3 small moves the Dodgers made that are paying big dividends in 2025

The Los Angeles Dodgers are known as baseball’s big spenders. Every offseason, the Dodgers are in the conversation to land another superstar and bolster an already stacked roster. 

Before the 2025 season, the Dodgers added marquee free agents Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, and Michael Conforto. 

Ahead of the 2024 campaign, it was Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Teoscar Hernández inking deals with LA. 

The Dodgers spend like nobody else in baseball. But what often goes overlooked is how well the Dodgers do with the smaller moves that end paying dividends throughout the season. Here are three of my favorite small moves that the Dodgers made this offseason that are already paying off. 

3 small Dodgers moves that have paid big dividends in 2025

Signing Hyeseong Kim

While Roki Sasaki was the headline of the Dodgers’ international additions, Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim is proving to be a really valuable and versatile addition on a three-year, $12.5 million deal.

In his first 11 games after being called up on May 3, Kim batted .360 with an .840 OPS and a pair of stolen bases. 

Kim has yet to draw a walk, but a squared-up percentage of 34.9% while being in the 88th percentile in sprint speed is what makes Kim unique. He’s going to hit the ball hard consistently and wreak havoc on the basepaths. A manager like Dave Roberts is going to have fun utilizing him as the season goes on. 

Trading Gavin Lux

The Dodgers traded Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds in a 1-for-1 deal back in January. The deal brought outfield prospect Mike Sirota to Los Angeles and it’s already looking like a win for the Dodgers. 

Lux has been solid for the Reds. He has one home run on the season and a .768 OPS in 40 games. His 0.4 fWAR is 14th among Reds players this season. 

Sure, the Dodgers gave up a solid big leaguer that is under club control for the 2025 and 2026 season, but Sirota has been on an absolute tear in the minor leagues. 

In his first taste of professional baseball, Sirota is hitting .373 with seven home runs, 17 extra-base hits, and an OPS of 1.168 across two levels. 

The former third-round pick recently got promoted to join the Great Lakes Loons (A+). Sirota is currently the No. 19 prospect in the Dodgers organization, but should be rising quickly. 

Signing Matt Sauer

The Dodgers signed Matt Sauer on a minor-league contract in the offseason and have been bringing him up and down from Triple-A ever since. 

Sauer made his major league debut with the Kansas City Royals in 2024, pitching to an ugly 7.71 ERA in 14 appearances as a rookie. Sauer elected free agency after the season and promptly signed with Los Angeles, who seemed to identify something they liked in his profile. 

In 14.2 innings in the minor leagues this season, Sauer has a 1.84 ERA and 0.82 WHIP as a starting pitcher. 

In the big leagues, Sauer has been working out of a long relief role and has an equally impressive 1.54 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 11.2 innings. 

Sauer is now out of minor-league options, which means he could be with the big league team for the long haul. He is slated to start a bullpen game for the Dodgers on Thursday. Los Angeles is already getting good value from a guy who is making the minimum in 2025.