Dodgers put wagon before the horse with villainous Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates moves
By Mark Powell
The Los Angeles Dodgers made too many impactful roster moves in a very short period of time, and the roster fluctuation must catch up. That is Andrew Friedman's job, so he has the likes of Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates on hold – agreements having been reached, FYI – as he creates room on the 40-man roster.
Friedman has followed up one memorable offseason – in which he signed Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto among others – with another. The Dodgers won a World Series this past October and are clearly better heading into 2025 spring training. Their payroll could flirt with $400 million, if not surpass that number, while some small-market teams haven't spent a dime on their major-league rosters this winter.
That is not a Dodgers problem, though. Los Angeles isn't the only team using salary deferrals to their advantage, but they certainly perfected the art, creating a dream roster in the process. MLB's current CBA is set to expire in December 2026, but until then LA and Friedman are free to proceed without caution.
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Dodgers forced to take some risks after latest roster moves
Per Bob Nightengale, one player the Dodgers are considering getting rid of to make room on their 40-man roster is Ryan Brasier. Brasier has spent the last 1.5 seasons in Los Angeles, and had a 3.54 ERA in 29 appearances last season. He'd be a valuable bullpen addition for the right team (cough Chicago cough) and relatively affordable given the Dodgers predicament.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who need to clear space on their 40-man roster for their new and pending additions, are shopping some of their surplus to teams, including veteran Ryan Brasier, who is owed $4.5 million this year.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 22, 2025
As Nightengale notes, the Dodgers near to clear room for Scott and Yates, while Clayton Kershaw is expected to return as well. Los Angeles only has one open roster spot. Oh, the drama!
The one issue with trading Brasier is that the Dodgers bullpen was a relative weak spot for them last year due to injury. While bringing in Scott and Yates will certainly help in that regard, trading Brasier away – a player who threw 66 innings over 1.5 seasons in LA – could come back to haunt them.
The Dodgers need bodies because as talented as their pitching staff is, a number of them have complicated and long injury histories. Others, like Sasaki, are unproven at the MLB level and will likely be on an innings limit to combat possible injuries.
This is where fielding a superteam gets tough. The Dodgers have an embarrassment of riches, but most of those players do come with a metaphorical 'but'. By getting rid of 'glue guys' like Brazier in the bullpen, LA is taking a necessary risk – but a risk nonetheless.
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