RSS Dodgers Team Notes

[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

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

2025 Dodgers season review: Steward Berroa

The Dodgers acquired quite a few speedy outfielders who saw time in Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2025. Esteury Ruiz and Justin Dean saw time in the majors, with Dean carving out a highly-specialized nearly daily role in the postseason. Hyeseong Kim technically counts, though most of his time came in the infield in addition to his time in center field.

Steward Berroa was part of this group as well, acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for cash on May 13. Over the last five seasons, the outfielder stole 122 bases in 305 games between Double-A and Triple-A, including 11 steals in 14 attempts in only 27 games for Oklahoma City.

Berroa did not get the call to the majors with the Dodgers like Kim, Ruiz, and Dean did, and his time on the 40-man roster lasted 51 days, until he was designated for assignment on July 3. That made room for infielder CJ Alexander, who like Berroa spent time on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster in 2025 but never got the call to Los Angeles.

On July 9 the Dodgers traded Berroa to the Brewers for cash considerations. He did get the call to the majors with Milwaukee, but only for two games, after playing 28 games for the Blue Jays in 2024. Though he only got the big league call for one of his three organizations in 2025, Berroa this year was employed by the Dodgers as well as their final two postseason opponents.

2025 particulars​

Age: 26

Stats: .330/.424/.433, 126 wRC+, 7 doubles, 11 steals, 27 games, 119 PA

Salary: unknown

Game of the year​

On June 15, Berroa hit his only home run for Oklahoma City, part of a three-hit game for the Comets in a road win over the Albuquerque Isotopes. Berroa hit a solo home run in the first inning, a two-run double in the third, and also singled.

Steward Berroa tallies his first as a Comet and ties it! pic.twitter.com/WVjBdaQiZM

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) June 16, 2025

Roster status​

Berroa is on the Brewers’ 40-man roster.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107690/steward-berroa-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

2025 Dodgers season review: Andrew Heaney

Earlier in the season it looked like the Dodgers would smash their own franchise record of 40 pitchers used, set one year prior in 2024. The 2025 team was already at their 27th pitcher by May 18, with 115 games remaining on the schedule.

But they only used five new pitchers after the All-Star break, and were stuck on 39 pitchers since late August. Until Andrew Heaney came to the rescue in the final weekend of the season.

Heaney already pitched for the Dodgers in 2022, and was technically a Dodger for at least a few minutes during the 2014 winter meetings, when he was part of the haul from the Marlins in the Dee Strange-Gordon trade, but was in turn flipped to the Angels for Howie Kendrick.

Well, @Dodgers we had a good run! Great to be a part of such a storied franchise. #thanksforthememories

— Andrew Heaney (@Heandog8) December 11, 2014

Heaney was solid during his injury-shortened 2022 with the Dodgers, with a 3.10 ERA and 35.4-percent strikeout rate in 72 2/3 innings, and parlayed that into a two-year free agent contract with the Rangers. For 2025 Heaney signed with the Pirates, but struggled and was released off that sinking ship in the last week of August.

The Dodgers signed the old friend to a minor league deal, and Heaney showed he still had something in the tank with a 37.1-percent strikeout rate in 10 innings with one run allowed for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Having clinched the division on September 25 in Arizona, the Dodgers were playing with house money during their final weekend in Seattle, facing a fellow division champ in the Mariners. Factor in that both Emmet Sheehan and Tyler Glasnow had short starts to keep them available in the relief during the wild card round, and the Dodgers did actually need some help in filling innings over the final weekend.

Heaney got the call on September 27 for the middle game of the series, the 40th pitcher used by the Dodgers to match their franchise record.

The outing itself didn’t go well, as Heaney worked around a double and walk in his first inning of relief, but allowed two singles and a Jorge Polanco home run for a three-run fifth. Heaney was optioned on the final day of the season, making room for another fresh arm. We’ll get to Landon Knack in a few days.

2025 particulars​

Age: 34

Stats: 1 game, 2 innings, 3 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts with Dodgers

Salary: $5.25 million with Pirates

Game of the year​

Heaney was born and raised in Oklahoma City, and went to college at Oklahoma State. His first game back in his old haunting ground went gangbusters, as he struck out eight of 10 batters faced in his Comets debut on September 10, pitching three scoreless innings.

