Report: Kirby Yates, Dodgers Agree to $13M Contract After Rōki Sasaki, Scott Deals
The Los Angeles Dodgers and free-agent relief pitcher Kirby Yates have agreed to a one-year, $13 million contract, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Jeff Passan @JeffPassanRight-handed reliever Kirby Yates and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a one-year, $13 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Can get up to $14M with 55 games. Deal is done. The Dodgers' bullpen gets even stronger. First on Yates' physical being passed was <a href="https://twitter.com/Feinsand?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Feinsand</a>.
The news comes after Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported earlier this month that the two sides had reached a "tentative agreement," pending a physical.
Yates, a two-time All-Star, went 7-2 with a 1.17 ERA (0.83 WHIP) and 12.4 K/9 rate over 61 appearances for the Texas Rangers last season. He finished eighth in the American League Cy Young voting.
The news also comes amid a flurry of moves for the Dodgers. Of note, Japanese ace Rōki Sasaki announced that he agreed to terms with L.A. last week.
The Dodgers also agreed to a four-year, $72 million contract with relief pitcher Tanner Scott, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
L.A. committed over $1 billion last offseason in a year highlighted by the team's signing of superstar Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million contract. The team also notably inked pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a $325 million deal.
The Dodgers aren't resting on their laurels after winning the World Series. This year's crown jewel is ace Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner who's in town on a five-year, $182 million deal.
L.A. has also signed Hyeseong Kim and Michael Conforto in addition to re-signing outfielder Teoscar Hernández and Blake Treinen. Now Sasaki, Scott and Yates are in town.
The Scott and Yates signings fortify a bullpen that already performed well last year. The Dodgers' 3.53 bullpen ERA ranked third in the major leagues. Their bullpen now rivals the Cleveland Guardians (2.67 ERA in 2024) as the best relief staff in baseball on paper.
Overall, the Dodgers look like an all-time team right now. A 162-game season and playoffs still need to happen before anointing them, but L.A. is clearly the World Series favorite once again as the franchise looks for back-to-back Fall Classic titles for the first time in its history.