News Dodgers Team Notes

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

2025 Dodgers season review: Yoshinobu Yamamoto

From Tokyo to Toronto, this season belonged to Yoshinobu Yamamoto. In my view, both as a journalist and as a traveling correspondent, Yamamoto was the best pitcher in MLB in 2025, with no disrespect to either Cy Young winner.

He was the Dodgers’ Rock of Gibraltar. He threw the first pitch of the season in Tokyo at the Tokyo Dome in front of the rapt silence of his countrymen.

He made every assigned start and led the Dodgers in innings pitched, strikeouts, and wins. He led the league in allowing the fewest hits over nine innings (5.9) as opposing batters had a slash line of .183/.257/.283 against him during the regular season (think a slightly worse Michael Conforto).

Yamamoto made his first All-Star team. He won pitcher of the month honors in both March/April and September, becoming the first Dodger to win multiple awards in the same year since Clayton Kershaw in 2014.

He had the best Dodger pitching postseason since Orel Hershiser in 1988, which is damning Yamamoto with faint praise. Yamamoto fittingly threw the final pitch of the season in Toronto, while somehow getting the most outs on no rest to earn World Series MVP honors.

One has to dig really deep to find flaws with Yamamoto’s sophomore campaign. He had four starts in which he gave up more than four earned runs. He gave up twice as many home runs this year compared to last. He has forgettable entrance music.

For entrance music, Yamamoto should embrace the anthem of another confident, stylish Japanese (fictional) icon: Char Aznable. Is it an excuse for 1970s’ beats at Dodger Stadium? Partially, but the horn intro would mesh well with the recent addition of Edwin Diaz.

A good place to start this final review in depth is to compare what he did from where he left off last year:

Going forward, Yamamoto needs to work further acclimating to the American pitch schedule and his pitch efficiency as he averaged about 4⅔ innings in the playoffs and five innings during the regular season…

If Yamamoto reaches even close to his NPB metrics for effectiveness and length in 2025, the Dodgers will certainly take those results without any complaint.

All that can be said about this goal is mission accomplished. But before rightfully celebrating Yamamoto as a player, it is worth taking a moment to celebrate him as a man.

Measure of a Man​

In October, Dylan Hernandez, previously of the Los Angeles Times, published an article on how Yamamoto helped his translator, Yoshihiro Sonoda, acclimate to the team, even though he was separated from his wife.

On Yamamoto’s first day of Spring Training in 2024, Yamamoto stopped Sonoda from collecting the javelins that Yamamoto has become famous for using in training by saying, “Please, you’re my interpreter,” he said. “You’re not my servant.” Hernandez continued:

In the months that followed, Sonoda noticed how Yamamoto treated others. He wasn’t kind only to other players. He was also conscientious of the organization’s rank-and-file employees.

“He pretends he’s not watching, but he’s watching,” Sonoda said. “He seems like he’s not listening, but he’s listening.”

Every day the Dodgers are on the road, Yamamoto has Starbucks coffee delivered to the team hotel. He always orders something for Sonoda.

Sonoda wanted to resign after two days because he had no experience as an interpreter. Sonoda reconsidered and has been a fixture with Yamamoto for the past two years.

“[Sonoda’s] efforts in the shadows have been to where I can feel them,” Yamamoto said. “He’s a very pure and straightforward person. I think he’s really wonderful.”

Vindication​

One might ask how the Dodgers gave the largest pitching contract to someone who had not thrown in MLB… if they had spent less than five minutes on research. If anything, as someone who did do the research, the public ignorance was amusing.

For the past two years, it has not been an overexaggeration to say that Yamamoto is the best credentialed pitcher in the world. I am all for healthy skepticism, but even with Yamamoto’s learning curve in 2024, the fanbase was slow to jump on the hype train regarding Yamamoto, even with shaky debut in South Korea aside.

If 2024 was his introduction, 2025 was his ascendance into Dodger lore.

While Yamamoto did not eclipse the most impressive Dodger regular-season performance in modern history (Kershaw, 2014), he was still worth every penny of his contract in both general effectiveness and being the first Dodger hurler to qualify for league leaderboards since 2022.

Yamamoto used his six-pitch arsenal to confuse hitters throughout the league, much as he had done in Osaka playing for the Orix Buffaloes. Yamamoto’s true splitter was one of the best pitches in baseball, as hitters hit just .132 against it in 2025.

Yamamoto finished third in the NL Cy Young race with a 12-8 record. While wins are not the end-all statistic that they once were, Yamamoto’s success in the regular season was deflated by two factors outside of his control. For instance, in September, Yamamoto gave up two runs all month. To be fair, one of those runs was a big one.

But in earning his second monthly award, two trends persisted all year, which, if addressed, could vault Yamamoto into legendary status for his third MLB campaign.

Oh, Offense, where art thou?​

Yamamoto often had to be so efficient and effective because his offense literally did not show while he was on the mound. In 2025, Yamamoto had 2.9 runs of support while he was on the mound.

Only six qualifying pitchers received less run support while pitching: Miles Mikolas, Chase Dollander, Erick Fedde, Ranger Suarez, Antonio Senzatela, and Michael Wacha. In contrast, Kershaw received 5.8 runs of support per game in 2025, tied for third-best in the Majors.

When Yamamoto left a game he pitched, the team’s offensive output spiked to 4.1 runs of support. Accordingly, Yamamoto had many more no-decision and tough-luck loss outings than one would think, considering his statline.

Dirty Work​

Looking over the game logs, there were several games throughout the year where Yamamoto left the game winning, having thrown a quality start or better, only for Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, or a combination of both to spoil excellent outings.

• May 20: vs. Diamondbacks (Scott)
• July 13: @Giants (Scott)
• August 31: vs. Diamondbacks (Scott)
• September 6: @Orioles (Treinen and Scott)

Admittedly, some of these outings were dampened by the lack of offense as described above.

Yamamoto had the grace to accept these setbacks and move forward, when many others would have held a grudge or complained publicly. The closest thing to reproach was said after the September 6 debacle to The Orange County Register:

“Obviously, it’s really hard to swallow,” Yamamoto said of the loss through his interpreter. “But the only thing we can do is we’ve got to get together, put things together, and overcome it.”

The no-hitter in Baltimore would have been the only no-hitter in MLB in 2025 and the first of Yamamoto’s MLB career. Yamamoto previously threw no-hitters in 2022 and 2023 in NPB, becoming the first pitcher in that league to toss no-hitters in consecutive seasons.

“Losing Isn’t an Option”​

Yamamoto had the most outstanding Dodger postseason for a pitcher in the franchise’s history, inarguably. Hitters had a slash line of .174/.224/.258 against him during the entire postseason run, which was comparable to last year in almost double the workload (18 2/3 IP in 2024 vs. 37 1/3 IP in 2025).

Yamamoto started slowly, by his standards, with only a 6 2/3 inning, two runs (none earned), nine strikeout performance against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 2 of the Wild Card Round, followed by a middling, 4 inning, three run, two strikeout outing against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, being outpitched by the tandem of Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez, who in a change of pace actually got run support.

Before Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers Social Media Team produced a gem about Yamamoto’s next start in Milwaukee, featuring a battle cry that he carried for the rest of the postseason.

"Losing isn't an option."

Go get 'em, Yoshinobu. pic.twitter.com/I6qCah51lI

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 14, 2025

Yamamoto gave up a leadoff home run to Jackson Chourio and then breezed through the Brewers, striking out seven, in the first postseason complete game in the Majors since 2017, to put the Dodgers up two games to none, in a series that would end with an emphatic sweep.

The Bane of Toronto​

In the World Series, Yoshinobu Yamamoto became the Bane of Toronto (and Canada as a whole), earning three victories in the Fall Classic against the Toronto Blue Jays, all in Toronto. Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Yamamoto was the first pitcher to win three games in a single World Series since Randy Johnson in 2001 and the first pitcher to ever win three games in the same Fall Classic on the road. Further, Yamamoto became the fourth pitcher ever to win both Games 6 and 7, joining Johnson, Harry Brecheen (1946), and Ray Kremer (1925).

Contrary to Derek Jeter’s definitive proclamation that Yamamoto would not throw a consecutive complete game after dispatching the Brewers, Yamamoto did just that feat in Game 2, allowing a single run and striking out eight to even the Fall Classic at one game apiece. He retired the final 20 batters in a row, setting a new franchise record, supplanting Carl Erskine (19) in 1952 World Series Game 5.

With Yamamoto’s second complete game of the postseason, he joined Curt Schilling as the only pitchers with multiple consecutive complete games since 1993. Moreover, these complete games were the first of Yamamoto’s MLB career, joining Josh Beckett as the only two pitchers to do the feat for the first time in the postseason. Yamamoto had eight career complete games while pitching for the Orix Buffaloes in NPB.

