For all the dominance and depth the Los Angeles Dodgers displayed in 2025, their biggest weakness was glaring — and, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, it’s the one they’re determined to fix this winter.
“The Dodgers have one massive need heading into the offseason — they need a closer,” Gonzalez wrote for ESPN. “More broadly, they need trusted arms late in games, particularly right-handed ones. Brusdar Graterol (coming off shoulder surgery), Blake Treinen (37 and coming off a rough year), Edgardo Henriquez, and Will Klein (hard throwers with command issues) are the incumbents there, and they all have questions. So look for the Dodgers to be really aggressive in that space, either through free agency or via trade, or both.”
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A Championship That Exposed the Cracks
Vote For Your Favorite Dodgers Duo: Ohtani – Yamamoto, Betts – Freeman, Hernandez – Hernandez
It’s a curious place for a reigning champion to be. Los Angeles became back-to-back World Series winners, but its October journey nearly unraveled because of its bullpen. The irony wasn’t lost on fans who criticized the team’s massive four-year, $72 million deal for Tanner Scott — the same contract that drew accusations the Dodgers were “ruining baseball.”
Scott’s 4.74 ERA and postseason absence due to a lower-body injury only fueled those frustrations. Manager Dave Roberts’ lack of trust in his relief corps became so apparent that he turned to Yoshinobu Yamamoto on zero days’ rest to close out Game 7.
Even Roki Sasaki’s brief turn as a high-octane closer underscored the uncertainty. For all the payroll power in Chavez Ravine, late-game stability remains the one piece missing from a potential three-peat formula.
The Market Awaits
Gonzalez notes that names like Edwin Díaz, Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez, and Ryan Helsley headline a strong free-agent relief class. Signing Díaz or Suarez — both 2025 All-Stars — would represent the most straightforward fix, though the front office may hesitate to commit another large contract after the Scott misfire.
Still, the Dodgers’ intentions are clear: this offseason will be about securing arms that can finish what their stars start. For an organization chasing its first three-peat since 2000, the margin for error in the ninth inning may be the only thing standing in the way of history.