Heading into this offseason, the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers had as good of a roster as any in MLB. The one "weakness" teams could look at was their bullpen, which lacked true shutdown arms.
Los Angeles' early moves to address its roster did not impact their bullpen at all. Their rotation improved immensely with the additions of Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, and their lineup received a small boost with guys like Michael Conforto and Hyeseong Kim joining the fold, but their bullpen, outside of the team re-signing Blake Treinen, was untouched.
That all changed in an eyeblink over the weekend, with the Dodgers not only signing Tanner Scott, the best reliever on the market, but also reportedly nearing a deal with Kirby Yates, arguably the second-best reliever available. Just like that, the Dodgers had quite possibly the best bullpen in the league, on top of the best lineup and rotation as well. Unbelievably, the Dodgers won the World Series and are considerably better now than they were then.
In Scott's introductory presser, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman went into why the Dodgers have been so aggressive immediately after winning a title.
Andrew Friedman discusses the #Dodgers' offseason game plan and their strategy to avoid needing to make moves at the trade deadline in July. pic.twitter.com/nswUPjciGU
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) January 23, 2025
"Our goal going into each year is to win a championship. Some years we've had to be more aggressive in July, some years not as aggressive. The one thing that has stood every year is that it is the worst time to try and add players. For us, going into this offseason, it was "Let's do everything we can on the front end. Let's be as aggressive as we can be, and be in a position where we don't have to go to market in July."
Friedman, understandably, wants to be ultra-aggressive now, when prices are relatively low, instead of in July, when prices are exponentially higher. An example of this is the Scott signing. The Dodgers would've been fine without Scott to begin the year, but after seeing what the San Diego Padres gave up to acquire the southpaw who had just a couple of months of club control at the trade deadline, the Dodgers, understandably, were more interested in giving up just money rather than a plethora of their best prospects.
This aggression is something the other 29 teams, including the New York Yankees, have lacked.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.
Brian Cashman has a lot to learn from Andrew Friedman, Dodgers
Let's look at the Yankees offseason thus far. First and foremost, the team lost out on Juan Soto to their crosstown rivals. That isn't a Cashman issue, but how he responded certainly would impact how the Yankees' 2025 season will go.
Cashman, for the most part, has responded well to Soto's departure. He was aggressive in his Max Fried pursuit, and made a trade for Devin Williams as well. But his other moves have left a lot to be desired.
Paul Goldschmidt can bounce back, but he's also 37 years old and coming off his worst season. The Yankees signed him over the likes of Pete Alonso and Christian Walker. Cody Bellinger also can bounce back, but he's had one great season in his last five. Is he really going to be the best position player New York will add to its roster after losing Soto?
What's most alarming, though, is with what Cashman hasn't done. Goldschmidt, Anthony Volpe, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are set to man three of the four infield positions for the Yankees, but New York has yet to add a fourth. Alex Bregman and even Ha-Seong Kim are sitting in free agency for the taking, yet, the Yankees haven't really been connected to either player. Cashman appears set on entering the season with one of Oswaldo Cabrera, DJ LeMahieu, or Oswald Peraza getting starting reps, which would leave a lot to be desired.
I get it, Hal Steinbrenner might not be willing to run with a payroll any higher than it is right now, but that's also part of New York's problem. The Dodgers are blowing everyone away financially. The Yankees' reluctance to do that despite absolutely having the capability to is frustrating and part of why the Dodgers have created such a massive gap between the two big-market giants.
The Dodgers are a team going above and beyond to plug any hole they believe they might have on their roster before the season starts, while the Yankees are trying to find value and hope something sticks internally rather than show aggressiveness on the open market.
Sure, the Yankees can address their infield at the trade deadline, but they'll have to pay a much more expensive price than they would by addressing it this offseason. They could look to bring in a big bat at the deadline as well if Goldschmidt and/or Bellinger fail to meet expectations, but again, the price will be insanely higher. The difference in aggression is one of many reasons why the Dodgers will be seen as clear World Series favorites over the Yankees in 2025.