Two days later, Yamamoto etched himself into Dodgers’ lore by being willing to pitch on one day’s rest in the entertaining marathon that was Game 3 to the shock and admiration of his teammates. Had Freddie Freeman had a walk-off home run for the second World Series in a row, Yamamoto would have pitched in the nineteenth inning to the conclusion of the game.

Instead, Yamamoto returned to pitch the first elimination game back in Toronto in Game 6, stymying the Blue Jays over six innings and again only allowing one run, while striking out six.

At this point, Yamamoto had become the de facto final boss for the Blue Jays to overcome. During Game 7 at the watch party of nearby Scotiabank Arena, the crowd reacted visibly when Yamamoto started warming up on no day’s rest in the do-or-die classic.

On no rest, clearly tired and aided by his defense, Yamamoto bent but did not break, pitching the final 2 2/3 innings, which was the longest outing of any Dodgers’ pitcher in Game 7, rightfully earning Most Valuable Player honors as the Dodgers repeated as champions for the first time in franchise history.

At the Championship Rally, Yamamoto addressed his adoptive hometown crowd in both Spanish and English, proudly proclaiming that losing wasn’t an option. Finishing his age-26 season, Yamamoto stands atop the pinnacle of the sport, lacking only a Cy Young in his American trophy case.

Now, Dodgers fans hold their breath as Yamamoto returns to play for Samurai Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Yamamoto’s unique mobility mechanics lend him to effectively be a rubber band man, and his youth lead him to wear life gloriously. For as good as Yamamoto was in 2025, based on his prior successes in NPB, he still has another gear to unlock in MLB.

No one doubts Yamamoto anymore.

2025 particulars​

Age: 26

Stats: 30 G, 12-8, 173 2/3 IP, 2.49 ERA, 2.94 FIP, 59 BB, 201 K, 2.72 xERA, 0.990 WHIP, 4.9 rWAR, 5.0 fWAR

Postseason Stats: 6 G, 5-1, 37 1/3 IP, 1.45 ERA, 2.79 FIP, 6 BB, 33 K, 0.780 WHIP

Salary: $10 million

Game of the year​

While honorable mentions must be given to his near no-hitter on September 6, his consecutive complete games of NLCS Game 2 and World Series Game 2, and his stopper of a start in World Series Game 6, Yamamoto’s Game of the Year was the final day of the year, Game 7 on November 1.

With no rest, he pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings, serving as the final boss of the World Series in a performance so gritty and legendary that Yamamoto rightfully earned World Series MVP honors. About a month later, Blue Jays Manager John Schiender could only remark, “I hope he’s still tired” in response to Yamamoto’s Game 7 heroics.

Schiender may not have gotten the memo: losing for Yamamoto was not an option.

Roster status​

Yamamoto is under contract through 2035 and will earn $12 million in 2026. He has two opt-out clauses, the first of which could potentially be triggered after the 2029 season, barring any right elbow injury lasting for at least 134 consecutive service days during the 2024 through 2029 seasons.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange...107646/yoshinobu-yamamoto-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Brusdar Graterol 2026 salary arbitration preview

Salary arbitration season is upon us, with the exchange date coming next Thursday, January 8. Among the four Dodgers eligible for arbitration this offseason, Brusdar Graterol has the easiest salary to predict.

Brusdar Graterol did not pitch at all during 2025 as he recovered from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. There are plenty of precedents in recent years for players eligible for arbitration who either did not pitch the previous season or pitched sparingly, earning either the very same salary or quite close to it.

Last offseason, Tony Gonsolin ($5.4 million) and Dustin May ($2.135 million) each avoided arbitration with one-year deals for 2025 that matched their 2024 salaries after not pitching the previous year while recovering from elbow surgeries. Ditto for Walker Buehler, who missed the 2023 season while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery and re-signed in 2024 for $8.025 million, matching his previous salary.

Graterol was in a similar situation last offseason, sidelined for over four months in 2024 with a shoulder strain then missing another month with a hamstring strain. He earned $2.7 million that season and pitched in only seven games during the regular season and three more in the postseason (remember his barehanded stab of a grounder back to the box in the World Series?). Graterol for 2025 avoided arbitration in January with a one-year deal for $2.8 million, a slight raise over his previous salary.

With five years, 167 days of major league service time, Graterol is eligible for arbitration for the fourth and final time before free agency. MLB Trade Rumors projected a $2.8 million salary for Graterol, and Cot’s Baseball Contract predicted the same. There’s no reason for me to vary from this, so let’s mark down Graterol for $2.8 million, in ink.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-payroll/108502/brusdar-graterol-salary-arbitration-dodgers-2026

 

[JJ]

Look, I gotta hand it to the Dodgers - they really know how to run an organization. Yamamoto was an absolute BEAST this year and that World Series performance was legendary stuff. Pitching on no rest in Game 7? That's the kind of heart you love to see.

But can we talk about how RIDICULOUS it is that people are STILL fighting over that Ohtani 50/50 ball?? The thing already sold for over $4 million and these clowns couldn't even reach an agreement in mediation! Classic American lawsuit nonsense right there. At least Goldin had the sense to get them to let the auction happen first. Greed really does make the world go round, doesn't it?

The arbitration stuff is pretty straightforward this year for LA. Graterol getting the same $2.8 million after missing the whole season with shoulder surgery makes total sense - that's just how it works when you don't pitch. Smart move by the front office to non-tender Evan Phillips though. Can't be paying guys coming off Tommy John who are about to hit free agency anyway.

And that Kershaw farewell video... man, end of an era right there. Dude was one of the best to ever do it, even if he never quite dominated in October the way Yamamoto just did. Speaking of which - Yamamoto better stay healthy during the WBC because that guy is the engine that makes this whole repeat thing possible.

Still think the Bills would've made a better story this year but whatever, congrats to LA on the back-to-back!

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers notes: Bo Bichette update, Tatsuya Imai to Astros

Although the offseason is now two months through, there is still a plethora of major talent still waiting on where their careers will take them next.

Outfielders Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger, who are at the cream of the crop for free agents at their position, still don’t have a home for the 2026 season. Bo Bichette’s name has come up in recent rumors, and his market now includes three previously unreported teams, being the Dodgers, the Chicago Cubs, and New York Yankees, per Jon Heyman at the New York Post.

With Mookie Betts slated as the primary shortstop after a phenomenal season defensively, a move for Bichette would place him at second base, with Mark Feinsand of MLB.com previously indicating that the now-former Blue Jay would be willing to switch over to second base full-time. Bichette had never played outside of shortstop until the 2025 World Series, where he started both at second base and designated hitter.

Links​

It only took nine and a half hours for the first major signing of 2026 to take place, and a pitcher who was determined to take down the Dodgers now has that opportunity.

Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai agreed to a three-year, $54 million deal with the Houston Astros with opt-outs after every year of the deal. Jesse Rogers at ESPN was the first to report the contract details. The 27-year-old starter pitched in 24 games for the Seibu Lions, posting a 10-5 record with a 1.92 ERA and 0.892 WHIP, striking out 178 hitters while walking 45 over 163 2/3 innings of work. He will serve as a frontline member of Houston’s rotation behind AL Cy Young contender Hunter Brown as they look to bounce back after missing the postseason in 2025.

2025 gave Dodgers fans and Los Angeles sports fans a lot to be thankful for. Whether it be the Rams defeating the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round right after the multiple wildfires, the Lakers making a blockbuster trade for Luka Dončić, or the Dodgers repeating as champions, it was a memorable year full of pleasant surprises.

Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times writes a touching piece on how sports allowed him to find strength in the face of adversity, as he was personally affected by the Eaton fires that ravaged the city of Altadena.

In 2025, sports showed me that life can get better, life will be better, that if we hang in there long enough we can all hit that Miggy Ro homer, make that Andy Pages catch, stay forever young. And thus I offer a heartiest and hopeful welcome to 2026.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-...tes-bo-bichette-update-tatsuya-imai-to-astros

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Breaking down the 2026 Dodgers schedule for value

Adric at Truist Park. June 5, 2021. | Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA

The 2025 season is over, and the Dodgers are champions — again! Neat. We have finished signing Auld Lang Syne, and it’s time to turn the page!

Schedule-release videos are common and popular in other leagues, such as the National Football League. However, in 2025, MLB and the Dodgers inadvertently released the 2026 schedule on the same day that Taylor Swift announced her engagement. Oops.

In fact, the Dodgers did not announce anything, and the closest anyone got to a schedule release post was my publishing my own tweets on BlueSky in real-time, while I was writing down dates on a literal napkin, frantically hitting refresh.

Okay, the Dodgers schedule has been released. I'm sure we'll get an official announcement at some point. Here's the home portion, all series are three games unless otherwise listed.March 26-31: AZ-CLEApril 10-15: TEX-NYMApril 24-29: CHC-MIAMay 9-14: ATL – SF (4)May 25-31: COL-PHI

— Michael Elizondo (@elidelajandro.bsky.social) 2025-08-26T17:59:49.135Z

For those keeping track, there is no international travel for the Dodgers in 2026, for which I have the following ot say: Thank. God.

