Dodgers sign most promising reclamation project yet to MiLB deal after KBO stint

The Dodgers have been uncharacteristically light on minor league signings this offseason. Sure, Andrew Friedman feels very good about the rotation he's put together and fans have very little reason to doubt him on that front. But with a pitching staff as injury-prone as the Dodgers', you can never be too sure.

Last year, a number of pitchers the Dodgers gave minor league deals to ended up appearing in the majors for at least a short spell, including former LA starter Andrew Heaney. None really broke out, but small signings ended up being the key to just keeping the Dodgers' injury-ravaged pitching staff afloat down the stretch.

On Sunday, Aram Leighton reported that the Dodgers had signed former Athletics and Orioles starter Cole Irvin to a minor league deal to provide some assurance.

Irvin spent his 2025 season in the KBO with the Doosan Bears, pitching 144 2/3 innings for a 4.48 ERA. It was hardly an improvement from the career 4.54 ERA he left behind in six seasons between the Phillies, A's, O's, and Twins, but it was enough for the Dodgers to give him a shot.

Dodgers sign former MLB starter Cole Irvin to minor league deal after a year in KBO

The Dodgers have, arguably, the deepest pitching staff in baseball. On top of the All-Star rotation — Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki — any of Gavin Stone, River Ryan, Emmet Sheehan, Kyle Hurt, Justin Wrobleski, or Landon Knack could plausibly get starts in the event of injuries for any of the main five.

And LA used a league-leading 40 pitchers last year (if you count Kiké Hernández and Miguel Rojas). The Dodgers have historically been very careful with their pitchers and are already exercising the same caution this year, but they always end up running into the same problems at some point in the season. Last year, Blake Snell only pitched two starts before he missed four months.

So, you never know. Irvin could make an appearance as a bullpen arm and/or opener at some point in the late summer or early fall if the Dodgers find themselves in dire straits again. They've made heroes of unlikelier candidates (see: Will Klein), and at least Irvin has a lengthy history of starting behind him.

This is clearly a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency signing, but the Dodgers can never have too many of those.