Roster status​

Heaney is a free agent.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107696/andrew-heaney-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers 2025 season review: Kiké Hernández

Kiké Hernández nearly had his second half of the season wiped out due to an elbow injury, but he managed to stick around until the very end, adding another incredible postseason highlight to his already impressive resume.

Hernández was coming off of another subpar offensive season in 2024, but took over as the primary third baseman when Max Muncy was sidelined for three months due to an oblique issue. He played a crucial role in helping the Dodgers win the World Series, slashing .294/.357/.451 across the postseason, with his most notable moments being a home run against Yu Darvish that made the difference in Game 5 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres and a single against Gerrit Cole that kickstarted the Dodgers comeback in Game 5 of the World Series.

Hernández signed a one-year deal to return to the Dodgers for the second straight offseason, and he started his year strong with a home run in the Tokyo Series. With Freddie Freeman still nursing his right ankle, Hernández filled in as the go-to first base option, getting a total of 10 starts in Freeman’s absence.

Hernández struggled out of the gate once the Dodgers returned stateside, hitting just .111 over his first 10 games, yet all of his hits came via home runs. He continued to slump throughout the first month of the season, but he found his stride at the plate during the team’s series in Miami, and over his final 18 games in the month of May, he slashed .319/.385/.489 with a pair of home runs.

The Dodgers bullpen was heavily overtaxed to begin the season, and during blowout games such as the Dodgers 18-2 win over the Yankees, Hernández was brought in to pitch, appearing on the mound four times throughout the season. He joined teammate Shohei Ohtani as the only two players in baseball to hit at least 10 home runs while making at least four pitching appearances.

Hernández’s bat began to taper off once the calendar flipped to June, as he slashed just .119/.196/.167 over 23 games and mired in a 32 game home run drought. Things only got worse once July hit, as after appearing in just three games while going hitless in nine plate appearances before landing on the injured list with left elbow inflammation. Hernández revealed on his social media after season’s end that he suffered a tear in his elbow in May, and playing through the injury caused the bone to break. Hernández made his return after a seven week absence on Aug. 26, playing in another 20 games to end the regular season to the tune of a .200/.227/.350 slash line with a pair of home runs and 12 driven in.

As the postseason approached, the Dodgers had to make a decision about their corner outfield, considering Michael Conforto, whom the Dodgers signed to a $17 million deal, had a disappointing season where he hit .199 with just 12 home runs across 138 games. The Dodgers ultimately decided to leave Conforto off of every postseason series roster, and Hernández received the lion’s share of starts in left field.

Hernández began to embrace the role of baseball’s new “Mr. October,” as he entered the 2025 postseason with a career .278/.353/.522 slash line with 15 home runs and 35 RBI in 86 career postseason games. By playing in his 87th postseason game with the Dodgers in Game 2 of the World Series, Hernández passed former Dodgers and Red Sox teammate Justin Turner for the most postseason games by a single Dodger in franchise history.

Hernández somewhat underwhelmed offensively throughout the postseason outside of a home run against Trey Yesavage in Game 5 of the World Series, but his real impact came on defense. In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6 of the World Series, Hernández made a running catch on a line drive hit from Andrés Giménez. Hernández successfully nabbed Addison Barger retreating to second base, completing a game-ending double play that prolonged the Dodgers’ season for another game.

2025 particulars​

Age: 33

Stats: .203/.255/.366, 10 HR, 35 RBI, 8 2B, 30 R, 70 wRC+, -0.1 rWAR, -0.2 fWAR, 93 G

Postseason: .250/.290/.359, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 4 2B, 9 R, 17 G

Salary: $6,500,000

Game of the year​

In the penultimate game of the regular season against the Seattle Mariners, Hernández had a three-hit game after homering the game prior, driving in two runs and hitting two doubles in a 5-3 Dodgers victory. His performance helped raise his season batting average back over .200, and the three games against Seattle served as a final tune up for his run in the postseason.

Roster status​

Kiké Hernández is a free agent.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange.../107955/enrique-hernandez-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

2025 Dodgers season review: Jack Little

Jack Little’s long road finally reached the majors this season, though his time with the Dodgers was brief, at least in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers drafted Little out of Stanford in the fifth round in 2019, and like many prospects had nowhere to play in 2020 with no minor league season that year. Then came Tommy John surgery, which wiped out all of 2022 and a large chunk of 2023.