I enjoyed Japan immensely. I will treasure the memories of traveling to the Tokyo Series with Mom for the rest of my life. But being on the shelf for months afterwards, and watching the team stumble in a hangover for months, is a heck of a cost.

Some of you may not enjoy traveling and prefer to visit Dodger Stadium. I understand and salute you, as Dodger Stadium needs its regular denizens. The team cracked four million attendees at home for the first time in franchise history in 2025, and one expects that figure to go up while being bombarded with “back-to-back champions” merchandise and taglines.

The players and the team would agree with the following argument: Dodger road fans are the best road fans in baseball. Pick an away game, any away game, and you will find a vocal contingent of the Dodger faithful — we show up.

It has been a fun five seasons doing these entries for True Blue LA and six seasons since I started this adventure. The circuit finally closes this season as I tick off the last three domestic stadiums from my list.

Truthfully, I start planning for away travel the day the following year’s schedule is released and finalize details such as flights, tickets, and hotels six months before the games. I also set up price alerts to ensure I do not miss a good deal.

For a home game at Dodger Stadium, you will have 82 chances in 2026. I do not live in Los Angeles, but stadium giveaways would likely guide me, which have not been released yet. To help break down the 82 away games next year, this essay will cover each scheduled road trip, provide comments, and link to any relevant Guide entries, if applicable.

The Dodgers’ 2026 road schedule​

We are on the Bronx cycle, and the Dodgers will not visit Seattle, Arlington, Cleveland, Kansas City, Tampa, Boston, or Baltimore. Those teams will instead be visiting Dodger Stadium. If you did not go to these locations in 2025, you must wait until 2027 — assuming we even have a season, which is a topic for a later day.

All series are three games, unless otherwise noted.

April 3-9 — 3 at Washington Nationals, 3 at Toronto Blue Jays: Ah, a rerun of the 2024 classic “Poutine on the Ritz.” The first road trip of the year will have no shortage of drama, with a potential repeat White House visit and the Dodgers’ return to Toronto.

If one visits the Capital in April, one is likely to see cherry blossoms, but one can also expect cold weather. On the flip side, visiting Toronto from D.C. is as easy as it can be if you’re already on the East Coast.

I am sure the Toronto faithful will give the Dodgers a warm welcome after being such lovely hosts last November. Drama aside, Rogers Centre is just fine unless the dome is open. The dome will not be open in April.

• The Guide for Washington, D.C., is right here.
• The Guide for Toronto is right here.

April 17-23 — 4 at Colorado Rockies, 3 at San Francisco Giants: The Good: having an NL West-only road trip in April. The Bad: Doing four games in Colorado under any circumstances is taxing, plus it will likely be cold. Oracle Park is Oracle Park, regardless of the time of year. If you have been, you know; if you have not, bring layers and be tolerant if the Dodgers somehow lay an egg in the Lion’s Den.

If you miss your opportunity to visit Denver or San Francisco on this trip, it will be a lengthy wait until the Dodgers return to either location in 2026.

• The Guide for San Francisco is right here.
• The Guide for Colorado is right here.

May 1-6 — 3 at St. Louis Cardinals, 3 at Houston Astros: I have yet to visit Daikin Park, as it is one of the last stadiums I have left to visit. Odds are that I will have an opportunity to heckle the newest Astro, Tatsuya Imai, during this series.

St. Louis in May is a fine time to visit if you have never been to The Lou. It is worth going up the Gateway Arch exactly once, and to do so requires plenty of planning. I admit I am not looking forward to going to Houston, but it is not my place to trash the city, nor will I bang on this point, even in garbage time. This level of humor will be constant during my likely misadventures in Cheattown, U.S.A.

• The Guide for St. Louis is right here.
• The Guide for Houston has not yet been developed, as I have not been there.

May 15-24 — 3 at Anaheim Angels, 3 at San Diego Padres, 3 Milwaukee Brewers: This road trip is one of three trips visiting three cities, with nine games over ten days.

Anyone who follows the team around for these three series is quite the trooper. Anaheim is a vastly overpriced stadium, San Diego is a gem of MLB, albeit expensive when the Dodgers visit, and Milwaukee is worth what one puts in.

Starting in Anaheim and making the short trek over to San Diego is relatively painless. Personally, I would watch the Anaheim series from home. Traveling from San Diego to Milwaukee is an unusual choice, but it becomes easier if a traveling fan flies to Chicago and then drives an hour north to Milwaukee.

Since the Dodgers dispatched the Brewers with ease in the NLCS, I would expect the Brewers’ faithful to remember and react accordingly. The Brewers series concludes the day before Memorial Day, when the Dodgers return home.

• The Guide for Anaheim is right here.
• The Guide for San Diego is right here.
• The Guide for Milwaukee is right here.

June 1-4 — 4 at Arizona Diamondbacks: Who does not love a random, early-week road trip to Phoenix in June?

The Dodgers opened the season at home against the Diamondbacks, so it makes a measure of sense that the first visit to the desert happens almost three months later. Chase Field is the runt of the NL West stadiums. The Guide has first-timers well covered. The only issue with this series is that it runs Monday through Thursday, making it difficult for people willing to make the trek from Los Angeles or elsewhere.

• The Guide for Arizona is right here.

June 9-14 — 3 at Pittsburgh Pirates, 3 at Chicago White Sox: This road trip features a duality of a very good stadium followed by a very bad stadium. While PNC Park has lost a bit of luster and the Dodgers have been underwhelming in Steel City since 2022, even a dulled gem is vastly superior to arguably the worst active MLB stadium.

• The Guide for Pittsburgh is right here.
• The Guide for Chicago (AL) is being developed. (Spoilers: it’s bad and blandly so.)

June 22-July 1 — 3 at Minnesota Twins, 3 at Padres, 3 at (West) Sacramento Athletics: The second three-city soujourn with nine games in ten days again has a bit of a whipsaw effect in the final road trip before the All-Star Break.

Target Field is a wildly underrated ballpark, but in a perfect world, this visit and the first visit to Phoenix would be swapped logistically. June in Minneapolis will either be perfect or muggy and rainy. Such duality is just a fact of life in the Midwest.

Then, the Dodgers make their final visit to San Diego in 2026 — before the All-Star Break. Lastly, the Dodgers will travel to West Sacramento and endure the Sacramento heat in minor league Sutter Health Park. Odds are the ticket prices for Sacramento and San Diego will be comparable, which highlights the MLB’s broken pricing structure relative to the Dodgers. Padres fans may be insufferable, but Petco Park is a solid ballpark; the same cannot and will not be said about West Sacramento.

• The Guide for Minnesota is right here.
• An Anti-Guide entry is being developed for West Sacramento. (Spoilers: Please do not go.)

July 17-26 — 3 at New York Yankees, 3 at Philadelphia Phillies, 3 at New York Mets: The first road trip of the second half starts with a figurative bang as the Dodgers have their third and final three-city road trip in 2026.

I have been waiting for a road trip like this one ever since the league switched to this schedule model three seasons ago. The Dodgers will basically be living on the East Coast for two weeks, and this trip is easily the trip of the year, as one can visit the Bronx, take a train to Philadelphia, and return by rail to see the Dodgers play in Queens.

If everything goes to plan, I will be visiting my final stadiums to complete the MLB circuit with this road trip.

• The Guide for New York (AL) has not yet been developed, as I have not been there.
• The Guide for Philadelphia has not yet been developed, as I have not been there.
• The Guide for New York (NL) is right here.

August 3-9 — 3 at Chicago Cubs, 3 at Diamondbacks:

If I were recommending a road trip for the first-time Dodgers traveler, Chicago and Arizona would be a good choice. One can enjoy the history of the Friendly Confines before enjoying a pseudo-home game at Chase Field for the final visit to the desert in the regular season.

• The Guide for Chicago (NL) is right here.

August 25-30 — 3 at Atlanta Braves, 3 at Detroit Tigers:

While I do have many issues with Truist Park, logistically, it is easy to get a flight to Atlanta from just about anywhere in the country. Moreover, traveling from Atlanta to Detroit is relatively easy, given the available flights. If money and time off were not objects, one could easily spend a couple of days in Atlanta before spending the weekend in Detroit.

Detroit does get a bad rap for urban blight, but the area near Comerica Park is solid. If you pick the right hotel, it’s a lovely weekend; otherwise, you are likely to curse the commute times of navigating downtown Detroit.

• The Guide for Atlanta is here.
• The Guide for Detroit is under development. (Spoilers: It’s pretty good, provided that you get the hotel choice correct.)

