Dodgers being connected to star closers ignores fact that Michael Kopech exists

Even with Juan Soto as the highlight of the free agent pool this offseason, the name of the game across the league, as usual, will be starting pitching. Even though the Dodgers' rotation is in a decent place with Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, and Clayton Kershaw mostly locked in for 2025, LA will still be looking for at least two more to fill out a six-man rotation (maybe even three more, depending on when Kershaw will be cleared for return).

The bullpen is a different story. Daniel Hudson is retiring and Blake Treinen and Joe Kelly are free agents, but the Dodgers will be retaining most of their 2024 relievers in 2025. They'll also have internal options in the form of recovering prospects (maybe Emmet Sheehan, maybe River Ryan, maybe Kyle Hurt) to fill in gaps if there's no room for them in the rotation.

That's not to say the Dodgers couldn't get one or two more relief arms or just re-sign Treinen, but they at least have a solid foundation and an almost guaranteed closer in Michael Kopech already.

Kopech's presence hasn't stopped speculation that the Dodgers might chase a closer via free agency or trade, though.Will Leitch of MLB.com loosely connected LA to Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, and some fans have been back on the Devin Williams train since the Brewers declined his club option to send him back into arbitration eligibility.

Ryan Helsley, Devin Williams connected to Dodgers despite Michael Kopech's presence on the roster

Kopech hasn't been named the Dodgers' official closer, but all signs point to that at least becoming the case in practicality. Evan Phillips had a rough fall from grace this season when he started to shake in July and put up a couple more bad outings in September, by which point the Dodgers had started to insert him during the seventh or eighth inning instead. He was left off of the World Series roster with arm fatigue, which certainly won't help his case to move back into the closer role next year. Kopech closed nine out of 24 games for the Dodgers after coming over at the trade deadline, and he's credited with six saves during that time.

Helsley had a fantastic 2024 season and led baseball in saves with 49, but there's no reason for the Dodgers to give up prospect capital to chase a player who would fill a role that's already occupied. Williams also had a great season but was hurt for a large chunk of it, which gives the Dodgers even less incentive to broker a deal with the Brewers.

The Dodgers might still sign a few relievers to fill out the bullpen, but they don't need a closer. Unless they were to move Helsley or Williams into setup roles, which would be a shame for both, they'll probably stay away. Besides, didn't LA do enough this past October to prove they can mix and match when it matters most?