Dodgers Add Kirby Yates to Their Already Stacked Bullpen
The Los Angeles Dodgers are at it again and continue to stack the deck in a story first broken by Mark Feinsand. They’ve signed 37-year-old right-handed reliever Kirby Yates to a one-year, $13 million deal. Yates is coming off a renaissance season with the Texas Rangers, where he was nothing short of dominant in the late innings.
In 61 2/3 innings, Yates mowed down hitters with a 1.17 ERA, racking up 85 strikeouts while issuing 27 walks across 33 appearances. His production didn’t go unnoticed, and the Dodgers clearly saw the value in adding another weapon to their already stacked bullpen. On top of his base salary, Yates' contract includes performance incentives, with a $500,000 bonus if he reaches 50 and 55 appearances.
The Dodgers have been relentless this offseason, assembling what might be the deepest bullpen in baseball. They’ve already brought in Tanner Scott, re-signed Blake Treinen, and welcomed back Michael Kopech. When you mix the late-game firepower with an elite starting rotation and a lineup that can mas, you get what some are calling an impending dynasty—or, depending on your perspective, a looming baseball nightmare for the rest of the league.
Love them or hate them, they are positioning themselves as the team to beat. With an ownership group willing to spend, the Dodgers are casting a long, ominous shadow over Major League Baseball. If this bullpen clicks the way it looks on paper, the Dodgers are putting their stakes in the ground for another deep October run.