September 11-17 — 3 at Miami Marlins, 4 at Cincinnati Reds:

The Dodgers will complete their obligatory visit to loanDepot Park, which has worked better for some Dodgers than others in recent years. Still, Miami in mid-September can potentially be quite rainy and/or humid. However, loanDepot is best observed through television screens rather than in person.

Cincinnati is not the easiest place to visit due to the logistics and location, but the midweek series should bring the cost of attendance down. However, one should be mindful of the Queen City’s Oktoberfest, which will be the city’s fiftieth in 2026. The majority of the festivities are right by GABP, inflating hotel prices and generally making it much more challenging to get around downtown Cincinnati. However, the festival starts on the final day of the road trip, so the impact should be minimal.

In 2021, I was not so lucky. Moreover, people were not exercising proper crowd control measures, given that the COVID pandemic was still winding down, which was less than ideal.

• The Guide for Miami is here.
• The Guide for Cincinnati is here.

September 25-27 — 3 at Giants: The Dodgers close out the regular season in San Francisco. ‘Nuff said.

---

With the Dodgers finally having a regular spring, it’s time to start planning travel, as the calendar has finally turned, if you have not already started planning. Which 2026 series are you looking forward to? Be sure to point it out in the comments.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange...king-down-the-2026-dodgers-schedule-for-value

 

[Zedster]

That Yamamoto piece really captures what made his 2025 so special. The part about him pitching on no rest in Game 7 is the kind of thing you tell your grandkids about. Have to admit, watching him become the final boss for Toronto was something else entirely. The man just kept showing up when it mattered most.

The character stuff with his interpreter Sonoda was a nice touch too. Says a lot about someone when they treat the people around them well regardless of status. Those little details tend to get lost in the stats and highlights.

Interesting to see Bichette's name linked to LA now. The irony of potentially bringing in the Blue Jays shortstop after what Yamamoto did to them isn't lost on anyone, I'm sure. Moving him to second makes sense with Betts locked in at short. Curious how that market develops.

That schedule breakdown is helpful for anyone planning road trips. The July stretch through New York and Philly looks brutal but would be an incredible experience for fans willing to make that trek. The author's right about West Sacramento though - paying Petco prices for a minor league park is a tough sell.

One thing I noticed in the Graterol arbitration piece - the precedent they set with Gonsolin and May last year makes this pretty straightforward. $2.8 million seems like a lock. Smart by the front office to keep things simple there.

The Imai signing to Houston is worth watching. Another NPB arm making the jump, and now he's in the division rival's rotation. Should make for some interesting matchups down the road.

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Andrew Heaney retires

Andrew Heaney made a brief stop with the Dodgers in 2025 before hitting free agency. The veteran left-hander announced his retirement on his social media pages on December 28.

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Andrew Heaney’s second (or third, depending on your point of view) stint with the Dodgers was extremely brief, signing a minor league deal for the final month of the regular season after getting released by the Pirates. After building up with a few games in Triple-A, Heaney pitched once on September 27, the penultimate day of the season. He allowed three runs in two innings in relief, then was optioned the next day for one last fresh arm swap for Los Angeles.

On the season, which included 23 starts and three relief appearances for Pittsburgh, Heaney had a 5.52 ERA and 5.69 xERA with 86 strikeouts and 40 walks in 122 1/3 innings.

Heaney, in a dozen major league seasons, had a 4.57 ERA in 230 games, including 208 starts, with 1,156 strikeouts and 339 walks in 1,136 2/3 innings.

We wish Heaney good fortune in retirement.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/108356/andrew-heaney-retires

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers notes: Tarik Skubal, Cody Bellinger, Shohei Ohtani

Spring training is not too far in the distance with the Dodgers having their first cactus league game in seven weeks against the Angels. With plenty of star talent still available for the taking both in the open market and on the trade block, the Dodgers are playing with precious time to complete their offseason agenda before the team reports to Glendale.

During the winter meetings, the Dodgers were able to land in one of the top free agent relief options in former Mets closer Edwin Díaz, and during the meetings, the Dodgers and Detroit Tigers reportedly had the pieces in place for a Tarik Skubal blockbuster, per David Pingalore at KTLA. Of course, nothing has since come into fruition thus far, but Jesse Rogers at ESPN doesn’t rule out the idea of the Dodgers going after Skubal at the trade deadline.

If the Tigers fall out of the race, L.A. simply makes too much sense as a landing spot for Skubal — that is assuming he’s not traded in the coming weeks.

Links​

For an outfield group that possessed two of the worst defensive corner outfielders in baseball last year, the Dodgers have been hesitant to pry one of the better outfield names on the open market. The Dodgers have been attached to players such as Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger, and Athletics broadcaster Jenny Cavnar believes that the Dodgers are the biggest threat to the New York Yankees’ pursuit of reuniting with the 2019 NL MVP.

“I think their biggest competition is going to be the reigning World Series champions… I think the west coast can maybe lure him back. That could be a very interesting fit if the Dodgers decide to pursue him.”

"I think the West Coast can lure him back."

Could a coast-to-coast battle be at the forefront in locking down Cody Bellinger? #Dodgers | #Yankees
https://t.co/iXax8hx4iO pic.twitter.com/fsgZVMULDh

— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) January 2, 2026

One thing to certainly expect for the 2026 season is Shohei Ohtani finally showing off his talents on both sides of the field throughout the entire duration of the regular season, doing so for the first time as a Dodger. Manny Randhawa of MLB.com puts a full season of two-way Shohei near the top of his list of things to get excited about for this upcoming season.

In 2026, it appears that all systems are go for the two-way sensation, meaning we’ll get to see Ohtani both on the mound and at the plate in a Dodgers uniform for a full season for the first time. Remember: just when we think we’ve seen it all from Ohtani, who very well might be the greatest baseball talent to ever live, he always seems to do something new to leave us awestruck.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-links/108820/dodgers-tarik-skubal-cody-bellinger-shohei-ohtani

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers notes: Andruw Jones, Dodger debut seasons, front office rankings

It’s all silent on the Western front as we approach 2026.

The Dodgers are in a brief period of hibernation, as the sleeping giant waits to pounce at the right opportunity once the new year begins. But, for now, the wait persists, and the patience of fans eager to see a blockbuster move done with urgency will be tested.

One notable move involving a former Dodger was Jeff Kent being the only member of the 2025 Contemporary Baseball Era ballot to be elected to the Hall of Fame. This leaves another former Dodger, Andruw Jones, on the outside looking in, as his window closes following the 2027 election.

Jones, along with Manny Ramirez, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, are former Dodgers that Sonja Chen of MLB.com lists as having the best chances of joining Kent in Cooperstown. Jones and Ramirez by far and wide have the career accolades and postseason records to be consideration, although in the case for Ramirez, a 2009 PED suspension tarnished his chances.

Links​

Chen has another list that was posted on Tuesday, that being the greatest debut seasons in Dodgers franchise history. Shohei Ohtani made quite the statement with his MVP debut season, recording the first 50-50 season, smashing the Dodgers previous record for most home runs in a single season, and all while leading the team to its first championship in a full 162-game season since 1988. However, Chen ranked Jackie Robinson’s debut season as the greatest, as he paved a new future for not only the game of baseball, but for the entire country by dismantling racial barriers.

Near the early stages of the 2025 regular season, the Dodgers were named as the best front office in baseball by Tyler Kepner of The Athletic. In a recent poll on their website, the Dodgers still ranked as the best in baseball, but across all the four major North American sports, they ranked as second behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. In all fairness, their 2019 trade with the Los Angeles Clippers ushered in a new era fans hadn’t seen since their trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden in the early 2010’s.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-...es-dodger-debut-seasons-front-office-rankings

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Alex Call 2026 salary arbitration preview

Three of the four Dodgers eligible for salary arbitration this offseason are relief pitchers, with outfielder Alex Call the outlier as the only position player in the bunch.

With two years, 161 days of major league service time, Call is eligible for salary arbitration for the first time as a Super Two player. That distinction is reserved for the top 22 percent in service time among players with at least two years but not yet three years of service. The cutoff this year for Super Two status was two years, 140 days of service time.

The Dodgers acquired Call from the Nationals at the July 31 trade deadline, and he hit .247/.333/.384 with four doubles, two home runs, and a 103 wRC+ in his 85 plate appearances with the Dodgers, starting 12 games and playing in reserve in 26 others. Call was active all postseason and had four hits in 11 at-bats plus three walks and a hit by pitch, for a tidy .533 on-base percentage.

On the season, Call hit .267/.361/.385 with five home runs and a 113 wRC+ in 110 games, and in parts of four seasons with the Guardians, Nationals, and Dodgers Call is a .242/.342/.371 hitter with a 102 wRC+.

Let’s see how that compares with other outfielders with similar service time to go through salary arbitration recently, with the help of MLB Trade Rumors and their excellent tracking of such transactions, going back several years.

