Dodgers GM Reveals Michael Conforto’s Expected Role in 2025
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed an outfielder on the eve of the Winter Meetings, but it wasn’t the free agent fans were expecting. While many baseball fans were focused on Juan Soto signing a landmark deal with the New York Mets, Dodgers fans learned the team signed outfielder Michael Conforto in a surprising move.
While many fans have been adamant about the Dodgers re-signing Teoscar Hernández, the team chose to add Conforto to the roster on a one-year, $17 million contract. The signing gave the Dodgers the left-handed hitter/outfielder the team had been searching for.
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Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes provided more details on what the team expects from Conforto next season.
“I don’t believe Michael is now a better hitter vs. left than right,” Gomes said. “I do believe with his swing and his path that he will handle left-handers better than he has historically, and he will still maintain a very high level vs. right, especially when you look at what he did on the road and some of the under-the-hood stuff.”
Gomes also said Conforto adds an aspect of versatility since he can play either left or right field. Conforto, 31, has made 133 career starts in center field.
In 2024, Conforto hit at a .237 clip with 20 home runs, 66 runs batted in, and a .759 OPS for the San Francisco Giants. Additionally, he posted the lowest single-season walk rate of his career (8.6 percent), but also the highest full-season hard-hit rate (46.3 percent).
Conforto was selected by the New York Mets as the 10th overall pick in the 2014 MLB draft. He quickly developed into a reliable bat for the Queens organization when he made his major-league debut in July 2015. He played a pivotal part in the Mets’ playoff run, hitting a .333 average with two home runs in the 2015 World Series against the Kansas City Royals.
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Photo Credit: Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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