Little worked his way up the ladder, reaching Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2024, and had a 2.20 ERA and 24.3-percent strikeout rate with 10 saves when he got his first call to the big leagues on June 19.

This was a weird time of the season for the Dodgers, who did not play the division-rival Padres or Giants until mid-June, and had seven games in 11 days against San Diego during this stretch. The last of those seven Dodgers-Padres tilts was June 19, Little’s major league debut, and he stepped into a firestorm.

Each team was hit by four pitches in the first six Dodgers-Padres games, and Lou Trivino hit Bryce Johnson with a pitch in the seventh inning on June 19 at Dodger Stadium. The Padres were up 3-0 when Little entered in the eighth, and he gave up two more runs. Little mopped up the ninth as well, but then hit Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch in the final frame, the third time Tatis was hit by a Dodgers pitch in the previous week and a half.

That set off Padres manager Mike Shildt, which in turn activated Dave Roberts, whose anger bottles up and gets an occasional release every once in a while against a Padres manager. This time, Roberts and Shildt amid the kerfuffle were trying to get at each other, and both were suspended for a game. Robert Suárez hit Shohei Ohtani in the ninth inning and was later suspended for that, but Ohtani himself squashed any repeat of the benches clearing.

Little after pitching two innings was optioned the next day for a fresh arm, and made one more trek to Los Angeles a few weeks later. Both times Little was called up, he pitched that day and was optioned the next. His total time on the 40-man roster was 46 days, as he was designated for assignment on August 4.

The Pirates claimed Little off waivers on August 6, and he pitched the rest of the season in Triple-A Indianapolis.

2025 particulars​

Age: 27

Stats: 2 games, 3 innings, 2 runs, 2 strikeouts

Salary: $8,172 (pro-rated share of $760,000 minimum for his two days in the majors)

Game of the year​

In his second and final game with the Dodgers, Little retired all three batters he faced on July 5 against the Houston Astros, including a strikeout of Jake Meyers on three pitches.

View Link

Roster status​

Little was claimed off waivers from the Pirates by the Tigers on November 6, but was designated for assignment on November 18. He’s now a free agent.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107694/jack-little-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

2025 Dodgers season review: Landon Knack

Landon Knack’s second major league season saw rougher terrain as he slid further down the Dodgers depth chart, and regression on the mound.

Knack had four stints in the majors in 2025, including making the opening day roster for the first two games against the Cubs in Tokyo. He pitched two scoreless innings of relief in the second of those games and earned the win.

With both Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow out, Knack got an extended run in the rotation with six straight starts (well, five starts and one bulk appearance following an opener). May was his best work of the season, allowing zero or one earned run in three of his five games, with a 3.71 ERA for the month to go with 27 strikeouts and only seven walks.

The last of that run in the rotation was getting torched for three home runs in 3 1/3 innings against the Mets on June 5, after which Knack was banished to Triple-A for the next 16 weeks.

Home runs were a problem for Knack this season, allowing one every 18.5 plate appearances, roughly the same rate as Taylor Ward hit them (Ward hit 36 home runs this season). That’s worse than 2024 for Knack, who allowed a home run every 20.4 PA as a rookie. But coupled with a lower strikeout rate (24.1 percent to 22.7 percent), higher walk rate (6.3 percent to 10.3 percent), and higher barrel rate (10.2 percent to 15.6 percent) led to a much-higher ERA (3.65 to 4.89) and xERA (3.91 to 5.78) in 2025.

Regression came in the minors as well, with a devilish 6.66 ERA in 102 2/3 innings with Oklahoma City, and a strikeout rate drop from 28.1 percent to 20.5 percent in Triple-A.

2025 particulars​

Age: 27

Stats: 3-2, 4.89 ERA, 5.78 xERA, 42 1/3 IP, 42 K, 16 BB

Salary: unknown

Game of the year​

Many will remember the final day of the regular season, on September 28 in Seattle, as the final regular season game of Clayton Kershaw’s Hall of Fame career, and rightfully so, with one more win thanks to 5 1/3 scoreless innings and seven strikeouts. But some of us are still thinking about Knack taking over for Kershaw on the mound and getting the final 11 outs, with seven strikeouts of his own, allowing only a run on one hit and one walk.

