The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate with pitcher Michael Kopech (45) after defeating the New York Yankees in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 28, 2024. Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Giants Interested in Dodgers Free Agent: Report

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By J.P. Hoornstra | Last updated Dec 11, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Dodgers fans didn't get many chances to cheer Michael Kopech in 2025. Injuries limited the hard-throwing reliever to 14 regular season games, and none in the postseason.

Fans might get a chance to boo him in 2026.

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants have been in touch with Kopech, who has played a role in the Dodgers' back-to-back World Series championship teams.

Kopech, who stormed his way into a ninth-inning role in the 2024 postseason after the Dodgers acquired him in a midseason trade with the Chicago White Sox, became a free agent after last season.

In parts of six seasons with the Dodgers and White Sox, Kopech is 21-33 with a 4.14 ERA. The 33rd overall pick of the 2013 draft by the Boston Red Sox turns 30 in April.

Seeking stability in their bullpen after a rocky 2025 season, the Dodgers reportedly agreed to terms with free agent closer Edwin Diaz on a three-year, $69 million contract this week.

Diaz is one of the game's premier closers, a three-time All-Star who saved 28 games last season for the New York Mets.

For all his potential — and his two rings with the Dodgers — Kopech would enter 2026 as a question mark for whichever team signs him. A shoulder injury in spring training forced him to begin the 2025 season on the injured list.

Kopech ultimately debuted for the Dodgers in June, but was placed on the IL three weeks later with a major knee injury — a torn meniscus that ultimately required surgery.

Kopech returned in September to pitch six more games before inflammation in his troublesome right knee sent him back to the IL again, this time for the remainder of the season.

Assuming he's healthy, Kopech could be a solid buy-low candidate for the Giants or any other team. He's 4-0 with a 1.54 ERA in 38 games as a Dodger, with 41 strikeouts across 35 innings. In the 2024 postseason, he made 10 appearances and allowed only three runs.

Nor should Kopech elicit boos if he signs with the Giants. He and Blake Treinen were instrumental in the Dodgers' ability to hold a lead late in the 2024 season. The injuries to Kopech were a major reason why Dave Roberts struggled to solve the team's ninth-inning struggles for much of 2025.

The Dodgers won the World Series anyway, and now might move on without Kopech as they look to three-peat in 2026.