Player	Year	PA	HR	BA/OBP/SLG	wRC+	bWAR	fWAR	Salary
Alex Call	2026	1,005	21	.242/.341/.371	102	4.4	3.2	TBD
Jarren Duran	2025	1,432	34	.272.326/.457	114	10.0	8.9	$3,750,000
Mike Yastrzemski	2022	1,168	56	.255/.336/.500	121	7.7	6.5	$3,700,000
Hunter Renfroe	2020	1,450	89	.235/.294/.494	105	5.9	4.8	$3,300,000
Daulton Varsho	2023	1,022	41	.234/.306/.432	101	6.6	6.2	$3,050,000
Taylor Ward	2023	1,098	38	.256/.333/.431	113	3.1	3.9	$2,750,000
MJ Melendez	2025	1,587	51	.221/.303/.397	92	-0.8	-0.5	$2,650,000
David Dahl	2020	921	38	.297/.346/.521	112	2.4	4.0	$2,475,000
Jarred Kelenic	2025	1,423	47	.213/.284/.379	86	0.7	1.4	$2,300,000
Jesús Sánchez	2024	1,025	41	.234/.305/.434	98	2.8	2.5	$2,100,000
Anthony Santander	2021	709	32	.252/.292/.467	96	2.8	1.4	$2,100,000
JaCoby Jones	2020	982	25	.211/.276/.369	70	1.0	0.5	$1,575,000
Mauricio Dubón	2023	740	18	.244/.287/.366	78	1.8	1.5	$1,400,000
Austin Slater	2021	648	14	.258/.346/.388	101	0.1	1.8	$1,150,000
Kyle Garlick	2023	345	17	.229/.281/.439	96	0.1	0.3	$750,000

It’s difficult finding perfectly comparable players, and this group of Super Two players include some outliers. Jarren Duran and Mike Yastrzemski were coming off career years heading into arbitration for the first time. Duran and David Dahl were All-Stars. Daulton Varsho was (and is) an excellent outfielder and also occasionally caught in those early years. Hunter Renfroe averaged over 28 home runs in his first three full seasons. Taylor Ward had a better platform year with 23 home runs and a 136 wRC+ in 2022.

Anthony Santander has similar career numbers to Call, making that $2.1 million from five years ago look like a decent comp. But in 2019, Santander hit 20 home runs in a nearly full season followed up by 11 home runs and a 130 wRC+ in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign heading into his arbitration.

Call has been quite clearly more productive than MJ Melendez and Jarred Kelenic were to this point in their careers, but both had more than double the home runs hit by Call to date. It’s hard to know how much playing time weighs, but Melendez had to this point a full season’s worth of plate appearances more than Call, while Kelenic batted 41.6 percent more than Call.

JaCoby Jones through 2019 had nearly the same plate appearances and home runs as Call, with Call outperforming him at the plate and in Wins Above Replacement rather handily. To me, that makes the $1.575 million Jones earned in 2020 the floor for Call in 2026, plus whatever inflation adjustment might be needed.

Call was projected to make $1.5 million in 2026 by MLB Trade Rumors, while Cot’s Baseball Contract had the outfielder at $1.4 million. I’ll guess that Call exceeds that and surpasses Jones as well at $1.75 million.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-payroll/108507/alex-call-salary-arbitration-dodgers-2026

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Anthony Banda 2026 salary arbitration preview

The exchange date for salary arbitration is this Thursday, and we’ve already looked at comparable players to pitcher Brusdar Graterol and outfielder Alex Call. That leaves two other Dodgers eligible for arbitration in 2026, both relievers — left-hander Anthony Banda and right-hander Brock Stewart.

Both have similar service time, with Banda at four years, 135 days and Stewart at four years, 93 days. Both pitchers are in their 30s with long and winding paths to get to this level. Banda pitched for seven major league teams in seven years before joining the Dodgers, for whom he’s had his best two seasons in 2024-25, accounting for almost half of his career innings.

We’ll look at Stewart’s case on Wednesday, but will work from the same group of relievers trying to find comparable pitchers.

First, let’s look at a large group of pitchers over the last three offseasons with four-plus years of service time and reasonably similar career numbers to Banda and/or Stewart, with the help of excellent arbitration tracking from the folks at MLB Trade Rumors.

Pitcher	Year	Service time	IP	Saves	BB rate	K rate	ERA	ERA+	FIP	Salary	Previous $	Increase
Anthony Banda	2026	4.135	233.3	3	9.9%	21.5%	4.44	96	4.25	TBD	$1,000,000
Brock Stewart	2026	4.093	186.7	2	9.7%	23.1%	4.48	95	4.83	TBD	$870,000
Erik Swanson	2024	4.096	221.3	10	6.2%	27.0%	3.78	110	3.96	$2,750,000	$1,250,000	120.0%
Kevin Ginkel	2025	4.033	233.3	13	8.7%	26.1%	3.47	124	3.44	$2,425,000	$1,225,000	98.0%
Colin Poche	2024	4.114	171.0	10	9.3%	28.2%	3.58	114	3.98	$2,375,000	$1,250,000	90.0%
Hoby Milner	2024	4.068	206.3	0	6.7%	22.7%	3.53	120	4.13	$2,050,000	$1,025,000	100.0%
Adrián Morejón	2025	4.140	138.7	2	7.4%	24.1%	4.15	99	3.86	$2,000,000	$850,000	135.3%
Zack Littell	2024	4.043	259.7	3	6.6%	20.5%	4.09	103	4.44	$1,850,000	MiLB deal
Matt Bush	2023	4.132	200.7	14	7.7%	25.5%	3.45	131	3.93	$1,850,000	MiLB deal
Tim Hill	2023	4.112	211.0	4	7.8%	20.4%	3.88	107	3.98	$1,850,000	$1,325,000	39.6%
Joe Mantiply	2025	4.029	206.3	4	6.7%	21.5%	4.01	106	3.15	$1,700,000	$925,000	83.8%
Nick Anderson	2024	4.153	122.7	9	6.6%	35.5%	2.93	148	2.72	$1,575,000	$875,000	80.0%
Lucas Luetge	2023	4.015	218.7	5	8.4%	22.5%	3.38	119	3.47	$1,550,000	$950,000	63.2%
Génesis Cabrera	2024	4.011	213.0	3	11.6%	23.6%	3.97	104	4.35	$1,512,500	$950,000	59.2%
Tanner Rainey	2024	4.127	138.3	15	15.5%	31.1%	5.40	80	5.00	$1,500,000	$1,500,000	0.0%
Dillon Tate	2024	4.048	179.0	8	7.2%	19.4%	3.97	108	4.03	$1,500,000	$1,500,000	0.0%
Trevor Richards	2023	4.084	422.0	1	9.8%	24.5%	4.41	93	4.29	$1,500,000	$1,000,000	50.0%
Keegan Akin	2025	4.083	304.7	3	7.4%	24.5%	4.70	89	3.83	$1,475,000	$825,000	78.8%
Dennis Santana	2025	4.126	221.3	4	10.5%	22.0%	4.76	88	3.86	$1,400,000	MiLB deal
Jalen Beeks	2023	4.070	235.3	4	8.8%	22.3%	4.09	101	4.01	$1,375,000	$750,000	83.3%
Nate Pearson	2025	4.005	142.0	3	10.3%	24.7%	4.75	90	4.90	$1,350,000	$800,000	68.8%
Drew Smith	2023	4.034	122.3	0	7.8%	23.8%	3.24	122	4.38	$1,300,000	$750,000	73.3%
JT Chargois	2024	4.101	195.0	1	9.4%	23.8%	3.55	118	3.85	$1,285,000	$850,000	51.2%
Lucas Sims	2023	4.014	195.7	8	10.7%	27.7%	4.97	93	4.36	$1,267,500	$1,200,000	5.6%
José Ruiz	2025	4.148	270.3	1	10.4%	22.5%	4.36	99	4.73	$1,225,000	MiLB deal
Brock Burke	2025	4.045	202.7	0	7.0%	23.1%	4.04	105	4.29	$1,150,000	$1,035,000	11.1%
Josh Sborz	2025	4.055	163.3	1	9.9%	27.7%	4.96	86	3.94	$1,100,000	$1,025,000	7.3%
Josh Taylor	2024	4.118	120.0	1	10.2%	29.7%	4.35	110	3.50	$1,100,000	$1,025,000	7.3%
Caleb Ferguson	2023	4.088	147.0	2	9.5%	28.4%	3.43	119	3.96	$1,100,000	$762,000	44.4%
Michael Tonkin	2025	4.074	305.7	3	8.2%	23.6%	4.18	101	4.24	$1,000,000	$1,000,000	0.0%
Cole Sulser	2025	4.031	149.0	15	11.4%	25.3%	3.74	118	3.87	$900,000	MiLB deal

career statistics

These pitchers, after Banda and Stewart, are sorted by salary in the arbitration year in question, with the top three on the list all having double-digit career saves to this point. Banda has three saves, with two for Stewart. Hoby Milner didn’t have any saves but had superior career numbers to Banda and Stewart, and was coming off a 1.82 ERA and 2.95 xERA in 73 games in the season heading into this arbitration year. Matt Bush had 14 saves through 2022, separating him from our pair, and Zack Littell began starting once he joined the Rays in 2023 and pitched 90 innings in the season heading into this arb year.

