Dodgers aim to keep retooling as 2024-2025 offseason rolls on
DALLAS -- The most activity from the Dodgers came on the eve of the Winter Meetings, but there should be more moves on the way as they continue to shape their roster for 2025.
After agreeing to deals with outfielder Michael Conforto and reliever Blake Treinen on Sunday night, the World Series champions had a relatively quiet three days in Dallas. The roster is in a good spot as the Dodgers bid to repeat, but general manager Brandon Gomes and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman made it clear that the moves they've already made don't preclude them from continuing to add.
"We're always looking to get better and how it balances out the team," Gomes said. "We'll take these upcoming weeks and see how we can continue to make our team and lineup better."
DEALS DONE
The Dodgers announced their deals with Conforto (one-year, $17 million) and Treinen (two-year, $22 million) on Tuesday.
BIGGEST REMAINING NEEDS
Outfield: Even with Conforto, the Dodgers are likely to add another corner outfielder. There remains interest in a reunion with Teoscar Hernández, who declined a qualifying offer but has been vocal about his desire to return. With Juan Soto off the board, though, other teams may pursue Hern¨¢ndez more aggressively.
"He put himself in a great position," Friedman said, "and I know that he has talked about wanting to [return]. I know that we have talked about wanting him to, so again, that¡¯s helpful. But it¡¯s not everything. He and his family get to go through the interest [from other teams] and figure out what makes the most sense for them."
Should the Dodgers decide to fill the need internally, they could turn to Andy Pages or James Outman. Top prospect Dalton Rushing (MLB Pipeline's No. 39 overall prospect) has also been getting reps in left field, but the organization would prefer that he focuses on progressing as a catcher.
Bullpen: The back end of the 'pen is in a better spot with Treinen back, but the Dodgers aren't ruling out adding depth. There is some uncertainty around Evan Phillips and Alex Vesia, who dealt with injuries in the postseason, but Gomes said Wednesday that he expects them to be ready come Opening Day as long as their offseason throwing programs go as planned. Notably, L.A. will be without Brusdar Graterol for at least the first half of 2025 after the hard-throwing righty underwent shoulder labrum surgery on Nov. 14.
Could the Dodgers go out and get Tanner Scott, who nullified Ohtani in the NL Division Series and will likely command a closer's salary? Or perhaps they could make a play for Devin Williams, whom the Brewers are reportedly open to trading.
Rotation depth: The Dodgers are likely to open the season with a six-man rotation, since three starters are returning from major surgeries (Ohtani, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto is accustomed to an extra day of rest. Additionally, Ohtani is not expected to be ready as a pitcher in time for Opening Day.
The Dodgers have young arms they can turn to, but the "major priority," per Friedman, is signing intriguing Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki.
RULE 5 DRAFT
The Dodgers did not make a selection in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft, but they lost left-hander Garrett McDaniels to the Angels. The 24-year-old has a career 3.22 ERA in 49 games (seven starts) and made only two appearances in the upper Minors while in the Dodgers' system, both with Double-A Tulsa.
In the Minor League phase, the Dodgers selected outfielder John Rhodes (Orioles) and lost four players: right-hander Hyun-il Choi (Nationals), right-hander Michael Hobbs (Mets), right-hander Orlando Ortiz-Mayr (Marlins) and catcher Jefferson Valladares (Twins).
FRONT OFFICE'S BOTTOM LINE
"I feel like we've made some moves that have set a really strong foundation for a successful team. And now we'll take the next couple of weeks leading up to Spring Training to explore what's out there, and we'll continue to try to make moves that we feel like are needle-movers, and whether that's with impact moves or depth moves, whatever, all of those play into our quest to repeat." -- Gomes
¡°My goal -- now, it¡¯s been my goal the last however many years and I failed miserably at it -- my goal is to avoid 'July to buy.' I do not want to buy in July. I feel like the more times I say it out loud, the better chance it has to actually be a thing.¡± -- Friedman