News Dodgers Team Notes

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers Notes: Tanner Scott, Tarik Skubal, Miguel Rojas

The Dodgers haven’t made any big splashes so far this offseason, but don’t worry—there’s plenty of winter left. Here’s what’s been happening so this week.

Dodgers Notes​

We all know the Dodgers are gunning for a third World Series win, but who can we expect to contribute in major ways? Theo DeRosa at MLB.com outlines some not-so-obvious picks, including Tanner Scott and Dalton Rushing.

Jeff Passan at ESPN has a couple of new questions for the Dodgers, too, including this intriguing query: Is it time to rely on younger players? The Dodgers had the oldest average age of any team in the majors this year at 30.7, which isn’t much outside of the sports world. But when you’re pushing your body to its limits for 162 games, the years add up. Good thing the Dodgers have a deep farm system.

Tarik Skubal has become a big name for the Detroit Tigers, and now, other teams might get their chance to lure the star pitcher away. Jim Bowden at The Athletic reports that Skubal received a much lower offer from the Tigers than Skubal wanted, and while the price would be steep, the door is now open for the Dodgers to make a move.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Raisel Iglesias received offers from the Dodgers and Blue Jays worth around $16 million, according to baseball writer Francys Romero, but Iglesias chose to take the same amount from the Braves for a one-year deal.

If you’re hoping to own a piece of Dodgers history, now’s your chance. SCP Auctions, based in Laguna Niguel, is auctioning off home run balls hit by Will Smith and Miguel Rojas in Game 7 of this year’s World Series, according to Bill Plunkett of the OC Register. Current bids are $130,000 for Smith’s homer and $70,000 for Rojas’.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange...-notes-tanner-scott-tarik-skubal-miguel-rojas

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers 2025 season review: Tyler Glasnow

Tyler Glasnow once again dealt with injuries and was limited to 18 starts in the regular season, but he showed the Dodgers how effective he can be when healthy in the postseason.

Glasnow was selected to his first All-Star game in his first season with the Dodgers last year, but right elbow tendinitis forced him to miss the Dodgers’ championship run. That injury didn’t linger into the start of the regular season this year, and he started the year on a strong note by securing a win by striking out eight over five shutout innings against the Atlanta Braves.

Glasnow struggled mightily in his subsequent outing against the Philadelphia Phillies, allowing five earned runs and five walks in just two innings. Glasnow dealt with leg cramps two starts later, forcing him to exit early after four innings pitched. He got through just one inning in his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Apr. 27, but he was an early exit again, this time with right shoulder discomfort. He was placed on the 15-day injured list the following day due to right shoulder inflammation, and he would be inactive for the next two months.

Glasnow began his rehab assignment on June 22 for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets, and in three starts, he was battered to the tune of an 8.31 ERA over 8 2/3 innings, striking out 12 and walking five. He returned to the big league rotation on July 9 during their three game series in Milwaukee, and throughout the rest of the way in the regular season, he displayed positive results but ultimately struggled with his command.

Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were two of 12 qualified pitchers to average over 10 strikeouts per nine innings from July 9 until the end of the regular season, yet Glasnow also had the third worst walks per nine innings in baseball over that span at 3.98, trailing only Robbie Ray and Lucas Giolito at 4.02 and 4 respectively.

It was an experimental season in terms of Glasnow’s pitch arsenal in 2025. From his debut in 2016 through the 2024 season, Glasnow had a mean fastball usage at 54.3 percent, although the last two seasons saw his fastball rate drop to 43.6 and 45.2. 2025 marked the first year since 2017 where his fastball usage was under 40 percent, and his secondary pitcher being his slider averaged a career low 22.1 usage rate. A noticeable change was the revival of his sinker, which became a predominant pitch only in 2017 and was essentially extinct from 2018-23. Since becoming a Dodger, his sinker rate has risen from 8.1 percent to 20.6 percent.

As a result of these changes made to his arsenal, his command suffered a brutal hit from last year, with his chase percentage falling from 27.3 percent to 22.1 percent (ranks in the first percentile) and his walk rate spike from 6.7 percent all the way up to 11.7 percent (ranks in the seventh percentile).

The Dodgers had previously seen what Glasnow could do in the postseason when they faced the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series. This time around the Dodgers needed Glasnow to reverse his misfortunes he endured five years prior.

After coming out of the bullpen in his first playoff appearance as a Dodger, Glasnow’s first postseason start of 2025 came in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Phillies, where he shined through six shutout innings while striking out eight. Glasnow was the only Dodger starter to not record a quality start in the four game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers, and in his final postseason start, he coughed up a two run lead against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the World Series.

With the Dodgers’ backs against the wall and facing elimination in both Games 6 and 7, Dave Roberts decided to throw all his chips in, meaning every starting pitcher was going to be counted on should the Dodgers survive. After Roki Sasaki couldn’t finish the job in Game 6, Glasnow was called upon to keep the lead intact with the go-ahead run at the plate and men on the corners. He needed just one pitch to get a weak fly ball out from Ernie Clement, and needed just two pitches to get Andrés Giménez to line into a game-ending double play to secure his first career save and force a Game 7. He was once again relied on in Game 7, as he replaced Shohei Ohtani out of the bullpen, allowing the final run that the Blue Jays would score for the rest of the series and the season.

2025 particulars​

Age: 31

Stats: 4-3, 3.19 ERA, 1.096 WHIP, 3.75 FIP, 106 K, 43 BB, 90 1/3 IP, 18 GS, 130 ERA+, 1.9 rWAR, 1.6 fWAR

Postseason: 1.69 ERA, 25 K, 11 BB, 21 1/3 IP, 1 SV

Salary: $30,000,000

Game of the year​

Two days after Yoshinobu Yamamoto came one out shy of a no-hitter, Tyler Glasnow made his own bid against the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 8, tossing seven no-hit innings while striking out 11 and walking two in a 3-1 victory. It marked the first win Glasnow secured since his very first start of the season, ending a five month long winless drought.

Roster status​

Glasnow is entering the third year of a five year, $136.5625 million extension that he signed with the Dodgers in Dec. 2023, and he will earn $30 million in 2026.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107650/tyler-glasnow-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers non-tender Evan Phillips & Nick Frasso

The Dodgers on Friday did not tender contracts to pitchers Evan Phillips and Nick Frasso, making them free agents.

Friday was the deadline for teams to tender 2026 contracts to all players on their 40-man roster, which usually serves as a soft deadline of sorts to reach deals for players eligible for salary arbitration, and/or some trimming on the fringes of the roster. Phillps and Frasso offer examples of each category.

Phillips missed the World Series in 2024 with a rotator cuff strain in his right shoulder, an injury that kept him out for the first month of 2025. Two and a half weeks after returning, Phillips went back on the injured list and had Tommy John surgery on June 4, ending his season. He’ll likely miss at least half of the 2026 season while rehabbing.

Phillips is in a similar situation to Tony Gonsolin, with both pitchers coming off major elbow surgery, one partial season away from free agency and eligible for salary arbitration this offseason. Gonsolin, who made $5.4 million in 2025 and would likely earn something similar through arbitration for 2026, was designated for assignment on November 6 and later elected free agency. His internal brace surgery and flexor tendon repair was in August, likely sidelining him for nearly all of the 2026 season as well.

