Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Kiké Hernández revealed on The Shop that his viral interview after Game 5 of the National League Division Series, which featured an emphatic F-bomb, nearly got him suspended by MLB (10:10 mark).

Hernández hit a solo homer to help the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 2-0 in the deciding Game 5 of the NLDS. Naturally, he was elated after the victory. And when asked about what was different about this Dodgers team versus other L.A. squads that faltered in the playoffs, Hernández had this to say:

Hernández had this to say about what went down behind the scenes, noting a suspension for Game 1 of the NLCS against the New York Mets was on the table (h/t Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports).

"I did get fined for that. I was going to get an even heftier fine ,and I was going to get a game suspension, but having a good agent and having a good player union came in handy. They got rid of the suspension, and they got to lower the fine a little bit, which was good. I did have to apologize, which you could say 50/50 on the honesty part of it.

"What I answered was my honest answer from the bottom of my heart, and I didn't think there was any other way of describing the team. I felt like I had already taken a while to think about my answer, because I didn't want to answer it that way. But when I asked if we were live, he said yes, and I figured, 'There's got to be some sort of delay.' There was no delay, and I was on live TV cussing. And there was a lot of criticizing that."

The curse that reportedly got the MLB offices stirring ended up being water under the bridge, and Hernandez enjoyed an excellent postseason, hitting .294 (.808 OPS) with two homers, six RBI and eight runs.

And the Dodgers won their ninth World Series in franchise history, taking down the Mets in six NLCS games before beating the New York Yankees in five in the Fall Classic.

Free agent Teoscar Hernández is one of the top outfielders remaining on the open market, and he's reportedly hoping to secure a lengthy contract.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Hernández "is seeking a three-year deal in the $22-24 million a year range, per sources." The 32-year-old spent the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a one-year contract worth $23.5 million, so it makes sense that he wants the security of a longer-term deal this offseason.

Hernández is coming off one of the best years of his career, winning a World Series title with the Dodgers and earning his second All-Star selection. The veteran slugger hit a career-high 33 home runs while adding 99 RBI, and he added three homers and 12 RBI in the postseason.

Feinsand noted that the Dodgers and Hernández "seemed headed for a reunion, but the two sides haven't been able to reach a deal thus far." The delay has "opened the door for other teams" like the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays "to jump in on the outfielder."

Hernandez proved that he could be a consistent source of production on a title-winning team, so the Dodgers will have to work a little harder to avoid losing him to the open market.

A piece of Los Angeles Dodgers history sold for a cool $1.56 million on Saturday.

SCP Auctions sold the ball Freddie Freeman hit for a walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees. It seemed like New York might steal Game 1 on the road when it scored a run in the top of the 10th inning, but Freeman launched the grand slam in the bottom half to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the series.

They went on to win the Fall Classic in five games, giving them a second championship in five years.

As the SCP Auctions page explained, 10-year-old Zachary Ruderman ended up with the ball after it landed in the row in front of him and bounced around some. He was able to get it to his father, Nico, which was quite the full-circle moment for the child who initially thought he was leaving school that day to get his braces removed.

"With so many images and videos available, Sports Investors Authentication was able to make a conclusive photo-match of Freddie Freeman's Grand Slam Walk-Off baseball," the page said.

SCP noted the ball features scuff marks from its time ricocheting underneath the right-field bleacher seats as well as the mark from Freeman's bat.

While MLB Authentication was unable to sticker certify the ball, Nico Ruderman completed a polygraph test ensuring this is the same ball. Part of the proceeds will go toward Zachary's education.

Freeman ended up winning the World Series MVP with an incredible performance.

The grand slam was the most notable moment, but he ended up with four home runs and 12 RBI in five games.

Shohei Ohtani's eventual return to the mound isn't going to come at the start of the 2025 season.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Monday it was "very unlikely" that Ohtani would be able to pitch by then, though added he expects him to be ready to go as a hitter.

The superstar slugger had arthroscopic surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder in November.

