Pitcher Kirby Yates and catcher Jonah Heim celebrate after a Rangers win over the Angels last season. (Ryan Sun / Associated Press)
Another day, another impact player potentially joining the Dodgers.
After adding star Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki on Friday, then agreeing to a four-year contract with top free-agent reliever Tanner Scott on Sunday, the Dodgers were closing in Tuesday morning on a deal with right-handed reliever Kirby Yates, according to a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.
No contract had been finalized. But it appeared as though the Dodgers were on the verge of their latest notable addition this offseason, with a two-time All-Star in Yates emerging as the latest big name in their free-spending sights.
A 38-year-old veteran who had a resurgent 2024 with the Texas Rangers, Yates has been on the Dodgers’ radar for a while.
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The team was negotiating with his camp even before snagging Scott on a $72-million deal over the weekend. And while Scott’s addition helped bolster a bullpen that was heavily taxed during the Dodgers’ World Series run last season, the team felt the need for more reinforcements nonetheless.
Yates should be positioned to help, after posting a 1.17 earned-run average in 61 outings last year, good enough to earn his second All-Star selection while amassing 33 saves. That performance continued a positive trend for the 10-year veteran following a 2021 Tommy John surgery. After a limited return to the mound in 2022, Yates had a 3.28 ERA in 61 games with the Atlanta Braves in 2023 before going to Texas on a $4.5-million deal last offseason.
While the Dodgers upgraded their starting rotation this winter by adding Sasaki and two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, they also viewed the bullpen as an area of need.
Daniel Hudson retired at the end of last season. Joe Kelly became a free agent. Brusdar Graterol underwent offseason shoulder surgery that is expected to sideline him for the first half of next season. And other returning contributors, such as Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips and Anthony Banda, all missed time late last season because of injuries.
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Blake Treinen, who re-signed on a two-year, $22-million contract, and Michael Kopech, a key trade deadline acquisition last July, figured to be the Dodgers’ top relief options entering the season. But Treinen is 36 and only two years removed from a major shoulder injury. Kopech, meanwhile, could be in danger of missing the start of next season, according to USA Today, though that is considered only a precautionary potential measure as he deals with arm inflammation, a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly said.
Thus, the Dodgers wasted little time in the wake of Sasaki’s signing to shore up the other half of their pitching staff. They landed Scott, a left-handed specialist considered to be the best free-agent reliever on this market, and are moving toward a deal with Yates, who would provide more veteran production for a team that continues to collect talent.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
