Dodgers' next roster move after Kirby Yates signing couldn't be clearer

The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their offseason spending spree with the addition of veteran right-handed reliever Kirby Yates just days after signing southpaw Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million contract.

Much like with the addition of Hyeseong Kim at second base, Yates has given the Dodgers a surplus that needs to be dealt with. With the team needing room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers are reportedly shopping veteran reliever Ryan Brasier hoping to get something out of the impending roster crunch.

Andrew Friedman and Co. should be pursuing a different path instead of trading away a trusted reliever who has posted a 1.89 ERA across 68 games for the Dodgers. There are several arms in the bullpen who the Dodgers could designate for assignment without missing a beat; none more so than Michael Grove.

Michael Grove, not Ryan Braiser, should get the boot after the Dodgers signed Kirby Yates

For one reason or another, Grove has been protected by the Dodgers even before he made the big leagues. The Dodgers added the former second-round pick to the 40-man roster all the way back in 2021 to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. This came after Grove sported a 7.86 ERA in 21 games pitched for Double-A Tulsa.

It hasn't gotten much better for the right-hander, whose "stuff" has never quite matched his production on the mound. Grove has a career 5.48 ERA in 149.1 career innings with the Dodgers, good enough to log a career WAR of -2.0.

In the past, the Dodgers could talk themselves into keeping Grove on the roster as he added length from the bullpen as a spot starter. But with a starting rotation that is already six-deep, without including the eventual additions of Dustin May, Clayton Kershaw, and Emmet Sheehan, Grove's value as a long-relief arm is diminished.

Plus, the Dodgers stopped using Grove in that capacity altogether in 2024. After starting 12 games for the Dodgers in 2023, the 28-year-old started just two games in 2024. He didn't make it past the second inning in either start and hasn't thrown more than three innings in a game since July 30, 2023.

And for what it's worth, Grove allowed eight runs on 10 hits with three home runs in that July 30 start against the Cincinnati Reds. There is a reason why the Dodgers stopped using him in that capacity.

With no need for another long-relief arm and Grove having no value in that role anymore, it is hard to see why the Dodgers have kept the struggling pitcher around for as long as they have. His numbers have never matched his stuff and the sample size is more than large enough to conclude that he does not have it as a big-league arm.

It's time for the Dodgers to admit defeat on their 2018 second-round pick instead of trading away a reliever who has been rock-solid for the team. Grove might not even be claimed by another big-league club, opening the door for the Dodgers to simply bring him back to Triple-A Oklahoma City.