With Phillips having his surgery in early June, there is at least a chance he returns after the 2026 All-Star break and as a reliever wouldn’t take as much rehab time to build up innings as a starter. Phillips signed a $6.1 million contract to avoid arbitration 2025, and would likely have made something similar for 2026 through arbitration. Both MLB Trade Rumors and Cot’s Baseball Contracts projected Phillips to earn $6.1 million, for instance.

Phillips since getting claimed off waivers by the Dodgers in 2021 has been one of the best pitchers in baseball. Among the 484 pitchers with at least 150 innings over the last five seasons, Phillips ranks fifth in ERA (2.23), 18th in xERA (2.93), and 34th in strikeout-minus-walk rate (22.1 percent). He saved 45 games with the Dodgers, including leading the team in saves in both 2023 and 2024.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman says he team is still interested in re-signing Phillips, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

Andrew Friedman says the Dodgers are still interested in re-signing Evan Phillips

He was due to make more than $6 million thru arbitration for next season, but is still recovering from a Tommy John surgery he had last June

Friedman's full statement: https://t.co/qGlnI3t6Sv pic.twitter.com/U5DMIYguf3

— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) November 21, 2025

Frasso did not pitch in his two seasons on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, having missed all of 2024 after shoulder surgery and a hip procedure. This year in Triple-A, Frasso had a 5.49 ERA in 43 games, including seven starts, with 68 strikeouts and 42 walks in 77 innings.

The Dodgers called up Frasso on the penultimate day of the season but only to be simultaneously placed on the 60-day injured list to make roster room for Andrew Heaney. Frasso has one option year remaining.

With Phillips and Frasso now gone, the Dodgers have 37 players on the 40-man roster, including 23 pitchers.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-roster/107824/dodgers-roster-evan-phillips-nick-frasso-free-agent

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

2025 Dodgers season review: Yoendrys Gómez

Yoendrys Gómez made a strong first impression with his second team of 2025, though his time with the Dodgers was quite brief, just 11 days on the 40-man roster.

The right-hander pitched in the majors in parts of 2023, 2024, and 2025 with the Yankees before getting designated for assignment by New York in April. The Dodgers claimed him off waivers on April 25, and activated him one day later in a classic swap to add a fresh arm into the bullpen.

Noah Davis pitched two innings the previous day and appeared in three games over the previous four days, so he was optioned to make room for Gómez, who was out of options so you knew his days were going to be numbered as well.

Gómez’s first game with the Dodgers was his best, and we’ll get to that shortly. But after that the right-hander had a pair of poor outings while pitching at or near the tail end of blowout wins. Tasked with a nine-run lead on April 30 against the Marlins, Gómez got the final three outs but allowed four runs in doing so. Five days later he entered the eighth inning up six runs but was pulled after one out and a three-run home run.

That was it for Gómez in Los Angeles, designated for assignment on May 6, making way for another fresh arm in old friend and future old friend J.P. Feyereisen, who was acquired five days earlier.

Mostly a starting pitcher in the minors, Gómez found his way back into a rotation after the White Sox claimed him off waivers on May 10, starting nine of his 12 games with Chicago.

2025 particulars​

Age: 25

Stats: 4 1/3 IP, 7 runs, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts in 3 games with Dodgers; 4.47 ERA in 58 1/3 IP, 52 K, 25 BB overall

Salary: $765,050 for season, pro-rated for his time in the majors

Game of the year​

On April 27, Tyler Glasnow walked off the mound in the second inning of his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates with shoulder soreness, an injury that would sideline him for 10 weeks. That made for a scramble on the mound, which was eased greatly by the Dodgers scoring four runs in the first inning and a 9-2 lead after six.

Enter Gómez, making his Dodgers debut, the 21st pitcher used by the team in 2025, a total that would swell to 40 pitchers, matching the 2024 team record. He allowed singles to his first two batters faced, but got a double play to escape the seventh. Gómez also allowed singles in the eighth and ninth but allowed no runs, giving him three scoreless innings and four strikeouts on the day.

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That earned Gómez a three-inning save, the first of four saves of at least that length by the Dodgers in 2025, and at the moment is the only save in Gómez’s eight seasons as a professional pitcher.

Gomez is the third player to wear uniform number 94 with the Dodgers, along with three-inning save specialist Andre Jackson and veteran right-hander Dinelson Lamet.

Roster status​

The White Sox traded Gómez to the Rays on November 18.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107686/yoendrys-gomez-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

A Dodger fan’s Thanksgiving

All those warm, fuzzy Thanksgiving feelings are in the air, and I’ve been thinking about reasons Dodgers fans can be grateful this year. Here are a few thinks I’m thankful for after the team’s back-to-back World Series wins.

1. An ownership group that spends​

The rest of the league can complain all they want, but two things are true here: The Dodgers weren’t even the top-spending team in 2025, and I’d be shocked if other teams couldn’t actually spend a little more to build their teams up and get more competitive. Since the Guggenheim Group took over, they’ve barely balked at a high price tag for the right player, and it’s created an exciting team to watch. It’s fun to be a fan when your team is this dedicated to high performance.

2. A clubhouse with funhouse vibes…​

And speaking of fun-to-watch: No other team has Miguel Rojas’ sunflower seed celebration, Kiké Hernández’s interviews, and Freddie Freeman’s dance moves. There’s something about rooting for a team made up of guys who remind us that they’re silly humans like the rest of us—just with superhuman talent. Getting along is also great for morale, and it’s a lot easier to get the job done when you actually like your coworkers.

3. …and no ego in sight.​

The Dodgers protect their clubhouse culture by evaluating how players will fit in both on and off the field, and it shows. They have some of the biggest talent in the majors, and yet, there are no divas here. If anything, players seem to feed off of each others’ success, as Freddie Freeman noted when praising the starting rotation during the playoffs this year.

4. A standout stadium​

Call me old-fashioned, but I adore Dodger Stadium. It’s one of the oldest ballparks in the majors, and ownership has managed to update the facility without sacrificing its characteristic 1960s charm instead of tearing the place down in favor of a modern “marvel.” Places like Nationals Park and Angel Stadium are pleasant and without many distractions, but unremarkable overall. And yes, Oracle Park is quite nice—I’m a sucker for a waterfront, and the kayakers in the bay are iconic. But of all the places I can enjoy a baseball game, Dodger Stadium’s little time machine of a park is where I enjoy them the most. (Honorable mention to Fenway Park, my stubborn home away from home that has probably not updated anything in this century of half of the last one, either. Thank you for being you.)

5. A creative crew​

When something isn’t working, Dodgers players and staff aren’t afraid to innovate. Unusual exercises to maintain mobility? Yoshinobu Yamamoto says yes—and other players are taking notes. Renaming part of your body “the bowl” to trigger a pitching breakthrough? It worked for Clayton Kershaw. Time and time again, we’ve heard of the ways people across the Dodgers organization are using new techniques, both physical and mental, to continue the team’s tradition of excellence. Even decisions to move players around—Betts at shortstop, Roki Sasaki as a closer—have paid off in big ways, and I’m not sure how many other teams would have taken those risks.

No thank you to…​

One of the comedy troupes at my college included a section for “thank you”s and “no thank you”s in the program for every performance, a tradition that I always loved. So, in no particular order, no thank you to:

• The yearly stress that the parade of pitching injuries brings…
• …and this year’s bullpen woes. That was rough.
• That one stretch of the season every year where the team seems to forget how to play baseball
• Dodger Stadium parking costs
• And while we’re at it, whoever decided to get rid of Farmer John hot dogs and the chocolate malts. I understand these were probably necessary financial decisions, but still. Boo.

