The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t exactly rivals, but their relationship in recent offseasons has been competitive.
The Dodgers and Red Sox have battled for multiple of the same free agents and LA usually emerges the victor. It signed Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernández, Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, and most recently, Kirby Yates, from under Boston’s feet.
The Red Sox aren’t exactly known for making serious, competitive offers lately, so maybe it’s wrong to portray the Dodgers as the villains here. But their contract for Yates is so excessive, particularly compared to the reliever’s former earnings, that there’s no chance Boston would’ve come close to it.
LA signed Yates to a one-year, $13 million deal with bonuses that could net him up to $14 million. The reliever made just $4.5 million in his 2024 season with the Rangers.
Red Sox never would’ve met Dodgers’ contract offer to Kirby Yates — and they probably shouldn’t have
Right-handed reliever Kirby Yates and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a one-year, $13 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Can get up to $14M with 55 games. Deal is done. The Dodgers’ bullpen gets even stronger. First on Yates’ physical being passed was @Feinsand.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 29, 2025
Granted, Yates posted an outstanding year with Texas, which is definitely worthy of a pay raise. He logged a 1.17 ERA with 85 strikeouts, 28 walks and 33 saves over 61.2 innings. Yates earned his second All-Star nod for his work in one of the best seasons of his career, during which he’s posted solid numbers — 3.17 ERA with 571 strikeouts, 164 walks and 95 saves over 411.1 innings.
Yates will be 38 years old on Opening Day, and paying veteran players isn’t Boston’s cup of tea, but giving $13 million to a pitcher of Yates’ age is risky. He’s posted four seasons of less than 50 innings in his 10-year career, discounting the shortened 2020 campaign, and injury concerns only increase as players age.
While the Red Sox need bullpen reinforcements, a pay raise of nearly a million dollars for a 38-year-old pitcher is a tough sell. There’s no denying that Boston needs to do a better job of meeting the market for free agents. but beating LA for Yates would’ve been the wrong place to start.
