CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson predicts the Los Angeles Dodgers to make two more significant additions via the pitching market this offseason, potentially acquiring an All-Star reliever and a Japanese fireballing starter.
Dodgers Linked To 2 More Top Free Agents
Roki Sasaki, Starting Pitcher
“I may not know what, precisely, Sasaki values most in his employer,” Anderson writes, “but the Dodgers seem to offer any and everything a player could want: excellent player development staff; prestige; championship aspirations; and even some familiar faces in Team Japan teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.”
The Dodgers have long been seen as the favorites to land Sasaki because of the reasons listed above. Recently Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, downplayed Sasaki’s interest in teams with a history with Japanese players and emphasized his desire to go where he can get the best development.
“Roki is by no means a finished product. He knows it and the teams know it. He is incredibly talented. We all know that,” Wolfe said Monday. “But he is a guy that wants to be great. He’s not coming here to be rich or to get a huge contract. He wants to be great. He wants to be one of the greatest ever. I see that now and he has articulated it.
Tanner Scott, Reliever
“Scott’s an obvious target for every contender and was linked to both the Yankees and Dodgers earlier this winter,” Anderson writes, “The Yankees have since traded for Devin Williams while LA has yet to add anyone to their bullpen. The Dodgers don’t lose a lot of bidding wars, so we’ll go ahead and pencil them in.”
After addressing starting pitching, and outfield needs and adding Hyeseong Kim as a luxury utility man, relief pitching is the last big area of concern the team will need to address to set them up to repeat as champions. Scott and Jeff Hoffman are the top two relievers who are still available in free agency. The Dodgers should act quickly on one.
Scott enjoyed a successful 2024 season with both the Miami Marlins and the San Diego Padres. He recorded a career-best 1.75 ERA, notched 22 saves, and amassed 84 strikeouts in 72 innings pitched.