The Los Angeles Dodgers spared no expenses last offseason to build what they thought was an invincible bullpen.
Unfortunately, they learned money can’t solve all their problems.
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Tanner Scott (four years, $72 million), Kirby Yates (one year, $13 million) and Blake Treinen (two years, $22 million) were all signed to reinforce what was already a strong bullpen that carried LA to a World Series title in 2024. However, neither Scott (4.74 ERA) nor Yates (5.23 ERA) pitched in the postseason, while Treinen (5.40 ERA) had the worst season of his career.
A year later, the Dodgers again have to address their bullpen shortcomings, and could look to do it via free agency or trade. While there are plenty of high-caliber (and high-priced) pitchers available, there was one surprise addition to the free agent market who could be a perfect fit for Los Angeles.
The Tampa Bay Rays declined their $11 million club option on right-hander Pete Fairbanks this offseason, allowing him to enter free agency. According to The Athletic, he “should attract considerable interest, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays among his expected suitors.”
Fairbanks is coming off a 2025 season in which he made 61 appearances, sporting a 2.83 ERA with 59 strikeouts across 60.1 innings pitched. He has a career 3.19 ERA over 265.1 innings, and has sported a sub-3.00 ERA in three of the last four seasons.
Fairbanks mainly relies on a four-seam fastball and slider, the latter of which generated a swing-and-miss 30.8 percent of the time and allowed an opponents’ batting average of just .173 this past season. His fastball averaged 97.3 mph, which ranked in the 90th percentile in MLB last year.
Spotrac currently projects a three-year, $41.3 million deal for Fairbanks, which averages out to around $13.8 million per season. At 31 years old, he could be a staple of the back of the Dodgers bullpen for years to come.
More news: Dodgers Predicted to Be Among Most Aggressive Teams in Free Agency
Photo Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
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