for the Dodgers. Treinen missed a majority of the 2022 season and all of 2023 due to a shoulder injury, but came back when it counted, helping the Dodgers secure what would be his second championship ring with the team in 2024.
With the Dodgers’ unfortunate luck in injuries depleting the pitching staff, re-signing Treinen is a smart way to ensure they have a veteran relief pitcher with postseason experience in the bullpen, both as an option during high leverage situations and as a mentor to younger pitchers.
Teoscar Hernández
Veteran outfielder and fan favorite Teoscar Hernández and the Dodgers have agreed to a three-year, $66 million contract with a $15 million club option for 2028. Hernández himself posted an Instagram story reading “I’m back” on December 27, shortly before news broke of his re-signing. Hernández has been the most vocal about wanting to return to Los Angeles after the 2024 season, where he proved to be a reliable hitter, with a career high 33 home runs and second All-Star season. Beyond his contribution to scoring, fans and players alike have quickly grown a love for Hernández, who was the Dodgers recipient of the Heart & Hustle Award. The award goes to show just how much Hernández has embodied the values and spirit of baseball, from mentoring younger players to always being one of the first to congratulate a teammate’s home run. Between Hernández being a top free agent, fans voicing their hope to see him back in blue, and the Dodgers giving him the contract he deserves, it is clear that Hernández’s signing is a best case scenario for everyone involved.
Hyeseong Kim
Never shy to sign international talent, the Dodgers signed Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim to a three-year, $12.5 million contract with an option for up to $22 million in 2028-2029. Kim, who has had a successful career with the Nexen/Kiwoom Heroes since signing in 2017, had an impressive 2024 season with 30 stolen bases, and a career-high 11 home runs and 47 RBIs. Kim adds yet another utility player to the Dodgers roster, joining the likes of Edman and Chris Taylor.
Rōki Sasaki
The biggest international signing since Ohtani, the baseball world held their breath as Rōki Sasaki worked through the market. The star pitcher out of Japan made headlines when he announced on Instagram that he would be adding to the already star-studded Dodgers lineup. Read our feature on Rōki Sasaki here.
Tanner Scott
Just a day after the Dodgers added Sasaki to their pitching staff, news broke that 2024 All-Star relief pitcher Tanner Scott had signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the club. Scott is known for being one of the best relief pitchers in the league as of the last couple years, even playing a substantial role for the San Diego Padres in the division series against the Los Angeles Dodgers this past postseason.
Scott is another elite player expected to fill gaps in the Dodgers bullpen, where his experience and expertise will hopefully help the Dodgers in high leverage innings when the team historically seems to run thin on pitching options.
Kirby Yates
The Dodgers doubled down on bolstering their bullpen this offseason, adding veteran two time All-Star right handed relief pitcher Kirby Yates with a one-year, $13 million contract at the end of January. Yates has played for a hefty total of six teams before landing a spot on the Dodgers, his most successful stint being with the San Diego Padres from 2017 to 2020. Yates spent a majority of the next few years after his career with the Padres injury ridden before recording a comeback year in 2024 with the Texas Rangers, which culminated in his second All-Star appearance five years after his first.
Yates’ one-year contract is a smart move from the front office, who understands both his age, history of surgery and proneness to injury. Despite his inconsistency, the ups and downs of Yates’s career shows his adaptability and perseverance, and his recent success on the Rangers makes him a promising option in the bullpen.
Kiké Hernández
One of the most beloved players of the Dodgers franchise is officially back for his ninth season in blue. Kiké Hernández, two time World Champion and Dodgers fan favorite signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract with the club this past Tuesday. Fans were upset when the utility-man eventually left the team for the Boston Red Sox after winning the 2020 World Series with the Dodgers, but Hernández found his way back to the team in a trade just three years later. Hernández has been enjoying his second stint with the Dodgers ever since, signing a contract extension at the end of the 2023 season to win his second championship with the club in 2024.
Hernández is known for being one of the most influential figures in the clubhouse and within the fanbase, his antics well loved by players and fans alike. This past season, Hernández proved that he can still offer much more than just camaraderie, filling in at every position except catcher and right field, consistently getting hits during the playoffs and scoring the tying run in the championship-clinching Game Five of the World Series.
Clayton Kershaw
Dodgers veteran Clayton Kershaw is officially back for his nineteenth season with the club after signing a one-year, $7.5 million contract. The left handed starting pitcher has been spotted at the Dodgers’s Spring Training site since the beginning of this week, seemingly confirming that he would be returning for another season with the team.
Kershaw’s list of accolades is impressive: in his career with the Dodgers, Kershaw has been named an All-Star ten times, won the National League, or NL, Cy Young three times, won the 2014 NL MVP title and is a two time World Series Champion. Unfortunately, Kershaw’s last few years have been less than desirable, as the pitcher was plagued with injury, leading to a disappointing performance in Game One of the 2023 NLDSagainst the Arizona Diamondbacks and a sidelined 2024 season. Despite the last few years, Kershaw’s greatness has yet to be contested, and he continues to be an important figure for the franchise and fans. If Kershaw wants another year in blue, the Dodgers and Dodger fans are more than happy to welcome him once again.
As Spring Training is well under way and Opening Day 2025 rapidly approaches, the Dodgers have shown that they are not afraid to sign big name players despite criticism from baseball fans around the world. With just a couple months before the season begins, the Dodgers will be center stage and fans can only hope that the club’s big name deals will translate to big time plays on the field.
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Feature Image via Andreas Prott – stock.adobe.com
