Kirby Yates became yet another high-profile reliever signing that didn’t quite work out the way the Dodgers planned
Potentially, no reliever in the entire sport saw a larger dropoff in performance from their 2024 to 2025 production than the veteran Kirby Yates, perfectly encapsulating a trying year for a Dodger bullpen that failed to live up to expectations. Signed to a very lucrative one-year deal following a magnificent campaign with the Texas Rangers, Yates was part of a bullpen spending spree that also saw the Dodgers bring in Tanner Scott, forming what looked like a formidable duo spearheading this unit.
For someone who had three separate IL stints, Yates actually did a reasonable job of staying out there for a significant period, covering a little over 40 innings. Unfortunately for Yates, a promising start to his Dodger career, which saw the right-hander secure 24 of his 54 punch-outs through the end of April, quickly went south.
Showcasing the difficult aspects of the life of an elite reliever, across his first 21 appearances, Yates compiled 17 scoreless performances with 31 strikeouts and only five walks, all of which sounds pretty good, right? One bad outing later, as the Dodgers hosted the Angels in mid-May, his last one before hitting the IL, all of a sudden Yates had a 4.34 ERA.
Yates’ first stint on the IL didn’t last much longer than the league minimum, and he was quite effective in his return in June, even if just for a short term. Perhaps a worrying sign even before the runs started to come again, the veteran wasn’t getting strikeouts at anywhere near his usual level (9.5 SO/9 in June).
It wasn’t long until injuries became a problem once again. Right at the beginning of August, the veteran reliever once again had to be sidelined, this time with lower back pain that kept him out for nearly a month. So much of this sport relies on rhythm, and Yates just never could get into one in 2025, ultimately seeing his season cut short with a second right hamstring issue in September. Curiously, Yates’ final four appearances of the year all came against the Giants, which saw him earn a pair of holds despite allowing more runs than innings pitched (4 in 3 IP).
As evidenced by the persistence in trying to recover Blake Treinen during the playoffs, even with his disappointing campaign, Yates likely would’ve received a similar treatment had he been around for the postseason. In the end, that didn’t happen, and the Dodgers had to look elsewhere. Roki Sasaki would’ve gotten the call one way or another, but there’s something symmetrical about the fact that he was brought up as the corresponding move to Yates’ third and final IL trip as a Dodger in 2025.
2025 particulars
Age: 38
Stats: 50 games, 41.1 IP, 5.23 ERA, 17 walks, 52 strikeouts
Salary: $13,000,000
Game of the year
A home win against the Cubs in early April with Yates’ involvement symbolized what management envisioned from their veteran reliever and their pitching staff as a whole this past season. Following six scoreless innings from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, each of Yates, Blake Treinen, and Tanner Scott tossed one scoreless inning to help the Dodgers hold on to a 3-0 win, limiting the Cubs to two hits the whole game.
Roster status
After a down year, Yates is back on the market, quite likely to sign another one-year deal.
Category: General Sports
