Overlooked Dodgers reliever receives notable rookie honors from Baseball Digest

A repeated sore spot for the 2025 Los Angeles Dodgers was the bullpen. Between the colossal disappointment that was Tanner Scott, severe underperformance from veterans like Kirby Yates and Blake Treinen, and the loss of some key arms to injury, it was hard to find bright spots among Los Angeles's relief corps.

The unit finished with a 4.27 ERA, ranking 21st in baseball, and was a major concern heading into the postseason. Meanwhile, if one had to guess which Dodgers' rookie would come away with the most honors after the 2025 season, Roki Sasaki would've been the runaway favorite. Instead, Sasaki was mostly disappointing when he wasn't injured during the regular season, but became an integral part of the remade bullpen's success, serving as the closer in October.

One of the lone shining lights among both the club's relievers and crop rookies was Jack Dreyer. The southpaw managed to get into 67 games and logged 76 1/3 innings, posting a 2.95 ERA in the process. His 1.7 fWAR ranked among the game's elite when it came to relievers.

The southpaw was honored by Baseball Digest, named their top rookie reliever. All of this is frankly stunning, given the fact that he went undrafted back in 2021.

Jack Dreyer was named the top rookie reliever by Baseball Digest, but faces an uphill battle to keep his spot in 2026

Dreyer turns 27 at the end of February, and as impressive as his 2025 campaign was, he might find it difficult to hold on to his job in spring training.

Edwin Díaz coming to town is big, but Los Angeles will also have a number of injured arms returning to action. Brudsar Graterol will be back, and the last time we saw him pitch a full season back in 2023, he posted a 1.20 ERA.

The returns of starters like Gavin Stone, River Ryan, and Kyle Hurt could cause the overflow to the bullpen as well. On top of that, Los Angeles has an abundance of lefties with Scott, Anthony Banda, and Alex Vesia all being virtually guaranteed spots. Carrying a fourth left-handed reliever is overkill.

Lastly, the only optionable arms the Dodgers truly have are Ben Casparius and Will Klein, and they'll likely serve as Dreyer's chief competition.

Barring a trade, it's hard to see how Los Angeles can create room for him on the 2026 squad.

With all that said, a stellar spring can change everything, and it's not like Dodgers' pitchers are known for their durability. Even if it's not on Opening Day, there's a decent chance that Dreyer will get another shot.

But for now, it's an impressive honor. It's hard enough to be recognized as a rookie, and even harder when one begins his professional journey going undrafted. Relievers are volatile, and we might never see Dreyer reach these heights again, but regardless, he should be proud of his accomplishments.