The Dodgers have little incentive to rush Ohtani back to the starting rotation.

For one, he's already arguably the most impactful offensive force in baseball, winning the NL MVP after hitting .310 with 54 homers, 130 RBI, 134 runs, 59 stolen bases and a 1.036 OPS. And the Dodgers have already built a strong rotation, adding Blake Snell to a mix that also includes Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, among others.

General manager Brandon Gomes told reporters in November that the Dodgers won't rush him back to the mound.

"I think there's a lot of questions there of making sure that he is in a good place," he said. "I don't want to speculate on any of that. We're just [keeping the] big picture in mind and making sure that, working backwards, [we're doing] what puts us in the best position for him to be taking down innings in October. And however that falls out, we'll be happy with."

Given Ohtani's prowess as a hitter, however, it's easy to forget that he's 38-19 in his career as a pitcher with a 3.01 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 608 strikeouts in 481.2 innings. He isn't going to give a team 200 innings a year, but he is an excellent option as part of a rotation, and his two-way status makes him the most unique MLB superstar since Babe Ruth.

The Dodgers know the value of having plenty of pitching options in the holster after being ravaged by injuries in 2024. Getting back Ohtani as a pitcher will eventually help in that regard, but at least to start the 2025 season, the Dodgers will need to call on depth from elsewhere.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly interested in multiple options to improve the team's bullpen.

According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, the Dodgers are eyeing free-agent reliever Tanner Scott after he made the first All-Star appearance of his career in 2024. Los Angeles is also interested in a potential trade involving Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams.

The Dodgers are attempting to add "at least one more" reliever over the offseason, per Ardaya.

Los Angeles' desire to add Scott has been apparent, as the Dodgers were one of the finalists to land him ahead of the 2024 trade deadline before he was ultimately dealt to the San Diego Padres (via Jon Heyman of the New York Post).

In 72 combined games with the Padres and Miami Marlins last season, Scott compiled a 1.75 ERA while striking out 84 batters in 72 innings of work. He also looked sharp during San Diego's National League Division Series appearance, allowing zero earned runs in 4.1 postseason innings pitched.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic projected Scott to land a four-year, $60 million deal in free agency.

The Brewers declined Williams' $10.5 million club option for 2025, but he'll remain under contract with the team in his final year of arbitration (via ESPN's Jeff Passan). Still, his uncertain future in Milwaukee could result in a change of scenery.

Williams has been a consistent threat in the Brewers' bullpen since winning National League Rookie of the Year in 2020, owning a career ERA of 1.83.

In 22 appearances during his 2024 campaign, the 30-year-old posted a 1.25 ERA and 0.969 WHIP. Williams also averaged an incredible 15.8 strikeouts per nine innings, although his season came to an end by allowing a game-winning home run to the New York Mets in the NL Wild Card Series.

The Dodgers have already been active throughout the offseason so far, signing All-Star starter Blake Snell as well as outfielder Michael Conforto.

As Los Angeles attempts to add a high-leverage reliever, Scott and Williams appear to be its top options.

The Los Angeles Dodgers put a firm ceiling on what they were prepared to give star slugger Juan Soto in free agency, according to The Athletic's Patrick Mooney, Will Sammon, Brendan Kuty and Ken Rosenthal.

The report said the Dodgers "capped their offer to Soto at $600 million."

That lines up with what Rosenthal first reported on Dec. 2. He said the World Series champions "are doing what they often do with elite free agents, hanging around the backboard, seeing if the ball somehow falls into their hands."

Soto wound up getting $765 million over 15 years from the New York Mets, per ESPN's Jeff Passan, which is the single biggest contract in sports history.

An important note on the deal is that it doesn't have any deferred money, which might have worked against Los Angeles. Deferrals are a strategy the Dodgers utilized with Shohei Ohtani last offseason and again with Blake Snell and Tommy Edman this winter.

As much as Soto would've helped L.A. offensively, the franchise has already shown it can win a World Series with the roster it has. Getting Snell also addressed one of the biggest holes in the roster as well.