Knack earned the Dodgers’ fourth save of at least three innings of 2025, and the team’s first save of exactly 11 outs since Matt Young on July 5, 1987.

Roster status​

Knack has 119 days of major league service time and one option year remaining, having used options in 2024 and 2025. That means another year of riding the up and down before roster decisions get trickier.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/107698/landon-knack-2025-dodgers-review

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Dodgers notes: Tanner Scott, Pete Fairbanks, bullpen situation

When the Dodgers landed lefty Tanner Scott, they assumed that he would take over in full force as the team’s closer. Instead, the former All-Star blew 10 saves, put up an ERA of 4.74 and produced negative value in terms of both rWAR and fWAR.

There’s still $40.25 million that Scott will receive over the next three years (excluding deferred payments), and his contract is already starting to look like one of the worst in baseball. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic shares his list of the 10 worst current contracts in baseball today, with Scott landing at the number 10 spot.

Scott’s deal seemed lavish last winter. It feels straight-up excessive after Scott’s 4.74 ERA in his first year with the Dodgers. Even if Scott suppresses the home runs that plagued him in 2025, it’s very difficult for any reliever to be worth $20 million on paper. Opponents slugged .520 against his four-seam in 2025.

There is still a chance that Scott can turn around the trajectory of his deal, but it hasn’t been sitting too well with Dodgers fans after the first year.

Links​

Another star reliever that the Dodgers showed interest in has found a new home, as Devin Williams will be staying put in New York, this time with the Mets on a three-year, $50 million deal. The Dodgers have expressed interest in former Rays closer Pete Fairbanks, but as Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic report, both the Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins have kept tabs on him, and Fairbanks won’t net a deal close to what Williams received from New York.

Pete Fairbanks might be the next closer to sign. The Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins are among the teams interested in him… As the markets develop for Edwin Díaz, Devin Williams and Robert Suarez, Fairbanks looms as a viable under-the-radar alternative.

The Dodgers certainly have plenty in-house options to upgrade their mediocre bullpen, notes Sonja Chen of MLB.com, as the team looks to prioritize that aspect ahead of the Winter Meetings. Chen notes that Edwin Díaz and Robert Suarez are at the top of the Dodgers’ wish list should they feel the need to spend more money on the bullpen.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-...tanner-scott-pete-fairbanks-bullpen-situation

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Yes, the Dodgers could still add pitching

In any conventional sense, the Los Angeles Dodgers have no real business adding a starting pitcher or an elite reliever, but there is nothing conventional about this team. Starting off with their payroll capabilities and going through the injury history of many of its starters, there is the perfect setup for this team to not stop adding.

There are two ways in which we could look at this. The easiest and most optimistic one involves checking the current depth chart and finding a rather formidable six-man group consisting of Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and Emmet Sheehan.

If you want to be a bit more negative or grounded, the Dodgers lost over 250 starter innings from last year with the exits of Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, and the retirement of Clayton Kershaw. While it is more than reasonable to expect a good chunk of that, at least, to be covered by those six starters above, it’s not like they weren’t on the roster from the onset last year; you’re really talking about improved health and just that.

Bullpen-wise, the Dodgers owe a lot of money to Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen in 2026, and for multiple years in Scott’s case. While a Treinen bounceback is not particularly easy to imagine given his age, Scott’s stuff isn’t gone by any means, and it would not be a shock to see him, if not return to form, certainly look better than he has. On the flip side, Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech are free agents, and Brock Stewart is not expected back until well into the 2026 season.

Taking into account all of these factors, the Dodgers might not be in play for a Framber Valdez, but there is room to add, and here we’ll highlight intriguing options for each tier of commitment.

The first stud closer since prime Kenley Jansen: Edwin Díaz​

With Devin Williams off the market, there is one standout name if you’re looking for a bona fide elite closer, and he is Edwin Díaz. Between the money already committed to the bullpen and the lack of success from some of the top options off the market last season, the Dodgers could be wary of going after Díaz, but this move also has its upsides.

