Two signings and a trade are on my wish list for the Dodgers
We’re just a couple weeks into the thick of the offseason, and the Dodgers have a multitude of questions regarding which players they should reach out for or bring back.
Kiké Hernández, Teoscar Hernández, Walker Buehler, Jack Flaherty, Blake Treien, and Joe Kelly are the most notable names hitting the open market, and should the Dodgers want to go for back-to-back titles, there’s one name from the bunch that made his presence felt last season, with a flare for the dramatic in the postseason.
Dodgers need to bring back Teoscar Hernández
When the Dodgers signed Hernández last offseason, they brought in a corner outfielder who flashed his potential with the Blue Jays, but struggled with his vision at the plate in his lone season with the Mariners, striking out 211 times and hitting just .217 at home in 2023.
So when the Dodgers signed him to a one-year, “prove it” deal worth $23.5 million over one year, the corner outfielder bet on himself to be a leading member of a championship squad, which he did and then some.
Hernández set a career high in home runs with 33, while also becoming the first Dodger in history to win the Home Run Derby. He was named to his second All-Star team of his career, won his third Silver Slugger award, and was named to the All-MLB second team.
He continued his regular season success in the postseason, with his defining moments coming in Game 5 of the NLDS and Game 5 of the World Series.
Most importantly, he was a trend setter in the clubhouse, introducing the team’s home run celebration by showering them with sunflower seeds once returning to the dugout.
His energy, passion, and love for the game was infectious, and it showed in his emotional World Series Parade speech, expressing gratitude for all the fans that reciprocated the amount of passion and love that he had for them.
Hernández’s current market value has him likely getting something like a three-year deal. Retaining Hernández’s bat won’t break the bank, unlike an offer for another free agent outfielder, Juan Soto. The Dodgers need a big time back in the middle of the lineup to provide for the team in clutch situations, and Hernández proved that he is the guy in game-deciding moments.
Dodgers need to sign Roki Sasaki
If there was one weakness that the Dodgers dealt with in both the regular and postseason, it was the starting rotation.
A plethora of starting pitchers — from Tyler Glasnow to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, from Buehler to Clayton Kershaw, and from Gavin Stone to Emmet Sheehan — all missed an extended period of time either due to injury or underperformance.
Flaherty was more than serviceable in the regular season, but was a hit-or-miss arm in the postseason, going from gems to gut punches seemingly every other start in October.
Just like how Yoshinobu Yamamoto was last season, Roki Sasaki will be the latest Japanese star pitcher to be posted for free agency, and the Dodgers are in a strong position to land the 23-year-old.
Sasaki experienced a bit of a down season with the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2024, but even then, he still posted a 10-5 record, 2.35 ERA, 1.036 WHIP, and 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto will be mainstays for the rotation in 2025, but the rest of the rotation features a cavalcade of question marks regarding both performance and health.
Signing Sasaki would give the Dodgers a young star pitcher that put the baseball world on notice in Japan, and he has yet to enter his physical prime.
It also allows Sasaski to reunite with his fellow World Baseball Classic winning Team Japan teammates, while also continuing the legacy of excellent Japanese talent to don the Dodger blue.
Dodgers need to trade for Emmanuel Clase
No lockdown closer in the season for the Dodgers, no problem. But just how sustainable is a perpetual closer-by-committee for the bullpen?
Craig Kimbrel was the last full-time closer for the Dodgers in 2022 before Evan Phillips deposed him for the closer role.
He was excellent in 2023, posting a 2.05 ERA in 62 games with 24 saves, but after a great first half, he tumbled mid-way through this season, watching his ERA inflate from 0.61 to 4.18 in a span of 22 games, with manager Dave Roberts rescinding his title as the team’s closer.
Over in Cleveland, 26-year-old Emmanuel Clase emerged as the best relief arm in all of baseball, posting a 4-2 record with an outstanding 0.61 ERA and 47 saves, while registering a wildly absurd 674 ERA+ for a Guardians team that advanced to the ALCS.
Clase wasn’t his superhuman self against the Tigers in the division series against the Yankees in the championship series, but that shouldn’t overshadow his accomplishments not just in the regular season, but throughout his tenure with Cleveland altogether.
Outside of franchise face José Ramírez, Cleveland has proven to be reluctant in offering players multi-year, nine figure contracts.
Last offsseason, the only notable move they made was signing backup catcher Austin Hedges to a one-year, $4 million deal.
An added bonus for the Dodgers is that Clase would be an inexpensive addition, as he signed a five year, $20 million extension that runs until after the 2026 season.
The Guardians have shown over the past decade that they don’t have a guaranteed championship window year in and year out, and it would be a loss on their end if their superstar closer landed elsewhere without anything in return.
The Dodgers haven’t had a true lockdown closer since the days of Kenley Jansen, and acquiring Clase would give the Dodgers a young and experienced closer that has $12.5 million guaranteed over the next two seasons, plus club options for 2027 and 2028.
The price tag won’t be cheap for someone of his caliber, but the Dodgers need to bring in a closer that is entering his peak and someone that would be in the perfect situation for a long-term extension.