Platform year​

The bulk of Banda’s career production has come in the last two seasons, from journeyman to key cog in two championship bullpens, pitching in 17 of 33 postseason games with the Dodgers in 2024-25. In two years in Los Angeles, the left-hander has a 3.14 ERA and 3.47 xERA in 119 games and 114 2/3 innings, with two of his three career saves.

Let’s look at a few pitchers from the list above, with their season directly preceding their four-year arbitration case:

• Anthony Banda (2025): 71 G, 65 IP, 3.18 ERA, 3.64 xERA, 0 saves, 10.1-percent K-BB
• Joe Mantiply (2024): 75 G, 59 2/3 IP, 3.92 ERA, 3.19 xERA, 1 save, 14.4-percent K-BB
• Adrián Morejón (2024): 60 G, 63 2/3 IP, 2.83 ERA, 3.31 xERA, 2 saves, 18.4-percent K-BB
• Lucas Luetge (2022): 50 G, 57 1/3 IP, 2.67 ERA, 3.57 xERA, 2 saves, 17.1-percent K-BB
• Génesis Cabrera (2023): 61 G, 55 2/3 IP, 4.04 ERA, 4.14 xERA, 0 saves, 14.2-percent K-BB

Adrián Morejón made the most of this group during this year of arbitration, earning $2 million in 2025 after basically his only fully healthy season to that point in his career, earning a raise from $850,000 in his first year of arbitration. That makes him the upper limit for Banda, who has similar career numbers but in 95 more innings, 68 percent more than Morejón.

Joe Mantiply and Banda have similar career numbers, with the same strikeout rate and Banda having 27 more innings. Mantiply has a better walk rate and better peripherals, giving him a lower ERA and FIP than Banda. In their platform year, in similar games and innings, Banda had the better ERA and Mantiply had the better xERA. Mantiply made $1.7 million in 2024, an 83.5-percent raise over his $925,000 salary the year before.

MLB Trade Rumors projected a $1.7 million salary in 2026 for Banda, who made $1 million last year in his first time through the arbitration process.

Banda in 2025 had a better platform year than Génesis Cabrera did in 2023, with Cabrera earning $1,512,500 in 2024. Lucas Luetge had better career numbers through 2022 than Banda has now, and a better platform year, and he made $1.55 million in 2023. These are similar to Cot’s Baseball Contract’s prediction of $1.55 million for Banda in 2026.

I think Banda ends up somewhere in the middle of those projections. Luetge’s raise in 2023 was 63.2 percent, while Cabrera’s raise was 59.2 percent in 2024. I’ll guess a similar raise for Banda, putting him at $1.6 million in 2026.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/salary-a...anthony-banda-salary-arbitration-dodgers-2026

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

My first Hall of Fame ballot

The results of the 2026 National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot of Baseball Writers Association of America members will be announced on January 20 on MLB Network, and my votes will be included among the 400 or so ballots summited.

I never dreamed this would happen, but then again I didn’t think the BBWAA would let a blogger into their ranks way back in 2016. But they did, and now that I’ve been a member for 10 seasons I am eligible to vote for the Hall of Fame for the first time. Much like the four seasonal awards on which I’ve voted so far — National League manager of the year in 2022 and 2024, NL Rookie of the Year in 2023 and 2025 — I consider voting for the Hall of Fame a tremendous honor and responsibility. Here’s a look into my thought process on the 2026 ballot.

The locks​

Carlos Beltrán is most likely going to make the Hall of Fame this year, and if not he’ll probably get in next year. He already got 70.3 percent of the vote last year, his third on the ballot. Beltrán totaled 70 bWAR and 67.4 fWAR, and during his eight-year peak from 2001-08 averaged 29 home runs, 29 steals, and a 124 wRC+ while manning center field. He made the postseason for five different teams, and hit .307/.412/.609 with 16 home runs and a 169 wRC+ in 65 games, adding to his ledger.

That it has already taken this long for Beltrán to be inducted to Cooperstown is likely for his involvement in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal in 2017, his final season as a player. The MLB investigation two years later interviewed 68 people, though all of the players were granted immunity. But the then-retired Beltrán was the only Astros player named in the January 2020 report. He was also the only Astros player to suffer any sort of consequence — outside of being booed on the road — as Beltrán was hired to manage the Mets in November 2019 but was dismissed two months later once the report came out, before he ever got a chance to manage a game.

I don’t view Beltrán’s involvement in the Astros scandal as a disqualifying event. The Hall of Fame considers him eligible, so I weighed the total package here and came up in favor.

Chase Utley was the best player on the Phillies team that won consecutive pennants, including a World Series triumph in 2008, though his teammates Ryan Howard (2006) and Jimmy Rollins (2007) were the ones who won Most Valuable Player awards. Utley had a stretch of five straight years (2005-09) of at least 7.2 WAR by both Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.

Utley did just about everything well, hitting with power — 411 doubles, 259 home runs — reaching base by both walking and getting hit by pitch, and playing a stellar second base. By the time Utley got to the Dodgers, he was 36 years old and a diminished version of himself. But he was absolutely adored in the clubhouse in Los Angeles, and not just by Kiké Hernández, who called Utley dad.

”I’ve never been around a guy that basically any moment in time, on the clubhouse or on the field, is doing something to try and help us win a game,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said during spring training in 2017. “Often times it’s about him getting ready for a game, but there are times where he’s watching video of our pitchers, just different things all with the mind of trying to help us win a game.”

Andruw Jones probably would have been among this group on my ballot, as the best defensive center fielder I’ve ever watched. But I can’t bring myself to vote for him after his 2012 arrest and guilty plea for domestic battery.

---

The rest of the ballot involves players who won’t be elected this year, but careers on which I’d like to at the very least continue the conversation.

Starting pitchers​

Felix Hernández won the 2010 American League Cy Young Award, finished second two other times and fourth another time. From 2008-15, Hernández averaged 225 innings, 216 strikeouts, 5.4 fWAR, and 5.2 bWAR. Over those eight years he led the majors in innings and second in strikeouts, in the latter only 22 behind Clayton Kershaw. Hernández was only 33 years old in his final season, so his argument relies on his peak years, and they were special.

Cole Hamels, technically a former Dodger, is on his first Hall of Fame ballot, and while he doesn’t have the peak of King Felix, their career numbers have a lot of similarities:

Hamels: 163 wins, 2,560 strikeouts, 2,698 innings, 3.43 ERA (123 ERA+), 59 bWAR, 51.6 fWAR
Hernández: 169 wins, 2,524 strikeouts, 2,729 2/3 IP, 3.42 ERA (117 ERA+), 49.8 bWAR, 54 fWAR

Another benefit in Hamels’ ledger is his 3.41 ERA in 17 postseason games, including 16 starts. That includes winning both NLCS MVP and World Series MVP in the Phillies’ championship run in 2008.

If you want postseason stats, Andy Pettitte is your guy, the all-time leader with 44 postseason starts, 19 wins, and 276 2/3 innings, the latter over 50 innings more than anyone else. He never won a Cy Young Award but finished in the top five four times, and put up a 117 ERA+ (same as Hernández and Mark Buehrle) but over 3,316 regular season innings.

Mark Buehrle was as steady and reliable as they come. After debuting with the White Sox mostly as a reliever in 2000, he started at least 31 games in each of the next 15 seasons. He averaged 216 innings over that decade and a half, and the only reason his streak of 200 innings didn’t last 15 years was that he missed the milestone by only four outs in 2015, his final season. Buehrle, who pitched a perfect game in 2009, finished with 3,282 1/3 innings, one of only four pitchers since 2000 with at least 3,000 innings. The others are CC Sabathia, a Hall of Famer, Justin Verlander, a future Hall of Famer, and Zack Greinke, who will get my vote when he’s on the ballot in three years.

Performance enhancers​

I don’t begrudge anyone who doesn’t vote for players who used performance enhancing drugs. I thought about using the cut off of not voting for anyone who tested positive or was suspended by MLB’s joint drug agreement (which began in 2005). But I don’t necessarily see a drug suspension as disqualifying, but rather something to consider in the total package for each player.

Pettitte in 2007 admitted to using Human Growth Hormone in 2002 to recover from an elbow injury, and in 2008 in Congressional testimony also admitted to using HGH in 2004 as well.