That’s my Thanksgiving list this year. Feel free to share your own thank-you and no-thank-you lists, and enjoy the holiday if you’re celebrating. May your day be full of good food and good rest.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107903/dodger-fan-thanksgiving

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

2025 Dodgers season review: Paul Gervase

Paul Gervase (along with Julian Fernandez and Andrew Heaney) is 2025’s answer to Connor Brodgon (and Eduardo Salazar): name the Dodger reliever who showed up with the least amount of screen time. Gervase, Fernandez, and Heaney made one appearance with two innings of work.

One can be forgiven for forgetting about Gervase, provided that you never saw him. At six foot ten, he is literally the tallest player to ever suit up for the Los Angeles Dodgers, dethroning Mark Hendrickson of 2006 fame.

Gervase was actually one of the few players that the Dodgers acquired at the trade deadline in the Hunter Feduccia, three-team deal that also saw the arrival of Ben Rortvedt and Adam Serwinowski. Gervase started the year and spent most of the year closing out games for the Triple-A Durham Bulls (yes, THOSE ones, even though it was a single-A team in the movie) of the Tampa Bay Rays organization.

At the time of the trade, in 27 games, Gervase had a 2-3 record and four saves (out of six tries). He had a 3.12 ERA with 63 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 40 1/3 innings.

Gervase made his major league debut for the Rays in June, pitching in five games and 6 1/3 innings of work.

He had a 4.26 ERA and a 9.77 FIP, giving up three solo home runs, walking five, and striking out six.

When the Dodgers acquired Gervase, he had a 31.7-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate, which was fifth-best in the entire minor leagues among pitchers with at least 30 innings.

Gervase is primarily a three-pitch reliever: 4-seam fastball, slider, and cutter. Given his height and the deception that tall pitchers like Tyler Glasnow can employ due to it, facing Gervase must feel like having a pitcher be right on top of you.

After the trade, Gervase spent the bulk of the rest of the year in Triple-A Oklahoma City and made one spot appearance for the Dodgers against the Rockies in Denver on August 20th.

While Gervase made only a cameo appearance in Los Angeles in 2025, he performed adequately in Oklahoma City, appearing in 15 games and posting a 2-1 record over 19 innings. He had a 4.74 ERA and 1.53 WHIP, while walking 15 and striking out 16. The vaunted strikeout-minus-walk rate fell off a cliff while he was pitching for the Comets.

Gervase did not make the postseason roster; however, it would be surprising if he did not appear in Los Angeles with some regularity during the 2026 campaign. Gervase might not be a bullpen dawg yet, but he certainly has a sense of humor, as based on his Tweet from the night the Dodgers won the World Series.

Got an A on the group project https://t.co/w3C10FvqO3

— Paul Gervase (@PaulGervase1) November 2, 2025

2025 particulars​

Age: 25

Stats: (with Dodgers), 1 G, 2 IP, 4.32 ERA, 1 ER, 2 H, BB, 2K

Salary: Unknown

Game of the year​

By definition, Gervase’s solo appearance against the Rockies is his game of the year, where he ate up two innings without getting rocked in Denver, which is more than many young pitchers can say.

Roster status​

Gervase has 21 days of service and two option years remaining.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107618/paul-gervase-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

2025 Dodgers season review: Nick Nastrini

For those who have forgotten, Nick Nastrini was once a promising pitching prospect in the Dodgers system who was part of the trade to the Chicago White Sox in 2023 for Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly.

If you have forgotten what Nastrini brought to the table in 2023, let us return to the scouting report from the beginning of that season:

Nastrini worked with a 92-94 mph fastball in college but has operated at 94-96 and reached 98 with outstanding carry and pitch characteristics as a pro. His mid-80s slider can be unhittable and features high spin rates, as does his 78-82 mph curveball, which also shows flashes of becoming a plus pitch but doesn’t land in the zone as consistently. He’s showing increased feel for a mid-80s changeup that bottoms out at the plate and utilized it more often in 2022.

There’s no doubt that Nastrini’s stuff gives him the upside of a frontline starter, but the question is will he throw enough strikes to reach his ceiling. He does have a repeatable delivery, and some minor adjustments to his tempo and catcher targeting helped him reduce his walk rate from 7.4 per nine innings at UCLA to 4.2 in his first full pro season. He’ll be an asset in the rotation if he can develop average control and decent command, and still could be an impact reliever if he doesn’t.

[emphasis added.]

The White Sox thought they were getting a young arm to develop into a rotation piece, and the Dodgers thought they were getting coverage for the rotation. This trade worked in theory, but in application, left plenty to be desired.

“Lance Lynn in the Division Series” is not quite the level of reference as “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra,” but enough ink has been spilled on the Dodgers’ disastrous 2023 NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Nastrini entered the White Sox rotation in 2024, and he was an outright disaster. While mimicking the Bobby Miller arc, in nine games (including eight starts), he earned a 0-7 record with a 7.07 ERA, a 1.907 WHIP, and 36 walks to 26 strikeouts.

Needless to say, in 2025, Nastrini started the year in Triple-A Charlotte.

Sadly, it was more of the same in 2025. Nastrini appeared in 20 games with six starts while in the Chicago organization. He did have a six-inning scoreless start on April 22.

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In 44 1/3 IP of work, he earned a 1-1 record with a 7.51 ERA, a 1.692 WHIP, and 48 strikeouts to 39 walks. He also had six wild pitches and hit seven batters.

On July 1st, the White Sox had seen enough and put Nastrini on waivers. That same day, the Miami Marlins took a flier on Nastrini and had him make a single start for Triple-A Jacksonville on July 8th. He gave up two runs over two innings, while walking four and hitting three batters.

On July 9th, the Marlins designated Nastrini for assignment. On July 12th, the Dodgers reacquired Nastrini in place of Noah Davis.

On July 18th, the Dodgers cleared Nastrini through waivers off the 40-man roster by outrighting him to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Nastrini spent a couple of weeks at the Arizona Complex before joining the Comets for the rest of the 2025 campaign to try to recapture that old Dodger magic.

It did not work. Nastrini made three appearances for the Comets in August and September.

On August 7, he made his first appearance in the Dodgers organization in over two years. His debut for Oklahoma City against the El Paso Chihuahuas was as ignominious as any pitching appearance I have ever seen in my almost 40 years of baseball fandom and four years of professional baseball writing.

He entered in the top of the third inning with one batter already out, replacing Zach Penrod. The following is what happened next, which had to be seen multiple times to be believed. Nastrini was posting effective speeds not seen since college, and to say he was wild was an understatement.

• Walk
• Walk (stolen base during at bat, runners now at second and third)
• Walk (wild pitch during at bat, bases now loaded)
• Walk (wild pitch during at bat, run scores, bases again loaded)
• Nastrini was removed; Ryan Sublette is now pitching, you can guess what happened next…

For those keeping score, that outing results in an infinite ERA. Nastrini was not seen again until mid-September, when he was activated from an unspecified injury.

He made two appearances against Tacoma during the final regular-season series of the year. On September 17, he faced and retired a single batter. On September 21, he pitched 2/3rds of an inning, allowing two runs and walking three.

While Nastrini has returned to the Dodgers’ organization, he is off the 40-man roster and will have to improve exponentially even to be considered for another shot at the Majors in 2026.

