YATES JOINS DODGERS BULLPEN FOR 2025 WITH ONE YEAR $ 13 MILLION DEAL
Los Angeles - Though the news of a deal has been circulated for over a week, the news has finally been confirmed. Yates will be the next addition for Los Angeles in 2025.
Now entering his 12 MLB season, Kirby Yates is coming off his best season to date at the age of 37. With Texas in 2024, he held a 1.17 ERA through 61.2 innings and ended the year with an All-Star appearance and placed 6th in Cy Young voting. The season was nearly identical to his 2019 performance with San Diego after holding a sub 2.00 ERA.
Yates has struggled with injuries in the past, especially after missing most of the 2022 due to recovery from Tommy John surgery. His injuries and inconsistent performances are what led to much of his failure in his long career, but if there is one spot to find some late success in your career it would be in LA.
As much as it would seem the Dodgers are the new rich empire, LA has been one of the best teams in baseball in redefining talent. Prominent World Series pitchers in Vesia, Phillips, and Banda are examples of pitchers who reinvented themselves with the Dodgers organization. Yates could be another.
His performance was one of a kind in 2024, but to see the same kind of dominance in consecutive years is rare. The right handed reliever will most likely take up a setup role with LA and possibly match his numbers last year in his one year deal.
