2 Dodgers offseason decisions that already look genius, 1 that looks awful

When it comes to roster building, the Los Angeles Dodgers compete on a different playing field than anyone else in the sport. With unlimited funds, money is no issue. Instead, the only finite resource at play is the number of roster spots available.

The limitations of the 26-man and 40-man rosters have led to several good players andtop prospects being let go over the years, as the team tries to maximize its ability to field the very best possible collection of players in its quest to build a dynasty.

So, while a bad signing or bloated contract can cripple another team, likeAnthony Rendon has done to the cross-town Angels, the Dodgers can easily move on, even eating money if they have to.

The danger for a franchise like this is that nebulous space between a player having the potential to be great while also suffering from some barrier that prevents him from consistently reaching his potential.

With that said, even though many of the Dodgers' moves fall into slam-dunk territory, there are some that are still strokes of genius. Simply put, just because you can acquire any player in the world doesn't mean you'll always make the right choices. Just ask the 1980s New York Yankees.

With that said, after a flurry of offseason moves and key decisions, a few clear winners and losers stand out based on the early returns of the young 2025 season.

Reuniting with Teoscar Hernández was the right decision for the Dodgers

During the offseason, the Dodgers needed a big bat to add to right field. The options in front of the team over the offseason were plentiful. Obviously, the Dodgers did their due diligence meeting with Juan Soto, even if a union between the two sides seemed like a long shot.

Outside of a generational talent like Soto, there were several other choices the Dodgers could have made, all with varying pros and cons. Meanwhile, 32-year-old Teoscar Hernández was sitting there biding his time, hoping his top choice in free agency, a reunion with the Dodgers, would come to fruition.

While he waited, Los Angeles could have considered other options to bring the thunder from right field. Anthony Santander would have been a younger choice. Jurickson Profar would've been the more versatile route, and we all know how much the Dodgers love their versatility.

However, after Soto, their option was clear from the start, and signing Teoscar Hernández to a three-year, $66 million deal to keep him in LA was the right call all along. Hernández is a professional hitter with pop. While his walk rate isn't always spectacular, in addition to hitting dingers, he does a decent job hitting for average as well, earning a 120 wRC+ for his career.

On the other hand, a player like Santander only has one tool, which is the homer. While his 44 long balls from 2024 would've been tempting to add to the lineup, he's a player who neither walks nor makes much contact outside of the home runs.

As for Profar, the former infielder-turned-outfielder was coming off a career year in 2024, which saw him post a 139 wRC+, far and away the best mark of his career. That career, by the way, has been marked by inconsistency, as evidenced by the fact that the year prior, in 2023, he had put up a 78 wRC which, shockingly, isn't even the low point for his career.

On the young season, Hernández is doing exactly what the Dodgers brought him in to do, posting a .281/.309/.563 line through 17 games. Meanwhile, Santander hasn't been able to hit his way out of a paper bag, slashing .190/.282/.270 through 16 games. Profar? Well, he got popped for PEDs and is currently serving an 80-game suspension.

New isn't always better, and the Dodgers could've easily been distracted by the plethora of other shiny options around that could've filled their right field hole. Instead, they made the smart call and brought back a reliable and friendly face who has so far rewarded them by giving them exactly what they need.

Signing Blake Snell to a massive contract seems like a blunder so far for the Dodgers

The Dodgers struck the starting pitching market quickly, signing Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract while nearly every top free agent starter was still available on the open market.

For Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner, earning the long-term, big money deal was a slam dunk after being forced to settle for a one-plus-one pillow contract deep into March the previous offseason after the bidding war he hoped for never materialized.

For LA, Snell was a luxury. The team has an abundance of high-end starters and later would add another, as they emerged victorious in the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes. However, that doesn't mean that Snell was not a risk.

While he's shown that he can be downright dominant at times, leading the league in ERA twice with a stellar 1.89 mark in 2018 and a 2.25 ERA in 2023, he's also shown he can be human. In his worst seasons, Snell has seen his ERA balloon past 4.00, with a 4.29 mark in 2019 immediately following up his first Cy Young campaign.

