By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Los Angeles Dodgers cemented their status as Major League Baseball’s new “Evil Empire” this offseason with a raft of acquisitions that position the team as favorites to repeat as World Series champions.
The Dodgers perceived weakness last season was their starting rotation and the front office led by President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman has been aggressive in addressing it.
After beating the New York Yankees 4-1 for the title, the Dodgers signed two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million deal that included a hefty $52 million signing bonus in late November.
On Wednesday, the Dodgers landed the most coveted international free agent on the market, hard-throwing 23-year-old Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki.
Sasaki choosing LA stung the other clubs that had pursued him but the two-time Nippon Professional Baseball League All-Star said the organization itself was a draw.
“I think the number one thing that stood out was the stability of the front office,” he told reporters.
Sasaki and Snell join a starting rotation that includes Tyler Glasnow and Sasaki’s countrymen Yoshinobu Yamamoto and reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani, who had a historic season at the plate last year, is expected to join the rotation sometime around May after not pitching last season as he recovered from elbow surgery.
BULLPEN BOOST
And it is not only the starting pitching that got an upgrade.
The bullpen was bolstered on Thursday with the signing of closer Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million contract.
Scott had a 1.75 earned run average, 84 strikeouts and 22 saves in 72 games with Miami and San Diego last season.
The 30-year-old made it clear that playing for the Dodgers was preferable to playing against them after being a part of the division rival Padres who faced them in last year’s playoffs.
“They are not a fun team to face especially one, two, three,” Scott said, referring to the lethal Dodgers’ batting order that leads off with MVPs Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
“It’s kind of unfair.”
And the Dodgers may not done shoring up their back end yet.
The team has a tentative deal for veteran right-handed reliever Kirby Yates, which will be made final after a physical, USA Today reported this week.
Two-time All-Star Yates recorded 33 saves to go along with a 7-2 record and 1.17 ERA in 61 relief appearances last season with the Texas Rangers.
Scott said he was confident that the Dodgers have the personnel to become MLB’s first back-to-back champions since the Yankees won three straight from 1998-2000.
“I know we’re ready to win another one,” Scott said on Thursday.
“I’ll be part of this one.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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