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Kirby Yates. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Dodgers reportedly adding another star to bullpen

By Kevin Henry | Last updated Jan 21, 2025 11:53 AM ET

The Los Angeles Dodgers simply won't quit bulking up their roster in preparation for another World Series run.

On Tuesday, USA Today baseball insider Bob Nightengale reported that the Dodgers had come to a tentative agreement with All-Star reliever Kirby Yates. While terms and conditions were not immediately disclosed, the contract was reportedly dependent on Yates passing a physical.

The move continues to bulk up the back end of the Dodgers bullpen following the club inking Tanner Scott, one of the biggest reliever names on the free-agent market, to a four-year, $72 million deal just two days earlier.

Shortly after that move, reports surfaced that the Dodgers had an interest in Yates before signing Scott. While many thought the Scott signing would have the Dodgers moving on from Yates, Los Angeles once again proved that it can seemingly pick and choose its moves this offseason.

Last season with the Texas Rangers, the 37-year-old Yates posted a 1.17 ERA in 61.2 innings. Among all relief pitchers, he was third in bWAR (3.3) while finishing fourth on the Rangers in that department. He also finished eighth in American League Cy Young voting.

Kirby Yates in 2024 among relievers with 60+ IP:

1.17 ERA (2nd)
.111 AVG (1st)
35.9 K% (6th)
0.83 WHIP (8th)
1.9 fWAR (T-8th)
2.50 FIP (10th)
24.1 K-BB% (12th)

The best bullpen in baseball just added one of the best relievers in baseball pic.twitter.com/mgHzAWqX0B
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) January 21, 2025

After battling through elbow injuries in 2020, Yates underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2021 campaign. He pitched in just nine games (7.0 innings) in 2022 with the Atlanta Braves before returning to form and becoming a key part of the Atlanta bullpen in 2023, logging 60.1 innings over 61 games with a 3.28 ERA/4.63 FIP.

Once signed, Yates will join Scott, Blake Treinen and Michael Kopech in the back end of the Dodgers bullpen, with each having closing experience. He also joins Scott, Alex Vesia and Anthony Banda as potential left-handed options for manager Dave Roberts.

If there are any knocks on Yates, it is that he will turn 38 on March 25, shortly after the Dodgers open the season in Tokyo against the Chicago Cubs. Additionally, he is coming off a season where, despite the solid numbers, he posted an 11.8 percent walk rate, above the MLB average of 8.3 and his average during his 10-year career of 9.6. It's also the third consecutive season where his walk rate has been in triple digits.

Still, if those are the only worries about Yates heading into spring training, they can be minimized by the amount of talent Los Angeles has brought in around him ... and seemingly continues to build as we count down to the opening of spring training.

Kevin Henry

A member of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), Kevin Henry has been covering MLB and MiLB for nearly two decades. Those assignments have included All-Star Games and the MLB postseason, including the World Series. Based in the Denver area, Kevin calls Coors Field his home base, but travels throughout North America during the season to discover the best stories possible

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