Last year, Andrew Friedman said he did not want to wait until the trade deadline and then overpay for players to improve the team. That is what he thought as he signed Michael Conforto, Kirby Yates, and Tanner Scott in the offseason, all of whom were major trainwrecks. He also re-signed Teoscar Hernandez, who had his worst season ever. Now, Teo has the opportunity to reset and come back with a vengeance, OR he could be in decline. We shall see.
I keep hearing Steven Kwan’s name, but if the Dodgers traded for him, not only would they have to pay dearly in prospects and players, but Teoscar would have to stay in RF. That is unacceptable. Harrison Bader had a career year last year, and I would consider him on a one-year deal. He will give you good defense and let him hit 8th or 9th. That puts Teoscar in LF and Andy Pages in RF, where he might be a Gold Glove! I would give Bader a 1-year deal at $18 to $20 million. It’s more than he’s worth, but he might be a good “bridge” to Sirota or Quintero. The Farm’s outfield is going to start to produce.
If the trade deadline comes and the team needs more, Friedman knows what to do… and he has the chips to trade. Let’s ride with this lineup:
- Ohtani (L) DH
- Betts (R) SS
- Freeman (L) 1B
- Smith (R) C
- Muncy (L) 3B
- Pages (R) RF
- Teoscar (R) LF
- Rojas/Kim (R-L) 2B
- Bader (R) CF
Bench: Rushing, Edman (when healthy), Ibanez, Call
FROM AVF:
Like many organizations, the Dodgers have long turned to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the nation’s capital, to land some big fish on the amateur international market. This year is no different as the club has agreed to a deal with 6-foot-3 switch-hitting shortstop Ezequiel Melbourne, the No. 29 prospect in the 2026 class.
Last year, the club put all its proverbial eggs in one basket during its dogged pursuit of right-hander Roki Sasaki (No. 1 prospect in 2025). This go-round, Los Angeles has been able to spread out its funds and allocated its $6,679,200 in pool money across a diverse group of talent.
While it’s far too early to say Melbourne is on the same track as former Dodgers international signees Adrián Beltré and Carlos Santana (among many others who have called Santo Domingo home), he has tremendous physical projection. A switch-hitter with a quality eye and a smooth stroke from both sides of the dish, he’s presently focused on line drives, but scouts believe there will be plenty of pop to come as he enters the professional environment.
Melbourne ($747,500 signing bonus) has a quick first step defensively, backing the idea that he could stick at shortstop despite his taller frame. His long legs enable him to cover ground on the basepaths and he could tap into some stolen-base prowess as he continues to hone that aspect of his game.
Dodgers Spring Training Tickets are on sale now!
The club also reached an agreement with left-handed-hitting outfielder Rubel Arias for $997,500. Melbourne and Arias have trained together with the highly esteemed Jaime Ramos, a member of MLB’s Trainer Partnership Program, in the Dominican Republic. (Emil Morales, the Dodgers’ No. 7 prospect, also trained with Ramos during his amateur days.)
Arias, who has a smooth stroke in the box and plenty of power potential to grow into, landed just outside the Top 50 prospects in his class. He’s expected to command the highest bonus among this year’s Dodgers crop and could well prove worthy of that investment with his offense-first profile.
Los Angeles – which MLB Pipeline ranked as having the No. 1 farm system in the sport last August – already has a gargantuan amount of talent at both shortstop and in the outfield down on the farm with 10 of its top 12 prospects and 19 of the Top 30 in one of those two demographics.
Two of those standouts – Josue De Paula (No. 1/MLB No. 13) and Eduardo Quintero (No. 3/MLB No. 34) – were relatively modest international signings, receiving bonuses lower than $400,000. But getting them into the club’s player development program proved pivotal, as even evaluators across the league recognize the work the organization does in building up the talent it brings aboard – whether hitter or pitcher, domestic or international.
An international player is eligible to sign with a Major League team between Jan. 15 and Dec. 15. He must turn 16 before he signs and be 17 before Sept. 1 the following year.
That means players born between Sept. 1, 2008, and Aug. 31, 2009, will be eligible to sign in the current signing period. Players must be registered with Major League Baseball in advance to be eligible to sign.
Pipeline
Kershaw to represent USA in Classic to cap Hall-worthy career
“LOS ANGELES — Months removed from a storybook ending to his big league career, one of the greatest pitchers of his generation is coming out for an encore.
Clayton Kershaw will represent the U.S. in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Team USA announced on Thursday. This will mark the Dodgers legend’s first time participating in the Classic, as he had to withdraw from the 2023 edition due to insurance issues”.
