The Dodgers boost starting rotation, bullpen and lineup with six additions
Editor’s note: This story appears in the first Dodger Insider magazine of 2025 — available at parking gates at Dodger Stadium during the first homestead (while supplies last).
By Megan Garcia
Just days after the Dodgers celebrated the franchise’s eighth World Series title throughout the streets in Los Angeles, the organization was already working to solve their next championship puzzle.
The Dodgers ended 2024 with one of the most talented rosters in franchise history. Now as they enter the 2025 season, they have new pieces that one could easily argue have elevated a World Series championship squad.
The first addition was an ace — Blake Snell, who signed with the Dodgers on Nov. 30.
Dodger President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman’s familiarity with Snell goes back to 2011. Friedman, then the Tampa Bay Rays’ executive vice president of baseball operations, selected the Washington high school pitcher in the first round of the MLB Draft. “We were getting together and talking about ways that we could put ourselves in the best position to win a World Series in 2025, and all conversations pointed to Blake,” Friedman said during Snell’s introductory press conference on Dec. 3.
He later added: “We’ve competed against Blake a lot and you know how the old adage goes, ‘If you can’t beat ’em, just have them join us.” A five-year contract will do just that.
Snell had the best ERA (2.82) and FIP (2.98), the highest strikeouts per nine innings (12.0) and the lowest opponents’ batting average (.191), slugging percentage (.298) and OPS (.584) from 2022–2024 among Major League pitchers with at least 75 starts.
He led all Major League starting pitchers with a 1.45 second-half ERA in 2024 and had the lowest opponents’ batting average (.133), slugging percentage (.189) and OPS (.412). He ranked second in strikeouts per nine innings (13.6). This came after a first half in which he had two stints on the injured list.
“That’s why in the offseason I work so hard. That’s why I work so hard in spring, is to really dominate a full season and then have the opportunity to go after a World Series championship,” Snell said.
Snell starts for the Dodgers in their home opener on Thursday.
Outfielder Michael Conforto, Snell’s teammate in San Francisco, has witnessed the work up close two years in a row. He, too, swapped a black and orange jersey for Dodger blue during the offseason. The power-hitting, 2017 All-Star signed a one-year deal on Dec. 10 as the second championship aspiring puzzle piece.
Conforto was one of the most productive outfielders in baseball between 2017 through 2020 when he was with the Mets. He ranked in the top 10 among Major League outfielders in OPS+ (eighth, 134), total bases (825, ninth), OPS (10th, .864) and home runs (10th, 97) in that span.
He joined the Giants in 2023 after working his way back from a 2022 shoulder injury. Conforto slugged 35 home runs in two seasons up north with a .238/.322/.418/.740 slash line. In 2024, 17 of his 20 homers were on the road. Then he hit free agency.
“The first thing I told my agent (this offseason) was it has to be a team that’s competitive,” Conforto said. “And we found the right team.”
When the new year rolled around, Hyeseong Kim — a four-time Gold Glove infielder in the Korean Baseball Organization — was the next piece to sign on Jan. 3. Kim’s baserunning skills — he led the KBO with 46 stolen bases in 2021 — and elite fielding made him a standout overseas. His ability to play in the outfield adds more dimension.
He begins the 2025 season in the Minor Leagues.
“He’s a really good utility player that can play all over the diamond with some real upside to the bat,” said Brandon Gomes, Dodger executive vice president and general manager. “We saw him last year when we were in Korea (for the Seoul Series) and tracking him (years before that). The ability to add somebody with that talent, plus upside, feels like it’s a really good piece for us.”
Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki was the fourth new addition. His triple-digit fastball and nasty splitter at 23 years old make him a hard-to-hit arm for the Dodgers’ present and future. He enters 2025 as the №1 prospect in baseball, according to numerous industry lists including MLB.com.
Sasaki had a 2.02 career ERA with the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Nippon Professional Baseball league. He also averaged 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
“It was pure excitement when we found out (that he was signing with us).” Friedman said at Sasaki’s introductory press conference on Jan. 22.
Sasaki appeared in two Cactus League games in Spring Training, allowing no runs and striking out seven batters over seven innings. He earned the start in Game 2 of the Tokyo Series on March 19.
With the starting rotation shored up, the Dodgers’ next step was fortifying an already stellar bullpen.
Reliever Tanner Scott marked the fifth newly acquired player by the 2024 World Series champions when he signed a four-year deal. There had been attempts to trade for Scott in the past — most notably last season as the Marlins made him available at the trade deadline.
But the Padres managed to pull off a deal for Scott, and the Dodgers ended up facing him in the National League Division Series.
Scott had a 1.75 ERA with 22 saves for the Marlins and Padres last season.
The needle-moving left-hander was one of the best arms available in the market, and the Dodgers were determined they wouldn’t miss out on him again.
And on Jan. 31, the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. Kirby Yates brought it full circle with his one-year contract. Gomes, who was a teammate of Yates in the Rays organization, was vocal about the Dodgers’ longtime efforts to acquire Yates.
His 1.17 ERA with the Rangers in 2024 was a career-best during an All-Star year. He held left-handed batters to a .081 batting average and .174 slugging percentage throughout the season while converting 33 saves — third best in the American League.
“This is my third time signing with the reigning World Series champs,” Yates said. “I think the difference this time is how loaded this team is compared to everybody else. And I’m looking forward to finally trying to make that run and be able to pitch deep into the postseason.”
From Dodger Insider Magazine: Welcome to Titletown was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.