Soto clearly would've been more of a luxury than a necessity, so topping the Mets' bid was been a questionable investment given the scale of the transaction.

The Dodgers will presumably turn their attention toward a reunion with Teoscar Hernández. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reported Sunday the Boston Red Sox are continuing to chase the 32-year-old outfielder, but the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham added he "has told people he would prefer to stay with the Dodgers."

With Soto now off the board, the free agents from the lower tiers such as Hernández could secure their futures in short order.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have added some depth to the outfield.

Per The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya, the Dodgers and former San Francisco Giants outfielder Michael Conforto agreed to a one-year, $17 million deal on Sunday.

The Dodgers currently have an estimated payroll of $180 million for the 2025 season, according to FanGraphs' Roster Resource. With the addition of Conforto, that number is up to $197 million.

Los Angeles' payroll also got another bump up when The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported reliever Blake Treinen agreed to a two-year, $22 million. With Treinen's deal averaging $11 million per season, the Dodgers' payroll could be at approximately $208 million.

Here's a look at how the batting order could look with Conforto on the squad.

Potential Batting Order

1. SS Mookie Betts
2. 1B Freddie Freeman
3. DH Shohei Ohtani
4. C Will Smith
5. 3B Max Muncy
6. OF Michael Conforto
7. OF Tommy Edman
8. 2B Gavin Lux
9. OF Andy Pages

Conforto, a nine-year veteran, just wrapped up his second year with the Giants, hitting 20 home runs, 60 RBI and notching a .237 batting average and .759 OPS. His home run and RBI numbers were his best marks since the 2019 season when he had 33 homers and 92 RBI.

Conforto, who underwent right shoulder surgery that kept him off the field the entire 2022 season, has remained mostly healthy over the past two seasons, playing 125 games in 2023 and 130 games last year. He missed a bit of time in 2024 due to a hamstring injury.

Though the Dodgers landed a talented outfielder in Conforto, they are reportedly hoping to retain one of their free-agent outfielders. After Conforto's deal was confirmed, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that Los Angeles is "still in on Teoscar Hernández."

Hernández, who belted 33 homers and 99 RBI with a .272 batting average last season, was a major part of the Dodgers' World Series run last year, but the 2024 season could be his only one in Los Angeles.

Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reported on Sunday that Hernández prefers to stay with the Dodgers in 2025, "but has long been intrigued by the idea of playing at Fenway Park and he's a fan of Alex Cora."

If the Dodgers can't get Hernández back in 2025, they at least have some stability in the outfield with Conforto now on the roster.

The reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers are not resting on their laurels as they gear up for the 2025 season.

Per Mark Feinsand of MLB Network, the Dodgers have agreed to a deal with outfielder Michael Conforto. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic added that the deal is for one year and worth $17 million. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Dodgers also re-signed relief pitcher Blake Treinen to a two-year, $22 million deal.

Rosenthal also noted that Los Angeles is "still in on" free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernández despite adding Conforto.

Conforto will be remaining on the West Coast after spending the last two seasons with the San Francisco Giants. He appeared in 130 games in 2024 and posted a .237 batting average with 20 home runs and 66 RBI.

Prior to joining the Giants, Conforto spent the first seven seasons of his career with the New York Mets, who selected him with the 10th overall pick in the 2014 MLB draft.

The 31-year-old was once considered one of the top prospects in the Mets' minor league system and he made his major-league debut in July 2015. During New York's appearance in the World Series against the Kansas City Royals that year, he became the first rookie since Andruw Jones in 1996 to hit two home runs in a World Series game. He earned the lone All-Star selection of his career in 2017.

Treinen has spent five seasons with the Dodgers, though he sat out the entire 2023 campaign following shoulder surgery. In 2024, he appeared in 50 games and went 7-3 with a 1.93 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP and 56 strikeouts in 46.2 innings pitched.

