Dodgers add proven arm: Agrees contract with…

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ busy offseason continues to progress with rumors, re-signings, extensions, non-tenders and everything in between. The latest move lands Los Angeles with a veteran reliever, Giovanni Gallegos, formerly a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, on a minor league contract, per Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors.

The 33-year-old reliever spent the last seven seasons in St. Louis after beginning his career within the New York Yankees system. In July of this year, Gallegos was designated for assignment by the Cardinals, and he opted for free agency shortly after. He closed the 2024 season on a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins.

Dodgers staying active in a fast-paced player market

Besides the nearly daily updates on Juan Soto’s free agency status, Los Angeles has plenty enough to do with their roster. On Friday, the Dodgers agreed on contracts with pitchers Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May ahead of the arbitration deadline. Los Angeles opted to non-tender relief pitchers Brent Honeywell Jr. and Zach Logue, sending them to free agency.

Shohei Ohtani’s MVP season in his first year with the Dodgers and World Series win should be enough to recruit players across the league to wear the Dodger blue. Ohtani discussed what the award meant to him and paid it forward to his teammates, per Anthony Castrovince for the MLB.

“I’m just representing the Dodgers,” Ohtani said. “It was a complete team effort. I wouldn’t have been able to receive this award if it weren’t for my teammates. If we didn’t play as a team, we wouldn’t have gotten to the playoffs or won the World Series. So I take this as representing a team, receiving this award.”

There’s speculation from MLB insider Ken Rosenthal that general manager Andrew Friedman has his eye on shortstop Willy Adames via free agency.

“Friedman has long admired Adames, whom he acquired for the Rays at the 2014 trade deadline as part of a package for David Price,” Rosenthal wrote. “But Friedman rarely pays sticker price for elite talent, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto standing as a notable exception last offseason, in part because he was turning 25. Lest anyone forget, the Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman contracts all include significant deferrals.”

The Dodgers also met with Blake Snell, the 2023 Cy Young winner, although it seems half the league is after him.

“Blake Snell is not wasting any time,” Rosenthal wrote. “The free-agent left-hander recently met with the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, according to sources with knowledge of the discussions. It is possible Snell also met, or will meet, with the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and other clubs seeking a top-end starter. He surely wants an earlier resolution in free agency than he had last offseason, when he did not sign with the San Francisco Giants until March 19.”

Los Angeles seems to be aiming to be a superteam, pushing the sport to its upper limits to build a true dynasty.