The Dodgers stole all of the headlines this offseason, as they gave out a number of record-breaking offers, traded for an ace and did a bunch of different stuff as effectively.
Main League Signings
RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani: 10 years, $700MM ($680MM deferred)
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 12 years, $325MM (plus $51MM posting payment; deal contains two opt-outs)
OF Teoscar Hernández: One yr, $23.5MM ($8.5MM deferred)
LHP Clayton Kershaw: Two years, $10MM (can opt-out after 2024)
OF Jason Heyward: One yr, $9MM
RHP Ryan Brasier: Two years, $9MM
RHP Joe Kelly: One yr, $8MM
LHP James Paxton: One yr, $7MM
IF/OF Enrique Hernández: One yr, $4MM
RHP Ricky Vanasco: One yr, $900K
2024 spending: $162.9MM (counting Ohtani’s wage because the league-adjusted $46MM; doesn’t embrace posting payment for Yamamoto)Whole spending: $1.096 billion (adjusting Ohtani’s assure to current day worth of $460MM makes this quantity $756.4MM)
Choice Choices
Trades And Claims
Notable Minor League Signings
Daniel Hudson (already chosen to roster), Eduardo Salazar, Nabil Crismatt, Travis Swaggerty, Jonathan Araúz, Elieser Hernández, Brendon Davis, Chris Okey, Jesse Hahn, Stephen Gonsalves, T.J. McFarland, Kevin Padlo, Dinelson Lamet, Chris Owings,
Extensions
Notable Losses
The Dodgers have already been a powerhouse group for a very long time, having received the Nationwide League West in 10 of the previous 11 seasons. The one exception was 2021, after they received 106 video games however by some means had been one shy of a shocking 107-win Giants membership.
However they nonetheless got here into this winter hungry for enhancements. That 11-year stretch of playoff appearances solely led to 1 World Sequence title, which was within the shortened 2020 season. The 2023 season ended unpleasantly, regardless of the membership profitable 100 video games and incomes one other division title. Their rotation was largely decimated by accidents because the season wore on they usually had been shortly swept by the Diamondbacks within the NLDS.
With the membership trying to make a daring splash and this winter that includes one of the vital anticipated free brokers of all time, there have been many who anticipated a pairing between the Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani. The truth is, it’s one thing that has been anticipated for even longer than that.
When Ohtani initially came to visit from Japan, the Dodgers weren’t an ideal match for the reason that Nationwide League didn’t but have the designated hitter, which led Ohtani to choose the Angels. However the NL bought the DH in 2022, which began a countdown for many individuals, simply ready for the two-way celebrity’s free company.
The Dodgers had been clearly going to have an interest but in addition made their intentions clear by deciding to not difficulty a qualifying provide to J.D. Martinez. Beneath regular circumstances, he would have warranted one, given his robust 33-homer marketing campaign in 2023. But when he had accepted, it could have clogged up the designated hitter spot they needed to place Ohtani into, so that they didn’t danger it.
It in all probability shouldn’t have been shocking {that a} participant as distinctive as Ohtani ended up having one of the vital distinctive free companies. From the outset, it was marked by a wierd insistence on secrecy, to the purpose that golf equipment would reportedly damage their probabilities of signing him in the event that they acknowledged that they had been attempting to take action. Maybe essentially the most absurd instance of this was when Blue Jays common supervisor Ross Atkins missed the winter conferences and met with reporters by way of Zoom however wouldn’t inform them he was in Florida, displaying Ohtani the membership’s Dunedin complicated.
Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts appeared to interrupt protocol when he admitted that he and his membership had lately met with Ohtani. Given the cloak-and-dagger nature of the Ohtani free company and the shortage of actual info, it appeared genuinely attainable that this could even have a adverse influence on the membership’s probabilities of getting the deal finished. There was much more fear when there have been experiences that Ohtani was on a airplane to signal with the Blue Jays, however these ultimately proved to be inaccurate. The long-awaited Ohtani-Dodgers pairing lastly bought finished with an enormous 10-year, $700MM deal.
