#los-angeles-dodgers

#los-angeles-dodgers

Signs of things to come began in 2020 with the 12-year, $365 million contract awarded to Mookie Betts, but even this was a unique situation. Friedman might have been more willing to make this deal not only because of Betts' talent, but also because he had surrendered assets to acquire him and didn't want to make it a one-year rental.

Dating back to the addition of Hideo Nomo, through the time of Hiroki Kuroda as a starting pitcher, to the emergence of fan favorite Kenta Maeda, the Dodgers carry a rich Japanese history that has been developing for more than two decades. However, things have really taken off over the past few years, with the addition of bona fide Japanese star Shohei Ohtani, then subsequently Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.

Availability has been a major issue for Graterol over the past two seasons, with just 7.1 innings pitched in that time due to injury. It is an unfortunate reality for him and the Dodgers, considering he was one of their best relievers in 2023. He enters 2026 returning from right shoulder surgery that forced him to miss the entire 2025 season.

With Tommy Edman officially slated to begin the 2026 season on the injured list, the Opening Day second base job is open for competition. And it's more of a competition than it might appear to be at first glance. I wrote about the Dodgers' potential "problem" at second base about six weeks ago, but that was with an eye on the Dodgers being interested in Bo Bichette.

On February 18, 1960, then-Los Angeles Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley finalized the purchase of land that would be used for the construction of Dodger Stadium. O'Malley paid a reported $494,000 for the property at Chavez Ravine, which was believed to be worth $92,000 at the time. The process took over a year and a half as O'Malley initially received approval from L.A. voters to purchase the land on June 3, 1958.

"I think this is who we are. This is what we expect," he said. "And I see that in the work each day. Guys are excited to obviously see each other, which every camp is the same way. "But I think for me, I would expect us to go about each day the same. And I think we're as good as anyone at doing that while keeping the long-term goal in mind."

On February 16, 1989, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Orel Hershiser to a record-setting three-year, $7.9 million contract extension. The terms of the deal included a $1.1 million signing bonus, and base salaries of $2.4 million in 1989, $1.6 million in 1990 and $2.8 million in 1991. Because his signing bonus was divided equally over the three seasons, Hershiser's salary in 1990 came out to $3,166,000, making him the first $3 million player in MLB history.

The Dodgers first acquired Rortvedt at the trade deadline in 2025, receiving him from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team deal. Rortvedt went straight to Triple-A, but quickly found his way to the majors. Will Smith and Dalton Rushing, L.A.'s first and second choice catchers, landed on the injured list within a week of each other in September, leaving Rortvedt as the Dodgers' starter.

"On paper, it could be [the best]," Roberts said, per Bill Plaschke of the LA Times. "Looking at the guys in their prime, the experience, the talent, the starters, the pen, the depth of the young players ... probably the best team we've had on paper."