2025 particulars​

Age: 25

Stats: (Oklahoma City) 3 G, 0-2, 1 IP, 7 BB, 54.00 ERA, 7.00 WHIP

Salary: Unknown

Game of the year​

Overall, April 22nd with Charlotte was his best outing of the year. If limited to outings in the Dodgers organization, September 17th’s clean one-batter outing is the only choice.

Roster status​

Nastrini still has rookie status and is in the Dodgers’ organization, but is currently off the 40-man roster.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107418/nick-nastrini-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Looking back at Dodgers TV & radio broadcasts in 2025

LOS ANGELES — Now that the baseball season is over, we can look back at the various announcer pairings the Dodgers used on both their television and radio English-language broadcasts during the 2025 season.

SportsNet LA was in its 12th season of televising Dodgers games locally, the last six of which have been available more widely within the market.

Seventeen Dodgers games during the regular season were exclusively televised or streamed nationally, which meant no SportsNet LA for those games, which including six each on ESPN and Fox, four on Apple TV+ and one on The Roku Channel.

That left 145 games on SportsNet LA, 87 of which were called by Joe Davis on play-by-play. He also called 87 games on SportsNet LA in both 2023 and 2024 as well.

I asked Davis to pick a broadcast highlight from 2025.

“First place my mind goes is the intensity of those Padres games,” Davis said. “Such a fun rivalry right now.”

Here is the Davis call along with analyst Eric Karros when benches cleared at Dodger Stadium on June 19, the seventh game in an 11-day stretch between the two teams which featured 11 hit batters in total.

Benches cleared during Padres-Dodgers after Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit

Dave Roberts and Mike Shildt had words for each other pic.twitter.com/5NQkbRKtlg

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 20, 2025

Davis also called the two games against the Cubs in Tokyo to open up the season, and called that “a special experience.”

Stephen Nelson called the other 58 games on SportsNet LA. Together, Davis and Nelson worked with four analysts on television — Orel Hershiser was on 83 games on SportsNet LA, Eric Karros on 39, Jessica Mendoza on 20, and Nomar Garciaparra also worked three TV games with Davis. That’s a similar breakdown of recent years, with Hershiser working 84 games in 2023 and 83 in 2024, and Mendoza working 20 games in each of the last three years.

Nelson said his highlight of the season was calling Clayton Kershaw’s 3,000th career strikeout, which came at home against the Chicago White Sox on July 2. The game itself presented several obstacles, including Kershaw scuffling through his six innings, and getting the third and final strikeout he needed on what would have been his last batter of the game no matter what. That final strikeout came minutes after third baseman Max Muncy was helped off the field after a knee injury that looked especially bad at the time.

“A final individual capstone for an inner-circle Hall of Famer. There was so much build-up to that night,” Nelson explained. “And then the drama that preceded it — is he even going to get it? Uh, is Max Muncy done for the year? — to then get it on what we all knew was his final pitch.”

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“My gut feeling going into the game was that I wasn’t going to say much if he got it,” Nelson recalled. “Vin [Scully] capped his no-no with ‘He’s done it,’ and laid out. Similar with Joe with Scherzer’s 3,000th. I wanted to get out of the way for the Dodger Stadium crowd. Kersh gave me his stamp of approval, which further crystallized the moment as one I’ll hold onto for the rest of my career.”

In all, there were seven broadcaster pairings on SportsNet LA.

Broadcasters	Games	W-L (Pct)	Runs scored	Runs allowed
Davis & Hershiser	53	25-28 (.472)	4.34	4.49
Nelson & Hershiser	30	16-14 (.533)	4.93	3.73
Davis & Karros	20	13-7 (.650)	5.65	5.30
Nelson & Karros	19	12-7 (.632)	6.63	4.37
Davis & Mendoza	11	4-7 (.364)	3.27	2.91
Nelson & Mendoza	9	6-3 (.667)	3.67	1.89
Davis & Garciaparra	3	3-0 (1.000)	6.00	1.33

Nelson also called 54 games for AM 570, including filling in for the final three innings of the home opener on March 27 against the Tigers after Charley Steiner called the first six frames. That meant 112 games in the booth for Nelson in total, plus reporting on the telecast for SportsNet LA for the first two games in Tokyo and the three exhibition Freeway Series games against the Angels.

Nelson also called all 17 Dodgers postseason games alongside analyst Rick Monday, who was the ironman of the group. Monday also called 152 regular season games on radio, plus 19 spring training games with play-by-play man Tim Neverett, his partner for 105 regular season broadcasts.

In games Monday didn’t work, José Mota moved over from the Spanish-language booth for seven games, James Loney called two games, and David Vassegh one game.

Dodgers 2025 radio broadcasts​

Neverett & Monday 66-39 (.629)
Nelson & Monday 24-22 (.522)
Nelson & Mota 0-4 (.000)
Neverett & Mota 2-1 (.667)
Nelson & Loney 0-2 (.000)
Steiner & Monday 1-0 (1.000)
Nelson & Vassegh 0-1 (.000)

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange...dcasts-tv-radio-2025-joe-davis-stephen-nelson

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

2025 Dodgers season review: Jack Dreyer

Only a little over a year ago, Jack Dreyer wasn’t even on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster. Now the left-hander is coming off a stellar first season in the Dodgers bullpen and even earned National League Rookie of the Year votes for his efforts.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa in 2021, Dreyer was added to the roster last November, then made the opening day roster in Tokyo, and stayed there all year.

Just two Dodgers pitchers remained on the active roster for the entire regular season and postseason — ace of aces Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Dreyer. In a bullpen full of moving parts and fluctuating performances, Dreyer was a steadying force, smoothing out the wrinkles of a staff that led the majors in relief innings (657 2/3) and ranked second in relief appearances (581).

Dreyer pitched so much that he ranked sixth on the entire team with 76 1/3 innings pitched. He and fellow rookie Ben Casparius (77 2/3 innings) had load-bearing roles during the regular season, but it was Dreyer who had the steadiest performance.

The left-hander in his 67 appearances had a 2.95 ERA and 2.63 xERA, the latter ranking 17th among the 339 major league pitchers with at least 50 innings. He limited left-handed batters to just .181/.264/.245, but righties didn’t fare too well either with a .214/.363/.346 line, and the southpaw had better strikeout (25.5 percent) and walk (6.5 percent) rates against righties than lefties (21.5 percent, 10.3 percent).

Primarily using a slider and fastball with an occasional curve, Dreyer got a lot of swings in the strike zone and was able to mostly avoid the sweet spot of the bat, with a 5.3-percent barrel rate in the 90th percentile in MLB and allowed only four home runs all year. Dreyer’s fastball averaged 92.7 mph, but was the 13th-most valuable four-seamer among pitchers with at least 50 innings in 2025, averaging 2.06 runs above average per 100 pitches.

That allowed Dreyer to pitch in a variety of roles, including 12 outings of at least two innings, seven more appearances of four or five outs, and also 12 games pitched on zero days rest. He went from bulk reliever earlier in the season to pitching three games in four days five times after the All-Star break plus another stint of pitching three days in a row from July 29.

Dreyer pitched well enough to record four saves, third-most on the staff. Basically whatever was asked of him, the southpaw did it, and did it well. You’d be hard-pressed to find a cross word about Dreyer.

The left-hander tied for ninth in NL Rookie of the Year voting, earning one third-place vote and one fifth-place vote.