Or did it? The unicorn participant with the weird free company apparently couldn’t signal a traditional contract. After information of the deal landed, experiences shortly emerged that put the surprising numbers into extra context. Regardless of the $700M price ticket, there was some positive print.
Ohtani will truly solely make $2MM in every season of the deal after which get $68MM yearly, with out curiosity, within the 10 years following the expiration of the deal. He’ll nonetheless get $700MM, however over 20 years as an alternative of 10. Deferred cash reduces the current day worth of the deal to $46MM yearly within the eyes of the league and $43.8MM from the attitude of the MLBPA. Even with these caveats, the approximate $460MM assure remains to be the biggest in MLB historical past. Even the decrease of the 2 AAV numbers places Ohtani forward of Max Scherzer for the biggest of all-time.
This was perceived by many followers as a means for the membership to “dodge” the posh tax, however MLBTR founder Tim Dierkes argued in any other case on the time. The $46MM aggressive stability tax hit the Dodgers will get for Ohtani was in keeping with most expectations coming into the winter. The $700MM quantity isn’t actually actual, but it surely’s useful for the brokers to explain it that means.
Whatever the optics, Ohtani reportedly instructed the construction to a number of groups. The Giants and Blue Jays had been keen to pay it, identical to the Dodgers, however the Angels weren’t. The attraction from the participant’s perspective is apparent. The $2MM wage is clearly paltry by baseball requirements however Ohtani received’t be ravenous as he has tens of millions coming in by way of endorsements yearly. By kicking his funds down the highway, he can make sure the membership has extra sources to place a profitable group round him. And the contract reportedly has language that makes positive they use their financial savings in direction of making the membership as aggressive as attainable.
They definitely held up their finish of the cut price with the rest of this offseason. As talked about, the membership’s rotation was snakebit final yr. Dustin Might and Tony Gonsolin each had surgical procedure final yr and couldn’t be counted on to start out 2024 wholesome. Walker Buehler’s Tommy John was again in 2022 however he nonetheless missed all of 2023 and might be dealt with with care this yr. Lance Lynn, Julio Urias and Clayton Kershaw all hit free company after 2023, making beginning pitching an apparent precedence for the membership.
Kershaw had hit free company twice earlier than and re-signed with the membership however the Dodgers couldn’t depend on the identical factor enjoying out this winter. Kershaw introduced in early November that he had undergone shoulder surgical procedure and wouldn’t have the ability to return till some level this summer time. Ohtani wasn’t going to assist both, as he underwent some type of UCL surgical procedure in September and might be restricted to hitting solely in 2024.
Regardless of already giving out a record-setting deal, the Dodgers appeared ready for extra, casting a large web of their seek for beginning pitching. All through the winter, they had been related to high-profile free brokers like Blake Snell and Aaron Nola, mid-range guys like Lucas Giolito and Seth Lugo, in addition to commerce candidates like Dylan Stop, Corbin Burnes and Jesús Luzardo.
Their first huge rotation strike got here by way of the commerce market, because the Dodgers had been capable of land Tyler Glasnow from the Rays. With Tampa trying to minimize payroll, the Dodgers took on each Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot, sending youthful gamers Ryan Pepiot and Jonny DeLuca the opposite means.
Glasnow has struggled to remain wholesome in his profession however has pitched at an ace stage when wholesome. He overcame a prolonged Tommy John absence in 2023, setting a brand new profession excessive with 120 main league innings, placing up a 3.53 earned run common within the course of. The Dodgers had been clearly not scared by the previous well being points, because the deal they made with the Rays was conditional on getting an extension finished with Glasnow, which they ultimately did. The mix of this yr’s wage and the 4 they added on means they’re dedicated to him for 5 years and $136.5MM.
However they weren’t finished there. The market round Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto appeared to get hotter and warmer because the winter nights grew darker. That was a testomony not solely to his unbelievable expertise but in addition his age. It’s onerous to search out an ace in free company but it surely’s virtually unparalleled to get a 25-year-old ace. He comes with no expertise within the huge leagues however a 1.82 ERA over his seven NPB seasons and little doubt about his potential to deal with the present (tough debut however).
