Are You Kidding Me? Dodgers Reach ‘Tentative’ Agreement with Kirby Yates

I just can’t with this stuff. After swooping in and signing Cubs target Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million deal, a report from Jack Harris of the LA Times said they’d had discussions with fellow late-inning reliever Kirby Yates. The assumption at the time was that the Dodgers had pivoted to Scott since there’s no way they’d push their payroll to nearly $400 million with yet another big-money bullpen arm. But that’s apparently exactly what they’ve done, as that interest in Yates remained.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today was first to report that the sides have reached a “tentative” agreement on a deal, but no figures were available as of initial publication. For the sake of ease, let’s say it’s a one-year, $15 million deal with no deferrals. That would put LA at an estimated $385-390 million in both actual and CBT payroll, roughly $85 million more than the second-place Phillies. The Dodgers also have something like $1.35 billion — with a B — in deferred payments on all the deals they’ve done the last two offseasons.

This is insane. Not just the money, but the fact that the Dodgers seem to have added 35 players to the 26-man roster this offseason alone.

Meanwhile, the Cubs signed righty reliever Trevor Richards to a minor-league deal after he put up a 4.55 ERA over 55 appearances between the Blue Jays and Twins last season. The former starter converted to the bullpen in 2021 and has served as a long man since, so this is low-risk depth. Jed Hoyer has talked a lot about improving his bullpen, but the options are quickly dwindling on that front.

The Cubs have shown interest in Carlos Estévez and Kyle Finnegan, both of whom come with big red flags when it comes to giving up hard contact. My understanding is that the Cubs aren’t the preferred destination for Finnegan, who is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility, and there’s competition for Estévez on a multiyear deal despite the issues. It’s entirely possible the Cubs end up with neither and just fall back on Porter Hodge, which might not be awful given the available options.

Still, it feels like Hoyer took a fastball right down the dick on the Scott deal and got his knees buckled by the Yates signing. Now he may have to flail at a sweeper or watch a fastball on the black to get rung up. While I admittedly don’t have full insight into everything that’s going on, I don’t like the way the Cubs have failed to attack the one area they’ve consistently said they needed to bolster.