Dodgers Notes: All-Star Pitcher Injured, James Outman Japan Status Revealed, Record Contract Extension

The Los Angeles Dodgers have had the decision on their fifth starting pitcher in the rotation made for them as an All-Star pitcher was injured while lifting weights. This leaves a promising arm who has been away from MLB for almost two years to get the nod to start the season in the rotation.

Additionally, the Dodgers have finally agreed to a record-breaking contract extension with manager Dave Roberts. He is now the highest-paid manager in MLB history in terms of average annual value.

Roberts had a busy day as he also revealed the status of James Outman making the trip with the team to Japan for the Opening Series against the Chicago Cubs. Although not an indication of making the final roster spot for the North American season opener, the excitement at the Tokyo Dome will be a once in a lifetime experience for players to witness.

The Dodgers Just Bought Another World Series Contender—And They’re Not Apologizing

Complaints that the deep pockets of the Los Angeles Dodgers are ruining the competitive balance of baseball have been heard and considered by World Series champions.

They are not apologizing.

“Our ownership group has been incredibly supportive of continuing to put back into our fans, who have done nothing but support us and come out and see us,” general manager Brandon Gomes said at the team’s most recent press conference, this one to announce the signing of top reliever Tanner Scott.

“So we’re solely focused on ‘How do we make our team better?’ and give back to the fans who have nothing but come out to see us.”

The Dodgers’ goal of making a very good roster even better comes from the desire to consistently be able to finish off what they start.

Before 2024, the Dodgers had made 11 consecutive playoff appearances, with 10 National League West titles in that stretch.

And the only championship in that run came in a pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Anybody with a disdain for the Dodgers, especially anybody in San Francisco, was quick to dismiss the achievement. Some Dodgers’ personnel even referenced that dismissive attitude during last Fall’s title run.

“I’m sure there’s no asterisk on this one,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the current title was secured.

But the Dodgers aren’t spending again this winter out of spite. Key to their goal of adding as much talent as possible, even as payroll continues to increase, is that playing a 162-game season and then surviving the frenzied nature of the playoffs is daunting.

In previous playoff runs, Dodgers pitching seemed to be running on fumes, either from injury or the wear and tear of the regular season.

That issue even was present in the 2024 postseason, when the Dodgers had just three healthy starters, and one of them, Walker Buehler, was a question mark after a two-year layoff for a second Tommy John surgery.

The Dodgers cobbled together bullpen games in the playoffs to get the job done, and anybody who thought it was the team’s plan all along, or that it established some kind of legitimate strategy going forward, had not been paying attention to the team’s postseason plight over the past decade.

So the Dodgers added two of the biggest prizes in the offseason. Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell came aboard on a five-year, $182 million deal, and Roki Sasaki was acquired on a $6.5 million signing bonus, with team-control salaries for his first three seasons.

There were other additions like Scott’s four-year, $72 million deal, shortstop Hyeseong Kim’s three-year, $12.5 million pact, right-hander Kirby Yates’ one-year, $13 million deal, and a one-year, $17 million contract for outfielder Michael Conforto. Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez re-signed for three years and $66 million.