From Bluto
Baseball America on the Dodgers’ INTL signings ($$$$)
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/los-angeles-dodgers-2026-international-class-scouting-report/
Dominican outfielder Rubel Arias,.. Scouts highest on Arias praised his feel for hitting, as well—some scouts think it will be a hit-over-power profile
Dominican shortstop Ezequiel Melbourne, signing for $750,000, jumps out quickly for his actions at shortstop. Young for the class—Melbourne turns 17 on June 2—he’s a switch-hitter with a slender 6-foot-2 frame…
Dominican shortstop Ariel Reynoso is an offensive-minded middle infielder with a strong, thicker 5-foot-10 build. He shows a good balance of both hitting ability and extra-base impact from both sides of the plate. ..
Another shortstop from the Dominican Republic, Jose Victorino, has grown several inches throughout the scouting process and is now 6-foot-3 with longer limbs and a chance to hit for power from the right side of the plate with physical upside for that power to jump more once he fills out his rangy build….
One of the up-arrow players for the Dodgers in this class is Tom Apfelbaum, a 17-year-old lefthander from Germany. Apfelbaum, who pitched for Germany in the U-18 World Cup last year, is 6-foot-4, 190 pounds and has seen his fastball steadily rise over the last few years to now sit in the low-90s and touch 94 mph…
Another lefty, Miguel Herrera from Venezuela, is 6-foot-1 with good pitchability for his age. He’s up to 91 mph, throws an advanced changeup for his age…
Jose Requena is 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, a strong corner outfielder from Venezuela with a power-over-hit offensive game from the right side of the plate. Raw power and a plus arm …
Josh Thomas @DodgersDigest has his own look:
https://dodgersdigest.com/2026/01/15/rubel-arias-ezequiel-melburne-highlight-dodgers-2026-ifa-signings/
Arias, a 17-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic, is the class headliner,…
Melburne (whose name also appears as Melbourne in places, but I’m using the spelling from MLB Pipeline) signed for $747,500. … though he shows pop that is at least a full grade better from the right side than the left:
Apfelbaum (whose surname means apple tree in German) is a tall and lanky lad at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds…. began receiving more widespread notice last April, as he traveled to the Dominican Republic
Their pool was 5,146,200 this year. Along with the Giants, the lowest in the majors. Arias got 997,500.
I think that a Bader signing might work – or maybe not. He’s a plus defensive CF, but last year’s offensive numbers are an outlier. Last year he had a .796 OPS but his career number is .717. In 2024 it was .657. If it’s for 1 year then they can survive it – they survived a whole season of Michael Conforto.
Say no to Kwan. He is a free agent in 1 year. He’s not a very good hitter .705 OPS last year, .741 for his career, and it would cost them prospects.
There’s probably a trade out there that no one anticipates.
Forget Bader, Dodgers To Sign Kyle Tucker.
4 years/$240MM. Opt out after 2027.
I’ll be interested to hear what the Mets and Jays offered him.
A source confirmed to SNY analyst and SiriusXM’s Jim Duquette that the Mets’ offer was for four years, $220 million.
Opt out after 28 too. 3-team trade between the Reds, Rays and Angels sends Josh Lowe to the Angels, Gavin Lux to the Rays, and Brock Burke to the Reds. Rays also receive Chris Clark, a minor league pitcher from the Angels.
Haha
This idea didn’t age well. $60M AAV seems wild. Hopefully Tucker gets at least 1200 AB in the next couple seasons.
“Let’s Be Pigs” was the Andrew Friedman quote a couple years ago right? True to his word.
Doug McCain of Dodgers Nation has been so right the last few years. He has talked about how stealthy Friedman is and when it’s quiet expect Friedman to swoop in and get his guy.
Mindboggling. Just mindboggling….
I really need to get my 16-year-old son, the crafty southpaw, to start eating his Wheaties. (He’s batting .522 right now, but it’s a soft .522.)
In the postmortems to the big news, an NYC broadcaster asked Jim Bowden, “Where do the Mets go from here?”
“Fourth place,” Bowden replied.
This comes as no surprise. AF was always gonna land one of Tucker or Bichette.
In fact he’s landed 2 of the 3 biggest Free Agents out there in Diaz and Tucker.
From last years winning WS team we have replaced Yates with Diaz and Conforto with Tucker.
Pigs getting fatter.
Signing Ohtoni is the “gift that keeps on giving”.
Ohtani
The full list of 22 players the Dodgers signed on January 15, 2026, is as follows:
Catchers:
Oliver Chapman, Venezuela
Aaron Guzman, Venezuela
Haram Hernandez, Venezuela
Ricardo Pulles, Russia
Roberto Saucedo, Mexico
Infielders:
Ezequiel Melbourne, Shortstop, Dominican Republic
Jose Victorino, Shortstop, Dominican Republic
Willy Bergolla, Infielder, Venezuela
Adrian Del Cid, Infielder, Panama
Ariel Reynoso, Infielder, Dominican Republic
Outfielders:
Rubel Arias, Dominican Republic
Fran-Jean Haseth, Curacao
Helvin Mendoza, Venezuela
Jose Requena, Venezuela
Jeibert Rondon, Venezuela
Pitchers:
Anderson Carias, RHP, Venezuela
Diego Paez, RHP, Venezuela
Luis Ricart, RHP, Cuba
Kenry Alvear, LHP, Colombia
Tom Apfelbaum, LHP, Germany
Miguel Herrera, LHP, Venezuela
Victor Tovar, LHP, Venezuela
Andrew, Do any of the catchers stand out?
