Dodgers Create Nightmare Scenario Following Meeting With $150 Million Cy Young Winner
The Los Angeles Dodgers were the best team in the league in 2024 and it wasn’t particularly close. The worst part about this for the rest of the league was the fact that they were far from healthy.
They signed Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million contract because he could hit and pitch. Following Tommy John surgery in 2023, Ohtani couldn’t pitch in 2024, so they really only saw half his value. Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and plenty of other stars missed time, too. Getting healthy would be the biggest upgrade the Dodgers could make this winter. Anything past that would take them from a super-team to one of the best baseball teams in the history of the game.
The Dodgers prefer to chase history rather than accept the idea of just returning healthy. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting the Dodgers are one of the teams closest to free agent pitcher Blake Snell. Snell is widely regarded as the second-best pitcher in free agency, though when he’s on, he might be the best pitcher in baseball, period.
“Blake Snell is not wasting any time. The free-agent left-hander recently met with the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, according to sources with knowledge of the discussions,” Rosenthal wrote.
Mind you, Snell is entering free agency following a 2023 season with the San Diego Padres and a 2024 season with the San Francisco Giants, the Dodgers’ two biggest rivals. Snell landing with the Dodgers is nightmare fuel for the rest of the league. A rotation of Ohtani, Snell, Yamamoto, and Glasnow wouldn’t lose in a seven-game series to any current team in the league.
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Dodgers News: Tony Gonsolin Provides Massive Health Update Ahead of 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tony Gonsolin revealed he is healthy and ready to go for the 2025 season. The right-hander missed all of last year, but the Dodgers did contemplate whether Gonsolin should be an option for the postseason.
Gonsolin stressed this offseason he is focused on maintaining his health throughout the 2025 campaign. If last season taught the rotation anything, it’s that injuries can happen at any time.
“Went into the offseason 100 percent, so should be 100 percent going into spring training,” Gonsolin told Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain. “Just the normal buildup for me, the normal workout program. Trying to make a little adjustments, trying to figure out some things to stay healthy all of next year.”
Gonsolin had the opportunity to watch some of the postseason from a different vantage point this year. Like most fans, the right-hander watched his team compete on the TV where he was able to notice just how well the Dodgers pitching staff really did.
It’s really cool how well our staff attacked the zone with a lot of good stuff and on a very consistent basis so it was really cool to see just how good our guys are,” Gonsolin said.
Although Gonsolin has an affinity for cats, he wasn’t bothered by the Dodgers bullpen being coined as “dogs.”
“They were dogs out there I can’t complain at all,” he said. “Those guys did a great job this year and continuing in the postseason and it showed.”
Gonsolin made a few appearances at the beginning of September on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City. His three-game rehab stint featured 12 strikeouts and two runs on seven hits through 7.2 innings of work.
After Gonsolin’s rehab assignment, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shut down speculation that the right-hander would return in 2024. Ahead of the National League Division Series, Roberts noted that Gonsolin wouldn’t return unless something unforeseen happened.
By the time the Dodgers reached Game 5 of the World Series, the pitching staff was hanging on by a thread. However, thanks to the heroics of Walker Buehler, the Dodgers were able to close out the game and win it all.
Though the story of the 2024 postseason will never be forgotten, the Dodgers don’t want a repeat situation next season. General manager Brandon Gomes revealed the Dodgers would be using a six-man rotation in 2025, which includes Gonsolin, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, and Tyler Glasnow for now.
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