He's also seen his control falter, posting sky-high BB/9 numbers like 2021's 4.83 performance, as well as a 4.95 BB/9 in 2023. Point being, as dominant as he can look at times, he's also apt to put up some very pedestrian performances fueled by bouts of battles with his command.

Perhaps more importantly, Snell has never been the picture of health, topping 129 innings pitched in a single season just twice in his career, and recording a lengthy injury history that has run the gamut between minor bumps and bruises and serious concerns regarding his arm.

Unsurprisingly, Snell has landed on the IL this season after just two starts withleft shoulder inflammation, an injury that is both concerning for the short and long terms. While it could be nothing that a little rest can't cure, it could also be a warning sign for a much more grave problem.

And therein lies the rub with Snell. Consistency in both performance and availability are the reasons why, despite taking home his second Cy Young trophy in 2023, he was forced to settle for what was essentially a one-year deal.

The Dodgers, while not known for the health of their pitchers, have the depth the whether the storm without him, and have the financial might to not let his contract become an albatross, even if he doesn't pitch consistently and spends long stints on the IL moving forward. Still, with so many other options that would've provided more security, it was curious to see them go this route.

Moreover, from a resource allocation standpoint, it doesn't make a ton of sense to tie up a roster spot on a guy whose highs are enormous, but who can just as easily bottom out. For a team on a quest to build a dynasty, perhaps more secure options like Max Fried or Corbin Burnes would've made sense if they wanted to add another ace.

As good and deep as the team seems, let's not forget that the rotation was running on fumes by the time they reached the World Series last year. For $182 million, they should be buying a workhorse and not a boom or bust hurler who's just as likely to spend months on the IL as he is to dominate consistently from one start to the next.

Investing heavily in the back-end of their bullpen is a great strategy for the Dodgers to stick it to their rivals

If that had stood pat this offseason, the Dodgers would've had one of the better bullpens in all of baseball. Blake Treinen has the goods to be a lockdown closer. Michael Kopech, while still recovering from injury, is a deadly setup man. Alex Vesia has proven himself to be one of the league's most lethal lefty relievers. The list goes on and on.

At the same time, relievers can be fickle beasts, and are often the authors of the most volatility in performance year-in and year-out. Injuries can also deplete depth in the blink of an eye. As a result, the Dodgers doubled down by signing the top relief arm on the market in Tanner Scott, then added veteran Kirby Yates for good measure in order to build a super bullpen.

Not only does this bullpen depth insulate them in the case of injuries and poor performances from the starting rotation, but it also sets the team up nicely for a deep October run. That alone makes these additions worthwhile.

Kirby Yates, in particular, has been filthy to start the year. The 38-year-old is averaging an eye-watering 18.41 K/9 through his first eight appearances, which has been the primary driver behind his -0.68 FIP.

Tanner Scott hasn't been quite as dominant as he was last season when he posted a 1.75 ERA over 72 innings pitched, but he's been no slouch either, and has not shown any reason to think he'll be any less dominant as the season progresses.

Moreover, the process of signing elite relievers like these two has put the Dodgers' chief rivals in a difficult spot moving forward. Reliever valuations are hard because, on the one hand, a dominant bullpen is essentially a prerequisite for October success.

However, on the other hand, with the exception of the truly elite, reliever performance tends to be very volatile. On top of that, an elite late-inning reliever can only effectively do his job if the starting rotation and lineup can consistently bring him leads to protect late in games.

Therefore, by setting the market at such a high price point, especially with Tanner Scott'sfour-year $72 million deal, other teams will now be faced with extremely heavy investments required to retain top bullpen talent.

For example, the New York Yankees will be staring down the proposition of exceeding Scott's deal if they want to retain Devin Williams' services beyond this season. As more and more teams then decide they can't pay those rates for relievers, more options will present themselves to the Dodgers, who do have the resources to spend lavishly on the bullpen without thinking twice.

This sort of 4-D chess is a perfect example of how the Dodgers can use their endless funds not only to help in the short term, but then to create other opportunities for themselves down the road. Not every move they make will be a stroke of genius, but with bottomless pockets, even their biggest blunders can be overcome.