2025 particulars​

Age: 26

Stats: 2.95 ERA, 2.63 xERA, 4 saves, 67 games, 76 1/3 innings, 74 strikeouts, 24 walks

Postseason: 4 games, 4 scoreless innings, 2 unintentional walks, 4 strikeouts

Salary: $760,000

Game of the year​

On April 2 against the Atlanta Braves, Dreyer entered in the eighth inning with the Dodgers down two runs at home. He retired all six batters he faced, including a strikeout and four groundouts. The Dodgers tied the game in the eighth, Dreyer protected the tie in the ninth, and two batters into the bottom of the inning Shohei Ohtani sent everybody home with a walk-off home run.

Dreyer earned his first major league win, and the Dodgers improved to 8-0 to set a record for best start by a defending champ.

Roster status​

Dreyer has one year of major league service time and three option years remaining.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107688/jack-dreyer-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers 2025 season review: Tommy Edman

Tommy Edman was coming off an outstanding postseason run in 2024 for what would be his first full season as a Dodger in 2025. He started the year on a very strong note, at one point contending for the home run leaderboard in April, but ankle issues slowed him down throughout the majority of the season. He wasn’t able to replicate the same postseason success he had the year prior, but he played a significant role in helping the Dodgers repeat as champions.

Edman was the first player in the 2025 regular season to hit a home run, doing so against Chicago Cubs southpaw Justin Steele during the Tokyo Series. Edman, alongside teammate Shohei Ohtani, both homered in the Tokyo Series finale and in their home opener against the Detroit Tigers, and he was already on pace to register a new career-high in home runs.

Over his first 24 games of the season, Edman already had eight home runs on the year while slashing .272/.303/.576. Only two players had hit more home runs than Edman by April 22; the eventual AL MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners and Tyler Soderstrom of the Athletics, who coincidentally started the year on a power surge before fizzling out the rest of the way.

Edman struggled to finish the month of April, hitting just .158 with five RBI and a pair of doubles, but as the Dodgers closed out their home series against the Miami Marlins, he was a notable omission from the series finale. He was placed on the injured list three days later due to right ankle inflammation, and he missed the Dodgers’ next 16 games, with Hyeseong Kim being called up in his absence.

Once Edman did return to the lineup on May 18, the power that he possessed early in the season almost completely diminished, as he went on to hit just five more home runs through the rest of the regular season, once again tying his career-high of 13.

His overall slashline diminished as well, as his batting average dropped from .252 at the time of his injury to just .223 by the end of the first half and his OPS dropped from .818 down to .671. What Edman lacked offensively, he certainly made up for it defensively when Max Muncy suffered a bone bruise in his left knee, costing him over a month of time.

When Muncy missed three months of the season in 2024, it was Kiké Hernández that got the majority of starts at third base in his absence. When Muncy was out this year, Edman took on the role as the primary third baseman, a position that he had played just 94 games at prior to the start of the 2025 season.

Edman remained consistent on offense relative to his overall slash line on the season to begin the second half, but during the Dodgers road trip in Tampa Bay to begin the month of August, Edman aggravated his right ankle rounding first base in the series finale. He was placed on the injured list the following day due to a right ankle sprain.

Without Muncy and Edman to man the left side of the infield, the Dodgers had players such as Buddy Kennedy fill in the void at the hot corner until Muncy made his return in the middle of August. Edman would return after spending a month on the injured list, and he slouched over his final 11 games of the season to the tune of a .209/.222/.279 slash line.

Once the postseason began, Edman looked to have found his stride at the plate again, as he hit a home run in the first Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Reds and launching another home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 of the NLDS. Although the Dodgers offense was silent in the NLCS (outside of Game 4), Edman played a huge role in the series, recording RBI hits in three straight games to help the Dodgers advance to the World Series. In the first three rounds of the postseason, Edman slashed .286/.306/.486 with a pair of home runs and six RBI.

The World Series was not so kind to Edman, as he slumped to a .143/.194/.214 slash line while having his spot in the lineup drop to the bottom third. His bat didn’t play a significant role in the series, but he proved his value on defense. Edman had a pair of game saving plays in Game 3, nailing Isiah Kiner-Falefa at third base in the ninth inning after the ball deflected off of Freddie Freeman’s glove and executing a perfect relay from right field to nab Davis Schneider at home in the 10th inning to keep the game tied. With Andy Pages struggling mightily offensively, Dave Roberts nabbed Edman as the go-to center fielder in the final two games of the series.

Although the overall numbers don’t paint a pretty picture, Edman managed to cut down his strikeout rate and improved drastically on defense with 10 outs above average. His walk rate slipped from 7.2 percent to just five percent, which placed 10th worst among all National League players with at least 350 plate appearances and ranked in just the 10th percentile.

2025 particulars​

Age: 30

Stats: .225/.274/.382, 13 HR, 49 RBI, 13 2B, 61 K, 19 BB, 81 wRC+, 1.1 rWAR, 1.2 fWAR, 97 games

Postseason: .222/.254/.365, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 2B

Salary: $22,000,000 (Edman received all of his $17 million signing bonus in 2025 and received $5 million in actual salary)

Game of the year​

Edman’s best game of the 2025 season came back on April 18 against the Texas Rangers. With Shohei Ohtani away from the team to await the birth of his daughter, Edman stepped up as the leadoff man and collected three hits on the day, something he did just four times all season, while blasting a leadoff home run and scoring twice in the Dodgers’ 3-0 shutout victory.

LEADING OFF, TOMMY EDMAN! pic.twitter.com/NBQ6kiY02Y

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 19, 2025

Roster status​

Edman will be entering the second year of a five year, $74 million extension he signed with the Dodgers last offseason. He will earn $12.25 million in 2026, with $2.5 million being deferred in 2035 and 2036 and $1.25 million being deferred in 2037.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107835/tommy-edman-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers Notes: Prospects, free agents, Tatsuya Imai

With a robust farm system, an intriguing free agent class, and a growing connection to Japanese players, there are plenty of moving parts to keep track of this offseason. Luckily for the Dodgers, they have the front office talent necessary to manage all those options. Someone needs to make a documentary about what all that management looks like, because I don’t know how they actually do it all, and I’d love to get a sneak peek. In the meantime, though, here’s some intel on the players and possibilities the Dodgers are working with, among other bits of news.

Dodgers Notes​

The Dodgers traded for four ranked prospects this season, helping them maintain the top farm system in the majors. Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com took a good look at what each of those prospects could bring to Los Angeles in the coming years.

Free agents are set to make a splash this offseason, and David Shoenfield at ESPN has plenty to say about who might end up with the Dodgers. He lists Bo Bichette as the potential addition most likely to help the Dodgers win again, along with Kyle Tucker as most likely to sign with a surprise team — including L.A.

There’s also the question of Japanese superstar Tatsuya Imai, an ace pitcher for the Seibu Lions who is eligible for MLB play. Will he join the Dodgers and add to the team’s Japanese contingent? “Winning against a team like that and becoming a World Champion would be the most valuable thing in my life,” he said on Japan’s Hodo Station news show. “If anything, I’d rather take them down.” Michael Clair and Ayako Oikawa at MLB.com have more on Imai’s MLB plans.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is concerned about how much the Dodgers have been winning lately, according to Chris Kirschner at The Athletic. “It’s always a concern any time I feel that one team is pulling away from the other 29, (or) selfishly, pulling away from me,” Steinbrenner said. I’m sure other teams felt the same way during the Yankees’ dynasty years, Hal.

