RANT SPORTS – The Dodgers keep adding stars
Yesterday the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers added another talented pitcher in veteran righty reliever Kirby Yates to an already strong pitching staff. Yates will sign a one-year deal worth $13 million. So far the Dodgers have added some impressive stars to their pitching staff this winter.
They added two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and Japanese superstar Roki Sasaki to the rotation, and Tanner Scott to the bullpen. Los Angeles has made it very clear that their goal is to repeat as World Series champs and remain aggressive in the off season.
Best rotation and bullpen in baseball?
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto
- Tyler Glasnow
- Blake Snell
- Shohei Ohtani
- Roki Sasaki
The Dodgers possess at least three and potentially five pitchers who could be legitimate No. 1 starters elsewhere. This means even a rough start for Sasaki. Ohtani, meanwhile, is the wild card. He is set to return to the mound in 2025, though he might not be ready for Opening Day.
When he returns, will he resemble the frontline starter he once was with the Angels, or will two major elbow surgeries reduce him to a league-average pitcher? By acquiring players like Sasaki and Snell, the Dodgers can mitigate concerns about this uncertainty.
The Dodgers have plenty of rotation depth, as well, with Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Bobby Miller, and Landon Knack all in the organization. Even Clayton Kershaw plans to pitch in 2025, though he remains a free agent.
Meanwhile, the bullpen was already strong before adding Yates. They signed Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million contract. Prior to that, they re-signed Blake Treinen on a two-year, $22 million deal.
So, the arms already on the roster from 2024 bullpen was already pretty well set up with Michael Kopech, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips and more all still under team control. And with the team likely to use a six-man rotation, it’s expected they’re only going to have a seven-man bullpen.
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Have the Dodgers replaced the Yankees as the MLB big spenders
The Dodgers are now on track for a $379 million payroll, per Fangraphs’ estimate, which would be the largest payroll in MLB history.
After defeating the Yankees in the World Series last October, the Dodgers have the largest projected luxury tax payroll in MLB at $376.4 million, according to Cot’s Contracts. The Philadelphia Phillies are second with $307.8 million, followed by the Yankees with $302.9 million.
The Dodgers have committed nearly half a billion dollars in guaranteed contracts to players this offseason, second only to the New York Mets, who signed Juan Soto to a historic 15-year, $765 million deal.
Spending big doesn’t mean you will win a World Series
While it is true that spending tons of money doesn’t mean you can buy a championship. It is a fact that investing in the right players does pay off in the end.
In the wild card era (1995-present), 26 of the 29 teams to win a World Series ranked in the top half of MLB in opening day payroll. In the same time frame, 20 of the 29 World Series champions ranked in the top 10 in opening day pay payroll.
Only three World Series champions—the 2017 Astros, 2015 Royals and 2003 Marlins—ranked in the bottom half of MLB in opening day payroll. Only one team, the 2003 Marlins, won a World Series after ranking in the bottom 10 in opening day payroll.