On account of that rarity, a number of golf equipment had been keen to go over the $300MM mark to land Yamamoto, however the Dodgers in the end sealed it with a 12-year, $325MM deal. However since Yamamoto had been topic to the posting system, the Dodgers will even must pay a payment to the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Skilled Baseball. Such charges are calculated as a proportion of the deal, so an enormous deal means large charges. This contract led to a $51MM posting payment for the Buffaloes, that means the Dodgers had been successfully paying $376MM to get Yamamoto. Factoring within the membership’s luxurious tax standing means the outlay is even larger. Even earlier than that posting payment, it was the biggest assure ever given to a pitcher not named Ohtani.
That they had yet another transfer to remake their rotation, but it surely was much more modest than the Glasnow or Yamamoto acquisitions. They signed lefty James Paxton to a one-year deal. It was initially reported an an $11MM assure however was later modified to $7MM with incentives. The Dodgers apparently adjusted it down after Paxton’s bodily, although they didn’t discover something to scuttle it totally. Paxton has been oft-injured in recent times, hardly pitching in any respect from 2020 to 2022, however was capable of make 19 begins for the Pink Sox final yr.
On the place participant facet of issues, essentially the most shocking developments surrounded Mookie Betts. Having spent the overwhelming majority of his profession in proper area, the Dodgers moved him to the center infield final yr. He got here up as a second baseman and had dabbled at that place earlier in his main league profession, however the membership was evidently impressed sufficient to make him their on a regular basis man on the keystone coming into 2024. Extra on that later.
With Betts transferring to the infield, there was room for additions within the outfield. Jason Heyward was re-signed to a one-year deal, however he was successfully changing himself. He had a pleasant bounceback for the Dodgers in 2023, being restricted to a strong-side platoon function. The Dodgers had been often related to Teoscar Hernandez and had been capable of get him to signal a one-year deal as effectively, including yet one more potent bat to their lineup.
With Hernandez and Heyward set to affix an outfield combine with James Outman, Margot began to look a bit pointless. He might platoon with Heyward however in addition they had Chris Taylor readily available for that. They ultimately determined to ship Margot to the Twins and use the $4MM they saved to signal Enrique Hernandez as an alternative. He may also hit from the correct facet and play the outfield, however his potential to play the infield gave them a bit of additional cowl for Betts and third baseman Max Muncy.
However the place participant combine had yet another twist to come back in spring. The Dodgers deliberate on having Gavin Lux, who missed all of 2023 on account of a knee damage, as their on a regular basis shortstop. However he struggled with some consistency in his throws this spring, a difficulty he’s had previously. The Dodgers shortly determined to flip Betts and Lux, a transfer that Roberts described as “everlasting for now.”
This put the Dodgers within the wild place of getting dedicated over a billion {dollars} this winter (type of) however by some means ending up with a 31-year-old proper fielder as their on a regular basis shortstop. Betts briefly performed the place final yr, stepping into 16 video games. That’s already essentially the most ever video games on the place for a man after profitable a number of Gold Gloves within the outfield, per Sarah Langs of MLB, highlighting how unprecedented this experiment is.
Many followers grew uninterested in listening to in regards to the Dodgers this winter, because the membership was extremely lively whereas many others sat on their arms. However the reality is that they had been doing so many fascinating issues that it was onerous to look away. Nobody had ever given a free agent $500MM earlier than, not to mention $600MM or $700MM. It seems the Dodgers didn’t actually do any of these both, however the weird deferral construction of Ohtani’s deal was itself fascinating and unprecedented. They gave the biggest assure ever to a pitcher that isn’t a two-way participant. They usually gave it to a man with no main league expertise. They put their MVP candidate proper fielder at shortstop.
They did all of that and extra, including a number of bats and arms to a membership that has already been a dominant drive for over a decade. After getting Ohtani and making all of those different strikes, the expectations might be even larger any more. For the following 10 years, the membership has Ohtani on the roster and is just paying him $2MM per yr, a pittance on this league. All of the chips are on the desk and something in need of a World Sequence in that point might be counted by many as a failure.