There are 54 Dodgers-themed murals across Los Angeles, with more on the way, writes Chuck Schilken at the Los Angeles Times. Artist Daniel “Chaka” Ramos recently partnered with Nike to create seven new ones celebrating the Dodgers’ latest World Series championship.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange...-notes-top-prospects-free-agents-tatsuya-imai

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers 2025 season review: Alex Call

Alex Call began the season with the Washington Nationals before being acquired by the Dodgers at the trade deadline. He served as quality platoon bat against left-handed pitching and hit well over a small sample size in the postseason.

Call was coming off a 2024 season where he appeared in just 30 games for Washington, having spent a couple stints with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings before a tear in his left plantar fascia ended his season. When he was on the field, he was remarkably productive, slashing .343/.425/.525 with three home runs, 14 RBI, nine doubles and five stolen bases. Although he did not maintain that success he had the year before, he was still better than league average offensively, with his on-base percentage ranking in the top 30 among all hitters with at least 230 plate appearances over the first four months of the regular season. His 15.2 percent strikeout rate was best on the Nationals during that span, and the only other future Dodgers teammate to have a lower strikeout rate was Mookie Betts at 11 percent.

The Dodgers didn’t have quite as deep of an impact as they had in previous trade deadlines, making just two moves on deadline day that didn’t net any superstar talent. The Dodgers brought back Brock Stewart in a deal with the Minnesota Twins for James Outman, while they brought in Call to help supplement their outfield depth and their hitting against left-handed pitching.

New #Dodgers acquisition Alex Call spoke with the media pregame about being traded to the Dodgers, his role with the team, and taking pride in being a tough out. pic.twitter.com/DToJmGbZMR

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 1, 2025

For the first time in his career, Call was joining a team that had serious and legitimate championship aspirations. When he was asked by Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA prior to his Dodgers debut, Call immediately had a feeling that he was joining a special group.

“You get the call, and you hear that you’re going to the Dodgers, and your heart starts beating and you get excited,” Call said. “It’s tough to not be excited about having a chance to compete in the playoffs and win a World Series.”

Call didn’t have the smoothest takeoff to begin his time as a Dodger, hitting just .174 with a .295 on-base percentage over his first 13 games and starting in just six. It was against the Colorado Rockies where Call formally introduced himself to the team, collecting four hits and finishing just a triple shy of the cycle. The home run that he hit was registered at 454 feet, which would stand tied with Shohei Ohtani for the longest home run hit by a Dodger during the 2025 regular season.

Call would appear in another 24 games to close out the season, where he slashed .222/.308/.333 while manning both corner outfield spots. He didn’t receive much playing time in the postseason, but he made the most of his seldom opportunities as he hit .364 and reaching base over half the time in 15 plate appearances. Call was relied upon to face left-hander Cristopher Sánchez in both Games 1 and 4 of the NLDS, whom Call took deep back in September, and the outfielder reached base in every plate appearance he had against Philadelphia. With Andy Pages continuing to slump at the plate throughout the entire postseason, Call got the start in left field for Game 5 of the World Series, but was off the field for the final two games of the series.

2025 particulars​

Age: 30

Stats with Dodgers: .247/.333/.384, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 13 R, 4 2B, 103 wRC+, 0.4 rWAR, 0.1 fWAR, 38 G

Postseason: .364/.533/.364, 15 PA, 3 BB, 1 R

Salary: $769,100

Game of the year​

Call’s breakout moment with the Dodgers came during an away game at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 19. Call finished the game going 4-5 and finished just a triple shy of the cycle in an 11-4 victory. His 454 foot home run was tied with Shohei Ohtani for the longest home run hit by a Dodger in the regular season.

First homer in Dodger blue for Alex Call! #LetsGoDodgers pic.twitter.com/fjcXaT4Eti

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 20, 2025

Roster status​

Call is entering his first year of arbitration eligibility, and is projected to make $1,500,000 for the 2026 season.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107857/alex-call-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Shohei Ohtani to play for Team Japan in 2026 World Baseball Classic

The World Baseball Classic will return in 2026, and with it features some of baseball’s brightest stars from around the globe representing their home country.

Shohei Ohtani, then with the Angels, struck out his former Angels teammate Mike Trout to win the WBC for Team Japan. It won’t be the final moment for him in the WBC, as Ohtani will look to defend his nation’s title for the 2026 classic, taking to his Instagram to announce his decision to return.

In a post that has now amassed over one million likes, Ohtani stated, “Thank you to all the fans for another great season. I’ll train hard and look forward to seeing you all next year.” In a separate statement typed in Japanese, Ohtani wrote, “Happy to play and represent Japan again.”

View this post on Instagram

Ohtani stole the show on both sides of the field as he, alongside current Dodger teammates Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, helped defeat Team USA to win their third WBC title, with Ohtani being named the WBC MVP. Ohtani slashed .435/.606/.739 with four doubles and a home run while walking 10 times at the plate and posted a 2-0 record with a 1.86 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 9 2/3 innings on the mound.

Whether or not Ohtani will pitch for Team Japan remains uncertain, but Dave Roberts has his Japanese players’ support should they all decide to join Ohtani for another tournament, notes Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

“We’ll support them,” Roberts told the Japanese media. “But I do think that the pitching, it’s a lot on the body, the arm. The rest will be beneficial for next year, for our season. But we understand how important the WBC is for these individual players and for the country of Japan.”

---

The two main areas of concern that the Dodgers need to address this offseason is their corner outfield and bullpen situations. The Dodgers are firmly in the mix for prized free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker and have interest in a reunion with Cody Bellinger, and have their eyes on relievers such as Edwin Díaz and Devin Williams.

David Schoenfield of ESPN notes that rather than address those areas with a huge splash, they could look at upgrading their middle infield, with former Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette as someone that would be a surplus at second base. Schoenfield adds that Bichette won’t be asking for the type of deal that Tucker would demand, thus still leaving them room to spend big on the bullpen.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-...hei-ohtani-world-baseball-classic-bo-bichette

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers 2025 season review: Alex Vesia

Amidst a disappointing Dodgers bullpen, Alex Vesia was one of the lone bright spots in 2025. He appeared in 68 regular season games, trailing only Anthony Banda for most on the team, and was one of just three relievers to have a sub-3.50 ERA while pitching in at least 55 innings. Although Vesia was away from the team during the World Series due to a family tragedy, his no. 51 was commemorated by not just Dodgers relievers but Blue Jays relievers as well during the series.

Vesia was coming off of a career year in 2024, registering a career high in both innings and strikeouts while recording a career best 1.76 ERA. He served as the closer for the finale of the Tokyo Series and began his season on a strong note, posting a 2.38 ERA over his first 12 games of the season with his team posting a 9-3 record in games he played.

Vesia experienced a pair of hiccups against both the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks on the road, giving up two runs in one inning across each game, and endured a frustrating 16 game span that saw him post a 3.95 ERA while giving up five home runs across 13 2/3 innings April 22 until the end of May.

While the Dodgers experienced a summer that they’d like to forget and as the bullpen continued to add on agonizing defeat after the other, Vesia was the black sheep of the group, serving as one of the only reliable arms the Dodgers could count on.

From June 1 until the end of July, the Dodgers bullpen as a unit slumped to a 17-10 record with a 4.45 ERA, managing to convert just 16 saves over that span. Vesia was the polar opposite as over his next 23 games, the Dodgers managed to post an 18-5 record in games he appeared, posting a remarkable 1.37 and 1.30 FIP, striking out 27 compared to just 4 walks over his next 19 2/3 innings. Vesia was the second most valuable reliever over that span in terms of fWAR, trailing only All-Star reliever Adrián Morejón of the San Diego Padres, and his ERA was 19th best among 188 qualified relievers.