Hernández signed with the Dodgers prior to the 2024 season and finished the year with a career-high 33 home runs while batting .272 and adding 99 RBI. He hit .250 with three homers and 12 RBI during the playoffs as the Dodgers went on to defeat the New York Yankees in five games to win the World Series title.

Bringing back Hernández while adding Conforto would continue a strong offseason for Los Angeles, but it will surely face competition from other teams as it tries to retain the slugger.

Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is pushing back against criticism for how the team is structuring contracts to help add marquee players to an already-loaded roster.

Speaking to reporters during Blake Snell's introductory press conference, Friedman addressed the "lazy narrative" that the Dodgers are manipulating the system.

"I think the Shohei one is just jarring to people because it's so different, and I think the others just unfairly get lumped into that," Friedman said. "But I think it's kind of a lazy narrative."

The two marquee deals the Dodgers have done so far this offseason for Snell (five years, $182 million) and Tommy Edman (five years, $74 million) both included deferred money. The total deferred money in those contracts bring their total amount of deferrals over $1 billion.

The bulk of that deferred money is from Shohei Ohtani, who will be paid $680 million of his $700 million contract after the deal expires following the 2033 season.

Structuring deals with deferred money serves two purposes for the Dodgers. The first is it allows them to lower the net present value of the contract, which lowers the amount that counts toward the competitive balance tax.

The Dodgers are currently more than $40 million over the 2025 CBT threshold of $241 million, with more moves likely to be made, but the amount of money they will owe for exceeding the limit isn't as much as it would be if they were paying all of the deals over the life of the contract.

The other purpose is the Dodgers can entice players to sign and not have to worry about paying California tax because they may not be living in the state by the time they receive the deferred payments.

For instance, Ohtani is going to save an estimated $98 million in state tax payments by deferring 97 percent of his salary. The move generated so much attention that California lawmakers are attempting to change the federal tax code to block such moves from happening in the future.

Even if MLB teams are upset about the Dodgers' strategy, they aren't breaking any rules. The collective bargaining agreement states there is no limit to how much deferred money teams can carry.

It's a practice that's been employed for decades. The first-known contract with deferred money was Daryl Strawberry's contract with the New York Mets that was signed in 1985.

Deferred deals were a key part of the Washington Nationals' team-building strategy in the mid-2010s and helped them field a roster that won a World Series title in 2019. Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and Max Scherzer all signed contracts with the club that included deferred money.

The Dodgers may have taken deferred money to an extreme level, but their business savvy is making it work for a team that is going to be among the favorites to win the World Series for years into the future.

Even if the Los Angeles Dodgers don't end up signing Juan Soto in free agency, they are at least doing a good job of making his other suitors aware they are actively pursuing him.

Per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, the Dodgers have made a "highly competitive" offer to Soto even though they are "not looked upon as favorites" for the four-time All-Star.

It's unclear what constitutes a "highly competitive" offer to Soto, but it's safe to assume it probably starts at least around $600 million. Even in that case, it may not even be close to the top bids he is receiving from other teams.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, there is an expectation that Soto could end up getting at least $700 million with offers from the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays all at least approaching that number.

The Dodgers were among the teams that Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, met with last month as they were going through their first round of talks with teams to determine the serious suitors.

ESPN's Jeff Passan noted last month the Dodgers wouldn't actively pursue Soto, but they would consider him if his market wasn't as strong as anticipated.

Since it seems clear that Soto's market by actually be stronger than the already-sky-high expectations when free agency began, the Dodgers would presumably have to increase their efforts to sign him if they really wanted to do so.

If the Dodgers added Soto to a lineup that already has Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and just won a World Series, it would make all of the complaining from other owners about how much the San Diego Padres were spending a couple of years ago sound like a soft echo.

If you're the Dodgers with their financial resources and the willingness to spend them on the best players in the sport, there's no reason they shouldn't at least see if they can convince Soto to join them.

After all, Freeman is in his mid-30s and Betts is 32. They will presumably age out of their prime at some point fairly soon, so there's no harm in trying to add a 26-year-old superstar who just finished third in AL MVP voting.