Entering his age-32 season in 2026, Díaz is coming off a phenomenal campaign that saw him regain his value after a good, but unspectacular 2024, coming off a big injury.

You’re never going to know how a player will react to a change in scenery, but the fact he’s had to deal with the scrutiny of New York, particularly in recent seasons, has a certain appeal. Furthermore, Scott, even at his best, isn’t your traditional closer in the sense that he’s filled other roles. Adding Díaz might relieve some of the pressure from Scott if he is able to find his form once again.

A moderate acquisition of flexibility: Chris Bassitt​

Since the start of 2020, a total of 11 pitchers have thrown at least 900 innings in the regular season, and Chris Bassitt is one of them. The former Blue Jay sandwiched two solid campaigns on either side of a rather forgetful 2024, and if not justified, certainly did okay to fulfill expectations on his 3-year, $63 million deal.

MLB Trade Rumors projected a two-year deal for Bassitt worth roughly $40 million, and that feels about right. Maybe on a one-year deal with a bit more money, the Dodgers could get out of Bassitt something similar to what Kershaw gave them. It’s an interesting comparison, as Bassitt also moved to the bullpen during the playoffs, and in his case, did so quite well.

There’s some speculation here, but for a player with such a lengthy career and yet to win a ring, maybe he could accept a different, more flexible role in joining the Dodgers, one that sees him occasionally move to the bullpen in a rare scenario of health across the board, even during the regular year.

If history is any indicator, though, Bassitt would simply wind up pitching 180 innings for a Dodgers team that still would need to find ways to fill out innings.

Hello to an old friend: Dustin May​

For all of his struggles with the Dodgers in the first half of last season, May saw his numbers get considerably worse in a short sample with the Red Sox. For as eye-popping as his stuff is, there are some clear struggles in putting it all together for that one really good campaign.

May could probably still get a guaranteed starting spot with a struggling team as a chance to prove himself. However, with the Dodgers, he’d not only play for a competitor, the obvious part, but more importantly, potentially fill a hybrid role that better suits his skill set.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-ange...s/108093/dodgers-pitching-targets-free-agency

 

[Los Angeles Dodgers]

Miguel Rojas returns to Dodgers for 1 year, $5.5 million

After playing an essential role in the Dodgers’ Game 7 comeback to win a second straight World Series, Miguel Rojas as the old saying goes should never again have to pay for a meal in Los Angeles. But just in case a check gets dropped after he dines, he’ll have at least one more major league salary to fortify his reserves.

The Dodgers are bringing back the veteran infielder for a $5.5 million contract for 2026, per multiple reports, first by Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase.

Rojas, who made $5 million in 2025 before reaching free agency, hit .262/.318/.397 with a 100 wRC+ during the regular season, his second straight season with at least a league-average (100 or higher) wRC+ and the third such season of his 12-year career.

The longtime shortstop started more games at both second base (49) and third base (20) in 2025 than at shortstop (10 starts). Rojas finished in the top three in voting among National League utility players for a Gold Glove Award.

He started only twice and batted only 12 times through the Dodgers’ first 15 postseason games, but was inserted into the starting lineup at second base for both Games 6 and 7 of the World Series against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Rojas made a fantastic scoop of a throw from left fielder Kiké Hernández to finish off the double play that sealed Game 6 win. Rojas had two more hits in Game 7, including the game-tying home run with one out in the ninth inning that kept the Dodgers alive. He also made a backhanded stab of a hard grounder in the bottom of the ninth and threw home to prevent what would have been the championship-winning run from scoring for Toronto.

Rojas said multiple times during the postseason that he wanted to play one more season before retiring, and hoped it would be with the Dodgers, for whom he started his major league career in 2014. He’ll get that chance at age 37, now in his fourth season since rejoining the Dodgers in 2023.

“Nobody when I came to this organization asked me, ‘Hey we want you to be a leader’ or ‘We want you to be a mentor.’ It’s just who I want to be and who I want to be for the future,” Rojas told True Blue LA in 2024. “After my career is over, I’m trying to stay on the field, to stay coaching, and I want to be a part of an organization that wants to win.”

But before that coaching career begins, Rojas will have one more season of playing first. Once Rojas is officially added, the Dodgers will have 38 players on the 40-man roster.

Source: https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/108123/miguel-rojas-contract-dodgers