As strong of a start to the summer as Vesia had in comparison to the rest of the bullpen, it quickly tapered off once the calendar turned to August, as he posted a 4.70 ERA in his next eight games, including a four game stretch where he allowed runs in each. He struck out seven while walking five and putting two men on base via hit by pitch over 7 2/3 innings. During the Dodgers road series in San Diego, Vesia felt some tightness to his side while playing catch, and he was later placed on the injured list on Aug. 26 with a right oblique strain.

Vesia returned to the bullpen on Sept. 9, and outside of a blowup outing against Arizona during the final week of the regular season, he allowed one run over seven full innings, striking out 11 and walking three.

Vesia was the victim from one of two meltdown eighth innings in the two Wild Card games against the Cincinnati Reds, but he quickly turned around over his next five games in both the NLDS and NLCS, tossing three scoreless innings while recording a win in both series. The Dodgers were once again in the World Series for a second straight season, but they would have to march on without one of their best relievers.

The day before Game 1 of the World Series, the Dodgers announced that Vesia would be away from the team to tend to a “deeply personal family matter.” Both Dodgers and Blue Jays relievers sported a written no. 51 on the side of their caps to pay respect to Vesia, with Toronto manager John Schneider acknowledging the empathy and compassion his players expressed towards the Dodger southpaw. Both sides understood that his situation was much more important than any game in the series could ever be.

“That was cool, when I realized that,” said manager John Schneider. “I think we have a lot of good people, a lot of good humans, in there that are husbands, fathers and all of that kind of stuff, who just appreciate what we do and the hardships that come with it. It’s cool. They’ve got veteran guys over there, too, who respect the game and understand how to play it. It’s nice.”

Amidst the hoopla and celebration that came with the Dodgers repeating as World Series champions, Vesia and his wife, Kayla, would announce a week later that the two had lost their baby daughter, Sterling Sol, on Oct. 26. The couple received an overwhelming amount of support from across the baseball world, as they wrote on their Instagram post, “Thank you to the Dodgers for their understanding and support during this time. Our baseball family showed up for us and we wouldn’t be able to do this without them. Thank you Dodger Nation, Blue Jays organization and all baseball fans for your love and support. We have seen ALL your messages, comments and posts. It’s brought us so much comfort.”

2025 particulars​

Age: 29

Stats: 4-2, 3.02 ERA, 0.989 WHIP, 3.77 FIP, 80 K, 22 BB, 59 2/3 IP, 5 SV, 138 ERA+, 1.0 rWAR, 1.0 fWAR

Postseason: 2-0, 3.86 ERA, 1.286 WHIP, 3.35 FIP, 4 K, 3 BB, 4 2/3 IP

Salary: $2,250,000

Game of the year​

Vesia’s best game of the 2025 season came on June 11 during the Dodgers first series against the Padres in San Diego. Vesia recorded a perfect ninth inning where he struck out the side, collecting his third save of the season in a 5-2 Dodgers victory.

Roster status​

The Dodgers exercised their club option on Vesia for the 2026 season, and he will make $3.65 million.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107861/alex-vesia-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

A Dodgers Thanksgiving

However you are spending this Thursday, here’s a look back at Game 7 of the World Series, a mere 26 days ago. A lot of things had to go right for the Dodgers to win a second straight championship.

First came Max Muncy, whose solo home run in the eighth inning cut the Dodgers deficit to one run.

Two outs away from the season ending, Miguel Rojas — who earlier in the game picked up his first hit in exactly one month — hit a game-tying home run to keep the Dodgers alive. A home run so memorable that Rojas teared up upon seeing artwork depicting the blast.

In the bottom of the ninth inning with one out and the bases loaded, any non-out would have ended the Dodgers season. Up first came a hot shot at a drawn-in Rojas, who gathered his bearings and threw home to a stretching Will Smith on a bang-bang play at the plate to prevent the winning run from scoring.

MIGUEL ROJAS GETS HIM AT THE PLATE pic.twitter.com/lAW2GEcdDh

— MLB (@MLB) November 2, 2025

Next, a drive by Ernie Clement seemed destined to land in deep left field, especially when Kiké Hernández first took a step in before racing to just get to the ball. In came Andy Pages barreling in from center field, just five pitches after entering the game on defense in the middle of the inning.

THIS WORLD SERIES HAS EVERYTHING https://t.co/XZCAt0LTLJ pic.twitter.com/hGBhWT31Ba

— MLB (@MLB) November 2, 2025

Will Smith, whose 73 innings behind the plate were the most by any catcher in World Series history, hit the game-winning home run in the 11th inning.

For that lead to hold up, the Dodgers relied on World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, pitching his third inning of Game 7 after throwing 96 pitches in six innings of Game 6 the day before. A leadoff double put the tying run in scoring position, but after a sacrifice bunt and walk, Yamamoto induced the final two outs on one play, with Mookie Betts touching second base and throwing cleanly to Freddie Freeman at first base to finish the job.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107852/dodgers-thanksgiving

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

2025 Dodgers season review: Tony Gonsolin

When we last left off with Tony Gonsolin, he was continuing to rehab from his second Tommy John surgery. The original plan was for Gonsolin to fight for a rotation spot in the early part of the season; however, Gonsolin injured his back while lifting weights during Spring Training, which gave Dustin May the fifth slot in the rotation by default.

Accordingly, Gonsolin was not on the Tokyo Series roster and started the year on the injured list, rehabbing again with Triple-A Oklahoma City. The back injury was more of a detour than a serious setback as Gonsolin effectively had to restart spring training in the minors.

Tony Gonsolin allowed 1 unearned run and 1 hit over 3.1 innings during tonight's rehab start in Round Rock.

He notched 7 strikeouts and threw 46 total pitches. pic.twitter.com/qo9wt97HFz

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) April 10, 2025

Gonsolin was generally effective in making rehab appearances throughout the first month of the season. In four appearances, Gonsolin had a 3.21 ERA and allowed six runs (five earned) on 11 hits and six walks in his 14 innings. He also struck out 16 of his 58 batters faced (27.6 percent).

In late April, the Dodgers pressed Gonsolin into service in the rotation due to early injuries to the rotation. On April 30, Gonsolin was recalled and set to start a Major League game for the first time in 20 months.

Welcome back, Tony! pic.twitter.com/Fk5iAGrnYQ

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 30, 2025

Against the Marlins, Gonsolin did not have a clean start, but it certainly was not a bad one. He went six innings, gave up three earned runs, and struck out nine over 77 pitches, effectively using his fastball, splitter, slider, and curveball.

View Link

At the time and after two additional solid starts, there was hope that Gonsolin would provide stability, given the rotation’s state. Unfortunately, that hope was not meant to be, as the wheels started to come off Gonsolin’s season in rough, consecutive starts against the Anaheim Angels and the New York Mets.

The following start against the New York Yankees, Gonsolin allowed four home runs and generally looked shaky. Unlike his other earlier performances, the Dodgers were able to outslug the Yankees en route to victory. Gonsolin rebounded a bit in what turned out to be his final start with the Dodgers in 2025, throwing five innings of two-earned-run, three-hit, three-walk baseball.

There was no glaring red flag for Gonsolin’s uneven return. His 24.2-percent strikeout rate was higher than his 23.2-percent career rate, but his 11.5-percent walk rate was his highest since 2021 and considerably above his 8.9-percent career walk rate. Hitters had a slash line of .244/.346/.467 against him — not great, but certainly not terrible.

