The Dodgers add another elite arm to the bullpen in Kirby Yates
by Megan Garcia
Kirby Yates — a 10-year veteran on the heels of a career year in Texas at 37 years old — is now a member of the Dodgers. The right-hander signed a one-year contract with the 2024 World Series champions on Thursday.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers designated right-handed reliever Ryan Brasier for assignment.
Yates was one of baseball’s most dominant relievers in 2024. He led all Major League qualified relievers with a .113 opponents batting average and ranked second among relievers in Major League Baseball with a 1.17 ERA.
He was also in the top 1% in expected batting average (.145), expected slugging (.214), weighted on-base average (.186), expected weighted on-base average (.212), and expected ERA (1.86).
His high-ranking numbers with the Rangers earned him his second career All-Star selection and an eighth-place finish in Cy Young award voting.
Yates didn’t allow a home run until after the All-Star break (July 22) in 2024. The right-hander maintained his dominant form in the second half as he limited opposing hitters to a .090 opponent batting average.
Yates typically relies on his four-seamer in his three-pitch arsenal, which limited opponents to a .113 average. His split finger was his second most-used pitch last season and had a .139 opponents slugging percentage.
Opponents have a career .147 average against the splitter.
He posted numbers this past year similar to 2019 when he had a 1.19 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with San Diego.
The Hawaii native was also an All-Star in 2019 and finished in the top 10 of Cy Young award voting as the Padres’ closer with a Major League-leading 41 saves.
Yates worked to regain his prior form when he joined the Braves for two seasons after 2021 Tommy John surgery. He pitched only seven innings in 2022 and allowed four earned runs. By the start of the 2023 season, Yates was a full-go. He finished with a 3.28 ERA in 61 games while pitching at least 60 innings for the first time since 2019.
Now with Yates and the addition of Tanner Scott on a four-year contract, the Dodgers have three of the top 10 pitchers with the best ERA in MLB last season. Scott ranked sixth with a 1.75 ERA and Alex Vesia ranked seventh with his 1.76 mark.
Kirby Yates joins the Dodgers to bolster bullpen depth was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.