3 teams most to blame for letting Dodgers load up even more with Kirby Yates signing

It's the Los Angeles Dodgers' world, and we're just living in it. That's what it feels like, at least. The Dodgers won the World Series, and have gotten substantially better this offseason in an attempt to repeat.

The Dodgers added Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Michael Conforto and Hyeseong Kim, plus re-signed Teoscar Hernandez before even addressing the one potential weakness (well, "weakness") on the roster: their bullpen. And sure enough, the Dodgers proceeded to not only signed the best reliever on the free agency market, Tanner Scott, but might have added the second-best option as well in Kirby Yates.

Yates didn't sign for dirt cheap, but this is a guy who had a 1.17 ERA in 61 appearances for the Texas Rangers this past season and converted 33 of his 34 save opportunities. He was good enough that he finished eighth in the AL Cy Young balloting despite being a reliever.

The Dodgers not only have the best rotation and lineup in baseball, but now, with Yates, their bullpen is as good as anybody's. Again, $13 million guaranteed isn't nothing, but it's only a one-year deal. This is a deal several teams could have made. These three in particular deserve some blame for allowing the Dodgers to add Yates to their super team.

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3) Kirby Yates is exactly what the Mets bullpen needed

The New York Mets signed A.J. Minter to give them a much-needed left-hander they can put into high-leverage situations, but needed a right-hander that they could slot late in games as a bridge to the team's closer, Edwin Diaz. Yates was as good as it gets on that front.

To their credit, the Mets rebounded from the Yates miss and signed Ryne Stanek to a cheap one-year deal. If that signing allows the Mets to re-sign Pete Alonso and Yates would not have, then they can get a pass, I suppose, but still: Yates is the kind of addition the Mets needed to make to beat the team that they lost to in last year's NLCS. Instead, the team that beat them got the player.

A trio of Yates, Minter and Diaz late in games with guys like Reed Garrett, Dedniel Nunez and Jose Butto in the middle innings would've been awesome to see. Stanek is a solid fit, but there's a reason Yates got nearly triple the money Stanek did.

The Mets did not sign Juan Soto to finish behind the Dodgers in the postseason. Yates, especially on a one-year deal, would've helped them get over the hump in 2025. Instead, they'll have to find a way to beat him.

2) The Cubs have no excuse for passing on Kirby Yates

The Chicago Cubs added depth to their bullpen by bringing in guys like Eli Morgan and Caleb Thielbar, but still needed to bring in the closer that they lacked in 2024. Tanner Scott was their clear top target, but, of course, the Dodgers outbid them for his services. Yates seemed like an ideal fallback option, but again, the Dodgers got him.

Had Yates signed a multi-year deal, it would've made sense for Chicago to pass - they need to save money for Kyle Tucker's upcoming free agency, after all. Of course, that's not what happened, though.

Instead of giving Yates $15 or even $16 million for one year, the Astros opted to trade for 36-year-old Ryan Pressly coming off arguably his worst year in a half-decade, and take on $8.5 million of his $14 million salary for 2025. Pressly might bounce back in the closer role, but even if he does, he almost certainly won't be as good as Yates was in 2024. The Cubs could have, and should have, spent a little bit more to get much better production.

1) The Red Sox could have really used a reliever like Kirby Yates

All offseason, we've heard how the Boston Red Sox were finally ready to be aggressive and seriously compete for a World Series title. Well, they did trade for Garrett Crochet, and did make a run at Juan Soto; but other than that, they've mostly shied away from making major additions.

Boston's late-game relievers figure to be 36-year-old Aroldis Chapman and 35-year-old Liam Hendricks. Chapman has not closed regularly since 2021, and is well past his prime. Hendriks threw five innings in 2023 and did not make a single MLB appearance in 2024. Those are the late-game arms Boston will be turning to in a year they're supposed to be competing. Really?

Since they appear to be unwilling to splurge on a big bat like Alex Bregman, why not just give Yates a more lucrative one-year deal than what the Dodgers offered? Yates could give Boston the lockdown closer they need and help make them legitimate sleepers in a weak American League. Maybe next offseason will be the one where they truly go all-in.