On June 7, Gonsolin was put on the injured list for right elbow discomfort. On June 19, Gonsolin was moved to the 60-day injured list. On August 13, the Dodgers announced that Gonsolin had undergone pronator repair surgery on his right elbow and would miss the rest of the year.

Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the surgery, and team president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman described the procedure as a Tommy John revision per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Plunkett also noted that the expected recovery time for this surgery was eight to 10 months, which would knock out most of Gonsolin’s 2026 season.

Since going 16-1 before his right forearm strain in 2022, over the past three seasons, Gonsolin has been a shadow of himself, pitching only 27 games over 139 innings of work. The record was solid at 11-7, but the peripheral and baseline statistics were going in the wrong direction with an ERA over this period of 4.99 and a FIP of 5.58.

Gonsolin had one final year of arbitration, as the team had previously bought up previous years of work at a consistent rate to his injuries. Considering that Gonsolin would be available late August/September at the very earliest, unsurprisingly, on November 6, the Dodgers designated Gonsolin for assignment.

Gonsolin passed through waivers and, on November 12, he elected to become a free agent.

The Dodgers without the tandem of Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin will feel different going into 2026. While the Dodgers jettisoned May at the trade deadline, there was a certain measure of comfort knowing that his rotation-mate of the same era of Gonsolin still being with the team.

I have made no secret of my affection and fondness for Tony Gonsolin over the years. If we have seen the last of the Catman, he departs into the unknown as a three-time champion, which is more than any active player who was not a Dodger during the last five years, except Mookie Betts (four).

2025 particulars​

Age: 31

Stats: 3-2, 7 G, 36 IP, 38 K, 18 BB, 5.00 ERA, 6.02 FIP, 5.33 xERA, 1.417 WHIP

Salary: $5.4 million

Game of the year​

While Gonsolin’s 2025 debut was impressive, his best start of the year came on Mother’s Day, May 11 against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix. On four days’ rest, Gonsolin had his only scoreless outing of the year, going five innings while striking out four.

View Link

Roster status​

Gonsolin is a free agent.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107912/tony-gonsolin-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers notes: Robert Suarez, offseason goals

I hope everyone had a very lovely Thanksgiving, and hopefully your Black Friday hasn’t been too stressful.

There’s a lot the Dodgers can be thankful for, and that’ll be a central theme regarding this morning’s links. But first, let’s take a look at the latest name tied to the Dodgers.

Former San Diego Padres closer Robert Suarez is seen as an ideal fit for the Dodgers, writes Andy McCullough of The Athletic. Although the Dodgers have been linked to high-end relievers such as Edwin Díaz and Devin Williams, McCullough notes that the addition of Suarez wouldn’t necessitate a huge contract and would allow the Dodgers to keep shoring up their bullpen.

Of course, Díaz has a much more accomplished resume than [Tanner] Scott. But so does Suarez, and he’ll likely cost less, for fewer years, than Díaz. A splash — or, really, multiple splashes — is always possible for the Ohtani Era Dodgers, but let’s keep it more reasonable, for the purposes of this exercise.

Links​

The outfield and bullpen are two primary areas of concern this offseason, and with an aging core, David Adler of MLB.com suggests that a youth movement needs to be in play as well.

Getting back into the thankful spirit, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times lists the 13 moments from the Dodgers 2025 title run that fans should be thankful for. The cherry on top; Yoshinobu Yamamoto channeling his inner “bulldog” in Game 7 to ultimately cement their dynasty.

Jason Jones of The Athletic writes a touching piece about RJ Peete, who has been a Dodgers clubhouse attendant for the last 10 years. RJ is the son of former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete and actress Holly Robinson-Peete, and Jones details the story of the “neverday,” the day where the Peetes found out about RJ’s autism diagnosis, to 25 years later, where he has overcome all the early doubts in his life and is considered part of the Dodgers family.

“For the people that didn’t know our story and didn’t know RJ’s story, it was just a beautiful testimonial to hiring inclusively and to the power of never saying never, just embracing these kids and supporting them, and what happens when you just give a chance and support it,” Holly said. “That was important and one of the reasons why I know together, advocating for anything is going to be impactful.”

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-links/107995/dodgers-robert-suarez-offseason-goals

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

2025 Dodgers season review: Noah Davis

Noah Davis had a rough start and rough finish to his tenure in the majors with the Dodgers.

Acquired for cash considerations from the Boston Red Sox on March 27 — the date of the home opener for the Dodgers, and opening day for 28 MLB teams — Davis gave the Dodgers another relief pitcher with options, which was needed with several arms opening the season on the injured list.

Davis rode the fresh arm express between Triple-A Oklahoma City and Los Angels up and down four times in three and a half months. The right-hander was active for 13 games and pitched in five of them.

First was at Wrigley Field on April 22, a sloppy game that reached extra innings after Alex Vesia and Tanner Scott allowed home runs to tie the score at 10-10. After five relievers were already used, the Dodgers turned to Davis for the 10th, with an automatic runner at second base to open the frame. All it took was two pitches for Ian Happ to single home the winning run.

The next day, the Dodgers lost another frustrating game in Chicago. Davis entered a bullpen game in the fourth inning with a two-run lead, and exited trailing by one after giving up two singles and a three-run home run to Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Davis after this entered games in which the Dodgers trailed by three, five, and six runs. The first two were scoreless appearances, and then July 4 brought the fireworks, in a bad way.

Trailing 7-1, Davis entered a bad situation in the fifth inning and stranded two runners to escape further damage, at least for that inning. In the sixth inning, it took seven batters for Davis to record the first out and by then, six more runs had scored.

Officially in “take one for the team” mode, Davis was left in to finish the inning, but allowed four more runs. Davis threw 43 pitches in the inning, allowed four singles, two home runs, three walks, and hit a batter. He is just the second Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher to allow 10 runs in relief, joining Willard Hunter in San Francisco on April 16, 1962.

The 18-1 defeat was the Dodgers’ worst blowout loss in Dodger Stadium history.

Davis was optioned back to Triple-A the next day, and designated for assignment one week later to make roster room for waiver-claim Nick Nastrini. On July 15, the Dodgers traded Davis to the Twins for cash considerations.

During his time with Oklahoma City, Davis had a 3.94 ERA and one save in 21 games, with 38 strikeouts and 15 walks in 32 innings.

With the Twins, Davis split time between Minneapolis and Triple-A St. Paul. In four games with the Twins, Davis allowed 10 runs (nine earned) in five innings, with seven strikeouts and a walk. With an inconvenient seven home runs in 11 major league innings, Davis in 2025 had an 18.00 ERA, the fourth-highest in major league history among pitchers with at least 10 innings.

2025 particulars​

Age: 28

Stats: 5 games, 6 IP, 14 runs (13 earned), 5 walks, 8 strikeouts

Salary: unknown

Game of the year​

Davis struck out two in two scoreless innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on April 25. He walked a batter and hit another, but did not allow a hit.

This was one of two Dodgers outings in which Davis pitched two scoreless innings, also doing so June 1 against the Yankees.

Roster status​

Davis was sent outright to the minors by the Twins in September, and finished out the season with Triple-A St. Paul. As someone who was outrighted multiple times in his career (also in 2024 by the Colorado Rockies), Davis elected free agency once the season ended.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107692/noah-davis-2025-dodgers-review