When the Dodgers signed Kirby Yates to a $13 million deal last offseason, the hope was that he’d help stabilize the back of the bullpen. He was coming off a great year as the Rangers‘ closer, pitching to a 1.17 ERA, 33 saves, and a 35.9% strikeout rate.
The deal didn’t work out as the Dodgers hoped. In 50 games, Yates pitched to a 5.23 ERA and only three saves. His 2025 season ended on September 19, when the club placed the struggling reliever on the injured list with a right hamstring strain. Instead, he watched his teammates win it all.
With the desire to continue playing, Yates has found a new team. Ari Alexander of 7News Boston reports that the right-hander will head to Anaheim to pitch for the Angels in 2026. The New York Post‘s Jon Heyman adds that it is a one-year, $5 million deal. He should play a major role in the Angels’ bullpen, which lost former Dodgers legendary closer Kenley Jansen in free agency.
Kirby Yates’ Gamble Fell Flat for Dodgers in 2025
Coming off a World Series title, the Dodgers loaded up with as many high-quality arms as they could. They had an enviable back of the bullpen with four guys who could close on a given night between Yates, Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, and Michael Kopech.
Those four relievers became the face of the Dodgers’ 2025 bullpen, but not in the way they hoped. Injuries and poor performances became the narrative of the Dodgers’ bullpen. Kopech was limited to 12 appearances due to multiple injuries, while Scott, Yates, and Treinen all posted ERAs north of 4.70.
Not only were these pitchers ineffective from a run prevention standpoint, it also showed up in win probability metrics. According to FanGraphs, Scott, Yates, Treinen, and Kopech combined for 46 shutdowns and 34 meltdowns. Yates was the lone reliever of the group with more meltdowns (9) than shutdowns (8).
A shutdown is a relief appearance that improves their team’s win expectancy by at least 6%; a meltdown does the exact opposite. Typically, a quality backend reliever will average three shutdowns for every meltdown. With the Dodgers throwing $42.7 million at those four relievers, they didn’t get their money’s worth.
With the back of the bullpen presenting a potential flaw in the postseason, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expertly worked around it. Perhaps no example better illustrated that than Game 7 of the World Series. The club’s $1.4 billion rotation carried the load, collecting 26 of the 33 outs needed to win their second straight championship. Staff ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto punctuated a legendary postseason run with a World Series MVP award, going 5-1 with a 1.45 ERA in 37.1 innings.
Dodgers’ Plan to Replace Kirby Yates
To alleviate their bullpen issues, the Dodgers did what they do best: target the best available player and spare no expense to make it happen. They lured free-agent closer Edwin Diaz from the Mets on a three-year, $69 million deal. At $23 million per season, that shatters the previous record for average yearly salary for a reliever by nearly $3 million.
Roster Resource projects Diaz to handle the primary closing responsibilities. Scott, Treinen, and Alex Vesia will likely handle the late innings as setup men. Will Klein, Anthony Banda, and Ben Casparius could play a bigger role in 2026 in the middle innings. Klein provided the Dodgers with five scoreless innings in the World Series, including a Herculean effort in an 18-inning victory in Game 3.
The Dodgers are hoping that Brusdar Graterol can play a key role after missing 2025 with shoulder issues. The 27-year-old flamethrower had surgery to repair a torn labrum in 2024, but experienced a setback in his recovery.
With the Dodgers looking for the first three-peat since 1998-2000 (New York Yankees), they can’t afford to have another bullpen implosion. While it didn’t cost them in 2025, there’s no guarantee it won’t catch up to them in 2026.
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