Dodgers offseason steal ranked among MLB.com's most sustainable breakouts

Atlanta Braves v Los Angeles Dodgers
Atlanta Braves v Los Angeles Dodgers | Ronald Martinez/GettyImages

In a busy offseason that saw the Los Angeles Dodgers sign the likes of Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, and Tanner Scott, among others, the one-year, $17 million contract they gave to outfielder Michael Conforto flew somewhat under the radar. Two weeks into the 2025 season, however, the Conforto signing is already looking like one of the defending World Series champions' savviest offseason additions.

The December signing wasn't initially well received by the Dodgers fanbase, who feared that Conforto might simply be a consolation prize for the yet-to-be-re-signed Teoscar Hernández. Fans softened their stance on Conforto less than a month later when the Dodgers inked Hernández to a three-year, $66 million extension, but the reality is that both corner outfielders have been among Los Angeles' top offensive performers early in the 2025 season.

Conforto is coming off a down year by his standards in 2024 – his first healthy season since 2019 – in which he hit .237/.309/.450 with 20 home runs, 66 RBI and a career-low 8.6 walk rate in 130 games. Yet in his first 46 trips to the plate for the Dodgers this year, he recorded eight hits (including a pair of homers and four doubles) and seven walks.

Dodgers outfielder Michael Conforto ranked among MLB.com's most sustainable breakouts

It's still early, but Jordan Shusterman of Yahoo! Sports seems to think that Conforto's strong start to the year is more than just a fluke. In a collaboration with MLB.com, Shusterman highlighted Conforto as one of the six hot starts among MLB players most likely to last in 2025.

"[Conforto] surprising success against southpaws last season (.886 OPS) has yet to translate (1-for-12), but he has looked plenty dangerous against right-handers, helping to bolster an offense that we haven’t yet seen at full strength," Shusterman wrote. "Conforto is taking his walks, hitting for power and giving opposing pitching staffs another impact bat to think about once they get beyond the MVPs."

As the only new addition to a lineup full of superstars and former MVPs, Conforto may not get much love for his offensive production this season. He may not be their flashiest impact bat, but Conforto is already looking like an underrated signing for the Dodgers that is paying off in spades.

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