The Dodgers have signed left-hander Cole Irvin to a minor league contract, Just Baseball Media’s Aram Leighton reports. Jon Heyman of the New York Post adds that Irvin’s deal includes an invitation to the Dodgers’ big league spring camp. It’s a late birthday present for Irvin, who just celebrated his 32nd birthday yesterday.
Irvin makes his return to North American ball after spending the 2025 season in Seoul with the Doosan Bears of the KBO League. Over 28 starts and 144 2/3 innings with the Bears, Irvin posted a 4.48 ERA, 19.7% strikeout rate, and 12.2% walk rate. For comparison’s sake, Irvin had a 4.54 ERA, 17.1 K% and 5.6 BB% over 593 innings at the Major League level from 2019-24, so the lack of control is a sudden red flag. Irvin did display a severe lack of control over a handful of games with the Twins in 2024 and with the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate, but over a small sample size.
The southpaw had his usual strong command over the bulk of the 2024 season, though that was pretty much the only high point of a year that saw Irvin post a 5.11 ERA across 111 innings with Baltimore and Minnesota. The O’s designated Irvin for assignment in September 2024, and he finished the season with a few outings for the Twins following a waiver claim.
Back in 2021-22, Irvin posted a 4.11 ERA over 359 1/3 innings for the Athletics, seemingly establishing himself as a durable starter who could eat innings and deliver quality results. Irvin’s lack of strikeouts or high velocity made his production perhaps a bit of a high-wire act, however, and a trade to the Orioles prior to the 2023 resulted in some struggles as a starter before he righted the ship and became an effective reliever out of the O’s pen.
It is fair to guess that the Dodgers could use Irvin in any variety of roles as the club continues to stockpile as much pitching depth as possible. After two World Series runs and with every expectation of another championship in 2026, Los Angeles is building a pitching staff built for seven months of baseball, not six. If Irvin is able to recapture any of his old form, he could be a useful source of innings as a long man or spot starter to help L.A. manage its arms over the regular-season grind. Given the Dodgers’ track record at pitching development, it is also possible that Irvin can unlock something and achieve a new level of consistent success at the MLB level.