My guess is that Michael Siani OF gets DFA to open up a spot on the 40 man roster when the signing of Kyle Tucker becomes official.
Well I said earlier, 6 years at 40 million, with opt outs . He got 4 years at 60 million!!!! Got my 4 and my 6 mixed up! What this says about the Dodgers is obvious. What this says about the Mets is mind blowing! Cohen has the money! Seems no one wants to take it! Toronto? Waiting to see what they offered. I guess now the Jays and Phillies duke it out for Bichette!
Full details on Kyle Tucker’s Dodgers contract, per ESPN sources:
– 4 years, $240 million guaranteed
– Opt-outs after Years 2 and 3
– $64M signing bonus
– $30M deferred
– $57.1M a year in net present value after factoring in deferrals — a record by $6M+
I went to bed last night after writing the blog. I was going to say, “Just as sure as I put this out, the Dodgetrs will sign Tucker” but I forgot! All, I can say is WOW!
Teoscar goes to LF
Pages in CF
Tucker in RF.
1. Ohtani (L) DH
2. Betts (R) SS
3. Freeman (L) 1B
4. Smith (R) C
5. Tucker (L) RF
6. Pages (R) CF
7. Muncy (L) 3B
8. Teoscar (R) LF
9. Rojas/Kim (L-R) 2B
162-0 – Threepeat! Fourpete and Fivepeat!
The Dodgers have to drop a player – Michael Siani, Bye!
Could you see them moving Teo? I wouldnt but nothing would shock me.
GO RAMS!
I could see it at the Deadline… especially if one of the outfielders looks ready.
I feel that Sirota might be the closest because of his age and athleticism, but you never know. DePaula or Tibbs could come on like a madman.
The Dodgers need Teo ‘s right handed power bat to balance the lineup with all the left handed bats we have. I also read where Teo is coming into camp in tip top physical shape which will help him playing left field.
I think you swap Teo and Pages in the order to start the year. Edman probably gets the majority of the reps at 2B when he’s healthy. I’d love it to be Kim though.
I think Teo isn’t going anywhere. He’s good for Pages, plus he’s ready for a bounce back season. Lighter and healthier, he may have his best season by far as a Dodger! I agree with an earlier writer, Call is the one most likely to get moved. Kim , Edman, and possibly later on, kike will get some time in the outfield. The versatility of those 3 guys makes Call less valuable.
The bitching and moaning has already gone through the roof!! It’s apparent he wants to be a Dodger. I’ve been to Toronto. It’s a nice city. But just maybe Tucker wasn’t all that crazy about being there. The Mets? I never thought he would go there. So let everyone cry and whine! Another championship is not guaranteed! There are several teams that can win it all! The Cubs are better. The Phillies are still very good. The Braves will be better this season. The Brewers are still a very strong team. So nothing is guaranteed. A couple of injuries and everything can spiral down! But the Dodgers are favored to win it all again. Once again the front office outsmarted the rest of baseball! No laws against that!
Well it’s easy to be smart when your checking account is bigger than everyone else’s! But I’m grateful
Don’t love the deal, but like the lineup with Tucker in it.
Obviously an overpay, but the RSN deal and the sponsorship $$ just make it bonkers.
I can see Teo traded, but are the Dodgers willing to pay down the cost?
I’ll echo what’s been said several times on this blog… “What a helluva time to be a Dodger’s fan” … Feels pretty damn good to root for the Rams too.
After anouncing his retirement, can Kershaw come to spring training and work out with the Dodgers to get ready for the WBC?
Yes
Bichette to the Mets 126 million for 3 years with optouts after years 1 and 2.
How could AF let Bichette slip through his fingers? It’s only another 40 mil a year! 80 mil counting taxes.
For signing Diaz and Tucker, this the Dodger MLB Draft positions 1-10 on July 2026 with loss of draft picks 2,3,5 and 6.
Dodgers 2026 draft bonus pool estimate
Round Pick No. 2025 equivalent slot value
1 40 $2,443,600
4 137 $534,100
7 226 $248,700
8 256 $210,900
9 286 $195,300
10 316 $187,300
Total bonus pool $3,819,900
pick numbers after 1st pick are estimated
You know who the real hero of the current Dodgers state and glory is?
David Rone!
He was the negotiator for Time Warner Cable and the still ludicrous RSN deal the Dodgers extracted from him.