Alex Rodríguez was suspended for 211 games, later reduced to 162 games (the entirety of the 2014 season) “based on his use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years.”

He also hit 696 home runs and is one of the greatest players ever. Rodríguez would get my Hall of Fame vote under normal circumstances, but thanks to some strategic voting I left him off this year because I needed all 10 slots. Rodríguez got 37.1 percent of the vote last year and is in no danger of falling off the ballot this year, and he has up to five more years remaining on the ballot.

Manny Ramírez on the other hand is in his 10th and final year on the ballot. Having topped out at 34.3 percent last year, there’s no way Ramírez is getting inducted this year, so any vote for him would be a waste.

Why I needed the ballot space​

Bobby Abreu will need to make some gains, after getting 19.5 percent in 2025, his sixth year on the ballot. But I think he merits further discussion. A pick by the Rays in the 1997 expansion draft, Abreu was immediately traded for Kevin Stocker and the Phillies were the benefactors. Abreu averaged 40 doubles, 23 home runs, 29 steals, 107 walks, a 141 OPS+, and 5.6 bWAR over the next eight seasons.

Abreu is one of only six players with at least 250 home runs and 400 stolen bases, along with Barry and Bobby Bonds, Rickey Henderson, Craig Biggio, and Joe Morgan.

Dustin Pedroia was an MVP, a Rookie of the Year, was integral to two Red Sox championships (2007, 2013) and technically around for another (2018). The second baseman averaged 40 doubles, 5.1 bWAR, and a 118 wRC+ over his first 10 full seasons, before a knee injury derailed his 2017 season, leading to multiple surgeries and a career cut short.

Similarly, David Wright saw his career cut short by neck and shoulder surgeries, but not before the Mets third baseman put up a 138 wRC+ and averaged 36 doubles, 23 home runs, and 4.9 bWAR over his first nine full seasons. To me, both Pedroia and Wright are similar to Kirby Puckett, whose career was cut short by an eye injury after playing only 12 seasons:

Puckett: 7,831 PA, 414 doubles, 207 HR, 122 wRC+, 51.1 bWAR, 44.9 fWAR, 10x All-Star, 6x Gold Glove
Pedroia: 6,777 PA, 394 doubles, 140 HR, 115 wRC+, 51.8 bWAR, 44.8 fWAR, 4x All-Star, 4x Gold Glove
Wright: 6,872 PA, 390 doubles, 242 HR, 133 wRC+, 49.1 bWAR, 51.3 fWAR, 7x All-Star, 2x Gold Glove

My last vote went to Torii Hunter, who won nine Gold Gloves, which counts for something. The only outfielders with more Gold Glove Awards are Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Ken Griffey Jr., Jones, Al Kaline, and Ichiro Suzuki.

Voting for Hunter bumped Rodríguez off my ballot. Not because I think Hunter was better than Rodríguez, and not necessarily because Hunter is a surefire Hall of Famer. But I think he merits further discussion, and he’s in danger of falling off the ballot entirely. Hunter got 5.1 percent last year, narrowly reaching the five percent required to remain on the ballot the next year.

Even if Hunter doesn’t stick around for Cooperstown consideration, his contract with the Angels was finalized at a Del Taco, which has to count for something.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/hall-of-fame-dodgers/108858/hall-of-fame-ballot-2026

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

The problem with the Fox broadcast

Even though we are past the point where Larry David says it is okay to say Happy New Year, we return to something that has ground my gears for a while during this lull in the offseason: my gripes with the FOX baseball broadcast.

In what has unexpectedly and delightfully become an annual tradition (next year in Seattle!), I rang in the New Year by rewatching Game 7 of the 2025 World Series on MLB.com. I had watched numerous calls and highlights, and even rewatched the game while listening to the radio call of Stephen Nelson and Rick Monday.

One-Act Play​

One thing I had not done since attending Game 7 was watch the entire game in full while watching the FOX broadcast. Ringing in the new year with Joe Davis’ “to beat the champ, you gotta knock him out!” seemed like a nice way to start the new year at home. The funny thing about the call was that I said something similar to my seatmates a few minutes before.

However, after spending almost five hours with needless breaks for commercials that never came, it was an infuriating experience timed to the second, especially considering MLB released a three-hour truncated, ad-free version of Game 7 on YouTube that I somehow missed.

What truly ground my gears was how Fox did the broadcast through its gimmicks, in-game interviews, and commentary that was better off muted.

Being at Game 7 was one of the highlights of my life, a riveting ballet of high tension and drama where hours flew by in what felt like minutes as the Dodgers repeated as champions in one of, if not the best, game ever played. Watching Game 7 was anything but, as that tension was entirely gone when watching the game on Fox.

Signing off. Best game ever.

— Michael Elizondo (@elidelajandro.bsky.social) 2025-11-02T05:30:17.981Z

I made the point of live-blogging what I was thinking and feeling at Rogers Centre during Game 7 as a lark in real time. The New Year’s Eve live blog slowly unraveled into an unwatched one-man play about becoming livid with the broadcast, while sharing what I was thinking and feeling at Rogers Centre, which I’m sharing for posterity.

If you wanted to ring in the New Year with Game 7, start the MLB.com feed at 7:34:30 pm (assuming no commercial interruptions). The moment of glory is at 4:25:30.

— Michael Elizondo (@elidelajandro.bsky.social) 2026-01-01T00:22:09.318Z

I tried to figure out why the telecast was such a dud. At first, I thought maybe it was because I knew the outcome in advance, but I quickly dismissed that notion because good baseball is good baseball. Besides, Game 5 of the 2024 World Series was only enjoyable on a rewatch because the outcome was known.

“Oh no, Jack Flaherty pitched a dud. How utterly surprising! (It was not.) Whatever shall the Dodgers do?!?” And here comes the fifth inning! If a drunk Chris Taylor can joke about what you did, you goofed, and you goofed badly.

As an aside, it is not like the Yankees’ fundamentals improved in 2025 or the Blue Jays’ running skills during the World Series were anything to write positively home about. For completeness’ sake, we can also chortle about that goofy double play from National League Championship Series Game 1 with the video below.

And yes, the below thumbnail should hang in the Louvre.

In working on a feature about the anniversary of the 1955 World Series’ championship, I stumbled upon the essays and videos of Daniel Evensen of The Baseball Replay Journal on the topic. Upon reviewing some other aspects of Evensen’s work, I realized he had inadvertently said explicitly what I thought was rotten with the Game 7 broadcast: I hate Fox’s unique style of focusing on gimmicks of zoom-ins to artificially extract as much drama from the game as possible.

Evensen has a ten-minute video on the subject that nails my feelings to a point, focusing on historical broadcasts and relating to the Rojas play at home to save the Dodgers’ season, to demonstrate his point. Once you notice the critiques that Evensen points out, you cannot unsee them to the modern broadcast’s detriment.

As Evensen stated, it takes a knack for understanding the game to televise it properly, which is sorely lacking today. When I watched the Rojas play unfold on the broadcast, I was stunned by how the locus of the action was in the wrong spot: Rojas.

While I was at Game 7, I was fortunate enough to record the play. I have no background in broadcasting, but extemporaneously, I had enough sense to keep the focus on the play’s main point: Isiah Kiner-Falefa, as his run was the only one that mattered.

Granted, my focus was not perfect, but I am not a broadcaster. It would be helpful if broadcasts did not just default to close-ups and gimmicks over showing the positioning of the fielders or runners in key situations. Why the Fox broadcast is trying to emulate movie storytelling, when baseball storytelling is compelling enough on its own, is beyond me.

Movie Night​

Which brings me to something I abhor coming out of Queens that is being hailed as innovative. John DeMarsico is the Broadcast Director of the Mets’ SNY broadcast, and his efforts to mimic film with unique angles during the broadcast are being hailed as an innovative way to present baseball.

The following is a forty-minute conversation in which Mr. DeMarsico discusses his craft, the influence of Brian De Palma, and provides examples. After giving the topic some thought, I cannot agree that Mr. DeMarsico is doing positive for the game.

I am not a baseball purist by any measure. I like the Manfred Man. I think the pitch clock is a lifesaver. I think the automated ball-and-strike system will benefit baseball. But you know what I want to do when I want to watch a Brian De Palma movie? I cue up Scarface or The Untouchables. I do not think of mashing my admiration for De Palma with the Dodgers playing baseball.

Mr. Demarsico even admits that some of his gimmicks are meant to lessen the tedium of the regular season and do not serve the game’s storytelling. Saying you are trying to innovate to alleviate the alleged tedium of baseball is a damning statement in and of itself. Thankfully, this “innovation” seems largely confined to the Mets, but I argue that the act reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of how baseball is presented.

MLB.com keeping tabs​

MLB.com has recently released its “My stats” tab on its streaming service page. I watched a lot of Dodgers baseball on streaming last year, which is a feat considering how I am blacked out for games with the San Francisco Giants and Sacramento Athletics, and I am on the road at the ballpark for another 15-20 games. If you use MLB.com for streaming, you can log in to your account and generate a statistics layout similar to the one shared below.

Not bad. Also, lump in the postseason and the games I saw in person, it was a good year.

— Michael Elizondo (@elidelajandro.bsky.social) 2025-12-18T03:37:38.628Z

To quote my annual offseason guilty pleasure, Brockmire: Baseball is the intersection of life and mathematics, where you can predict anything except the moments that change everything. Going to the ballpark is infinitely better than watching on television or streaming, as the park and the crowd have their own energy that one gets only a fraction of during a broadcast.

Still, broadcasts should try to emulate why baseball is so interesting and beautiful without resorting to gimmicks that largely miss the point.

While the season can be and is long, it has its own rhythm and inherently compelling story for a beautiful children’s game so steeped in failure. Is the Dodgers’ broadcast perfect? No. But I am not generally compelled to hit mute or petulantly switch over to listen to Stephen and Rick, which is a small victory.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-television-media/108813/fox-sports-mlb-broadcasts

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers sign Brusdar Graterol, avoid salary arbitration

Of the four Dodgers eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, relief pitcher Brusdar Graterol was the one with the easiest salary to predict. So perhaps it’s not a surprise that his one-year deal to avoid arbitration was the first one reported.

Graterol will earn $2.8 million in 2026, per Robert Murray of FanSided and confirmed by Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic. That matches Graterol’s salary from 2025, a season in which he did not pitch while recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

Evan Phillips, who had Tommy John surgery in June and was expected to miss at least half of 2026, was also eligible for arbitration this offseason but was non-tendered in November as he and the team couldn’t yet work out a deal to return. Same for Tony Gonsolin, who would have been eligible for arbitration but was also coming off Tommy John surgery in August and was expected to miss a large chunk of 2026 before he was designated for assignment in November.

By contrast, Graterol by contrast is expected to be ready to pitch once spring training begins.

Graterol in 2024 missed time with shoulder trouble and a hamstring strain, and was limited to only 10 games that season. But he’s been one of the Dodgers’ most-trusted relievers this decade when healthy, utilizing soft contact and a high 61.9-percent groundball rate to produce a 2.69 ERA and 3.03 xERA in 178 games and 181 innings from 2020-24.

With five years, 167 days of major league service time, Graterol will be a free agent after this season. He was a Super Two player in 2023, among the top 22 percent in service time of players with at least two but not yet three years of service time. He made $1.225 million that season, and earned $2.7 million in 2024.

Graterol’s $2.8 million salary in 2026 matches what he made in 2025, which has been the norm for arbitration-eligible players coming off missed seasons due to injury. Recent Dodgers examples of this include Gonsolin and Dustin May last January, as well as Walker Buehler in 2024. That made for some easy predicting of Graterol’s salary this season, as I guessed $2.8 million for Graterol, matching projections at both MLB Trade Rumors and Cot’s Baseball Contracts.

Other Dodgers still eligible for salary arbitration are right-hander Brock Stewart, left-hander Anthony Banda, and outfielder Alex Call. Thursday is the date for players and teams to exchange salaries, which would be potentially used as arguing points in a potential arbitration hearing. That makes Thursday a soft deadline of sorts, so expect more one-year deals to be reached.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-roster/108916/brusdar-graterol-dodgers-contract

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers sign Anthony Banda, Brock Stewart, Alex Call, no arbitration hearings again

Thursday is the date for players and teams to exchange salaries for those eligible for arbitration, which serves as a soft deadline of sorts for deals to be struck. All four Dodgers eligible avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing to one-year deals.

Right-hander Brusdar Graterol was ahead of the curve, agreeing to terms on Wednesday on a one-year deal at $2.8 million. On Thursday, right-hander Brock Stewart, outfielder Alex Call, and left-hander Anthony Banda came to agreements, per multiple reports.

Banda has found stability the last two seasons in the Dodgers bullpen after playing for seven major league teams in his first seven years. At four years, 135 days of service time, Banda is going through arbitration for the second time. After earning $1 million in 2025, he’ll make $1,625,000 million in 2026, per Katie Woo at The Athletic.

MLB Trade Rumors projected a $1.7 million salary for Banda, who earned $1 million in 2025 in his first year eligible for arbitration. Cot’s Baseball Contracts predicted a $1.55 million salary for Banda. This week, I guessed in between those projections at $1.6 million.

In the 12 offseasons since Andrew Friedman was hired to run the front office, the Dodgers have signed 83 of 91 arbitration-eligible players (91.2 percent) by the exchange deadline. They’ve only had two salary arbitration hearings in the last 19 years — Joc Pederson and Pedro Báez, both in 2020.

Stewart has a lengthy injury history of his own, and is coming off shoulder surgery in October that will keep him out for the start of the 2026 season. With four years, 93 days of service time, Stewart was eligible for arbitration for a second time, and this year will earn $1.3 million, per Jack Harris now of the California Post and Woo, a 49.4-percent raise over his $870,000 salary last year.

The Dodgers acquired Call from the Nationals at the trade deadline, and with two years, 161 days of service time was eligible for arbitration for the first time this year as a Super Two player, among the top 22 percent of players with at least two but not yet three years of service. Call will make $1.6 million this season, per Harris and Woo.

With these agreements, the Dodgers now have 19 players under contract for 2026. With assumptions for minor league salaries, team benefits, and the pre-arbitration bonus pool, the team’s payroll for competitive balance tax purposes this year is estimated at roughly $323.3 million.

Player	Pos	MLBTR	Cot’s	TBLA	Average	Actual
Brusdar Graterol	RHP	$2.8m	$2.8m	$2.8m	$2.8m	$2.8m
Anthony Banda	LHP	$1.7m	$1.55m	$1.6m	$1.62m	$1.625m
Brock Stewart	RHP	$1.4m	$1.25m	$1.35m	$1.33m	$1.3m
Alex Call	OF	$1.5m	$1.4m	$1.75m	$1.55m	$1.6m

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/salary-a...tration-anthony-banda-brock-stewart-alex-call

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Eric Wedge back to manage Dodgers Double-A Tulsa team

More than a week into the new year and about a month before major league spring training camps, now is about the time when minor league coaching staffs get finalized and/or announced. On Thursday, the Tulsa Drillers announced that Eric Wedge will return to manage the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate in the Texas League.

Wedge managed the Drillers in 2025 as well. The soon-to-be 58-year-old managed in the majors for 10 years, piloting Cleveland from 2003-09 and the Seattle Mariners from 2011-13. Wedge made one postseason appearance as a major league manager, reaching the ALCS with Cleveland in 2007.

Tulsa last year made its first playoff appearance since 2022 under Wedge. Consensus top-100 prospects Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope joined the Drillers in the final week of the regular season and into the playoffs, and are expected to start the 2026 season in Tulsa’s outfield.

“It is great to have Eric back for a second season in charge of our squad,” Brian Carroll, Tulsa’s vice president of baseball operations said in a statement. “His past experience and success speak for themselves. The progress and development that he and his staff produced from last year’s team was obvious, and it sets us up for and exciting 2026 campaign.”

The Drillers begin their Texas League season on Thursday, April 2, exactly one week after the Dodgers open their major league schedule in Los Angeles.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-minor-leagues/108926/eric-wedge-dodgers-tulsa-manager

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers have 4 games on NBC & Peacock in 2026

NBC Sports on Friday announced its full 2026 schedule, which includes Sunday Night Baseball and Sunday leadoff games as part of its three-year contract with Major League Baseball that runs through 2028. The Dodgers will have four games on NBC this season.

All NBC games will also be streamed on Peacock, with some games only on Peacock. Either way, these are exclusively telecast by the NBC Sports umbrella, which means no local telecast of said games. The four Dodgers games in 2026 are on NBC.

We already knew about the opening day game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, March 26, which was announced in November. NBC says that telecast will begin at 5 p.m. PT. The MLB.com schedule lists the game itself starting at 5:30 p.m., but game times haven’t yet been officially announced so take that with a grain of salt.

The other Dodgers games on NBC this season are all on Sunday Night Baseball:

July 5: vs. San Diego Padres
July 19: at New York Yankees
August 2: vs. Boston Red Sox

These NBC Sunday telecasts all start at 4 p.m. PT, which was the schedule ESPN used for the last three-plus decades.

That Dodgers-Padres game on July 5 is part of a day in which all 15 MLB games will be nationally televised by Peacock. The first game of the day, Mets-Braves, is the other game that day that will also be on NBC, in addition to Dodgers-Padres.

The Dodgers don’t have any games on NBC or Peacock as part of the Sunday leadoff schedule, which was also announced on Friday.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange...a/108962/dodgers-tv-schedule-nbc-peacock-2026