Hello and welcome back to having Dodgers content to write about. We’re less than a month removed from a constant barrage of news, so it’s been nice to warm up a bit lately.
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Okay, so I guess the big news is that Blake Snell sounds as if he was back on that plan to get ready for the second half, when he revealed that his shoulder was barking all year and he barely made it through the World Series.
“Just never felt great, never felt what’s normal, I’ve felt my whole career,” Snell said during Saturday’s DodgerFest.
Some of that, he said, may have been self-inflicted.
“Last year I was in a hurry,” said Snell, aware that he had just landed the five-year, $182 million deal in free agency he had sought. “I really wanted to pitch.”
Now, Snell said, he wants to take it easy. The 33-year-old said he expects to have a more deliberate ramp-up period this spring to ensure his shoulder is back to full health.
He does say that surgery was never on the table and that he feels good, but it certainly sounds like a new rotation opening up for a while to start the season.
That could explain why they’re still struggling with pitching this season, at least in terms of depth.
Additional, Tommy Edman no longer needs a walking boot after off-season ankle surgery.
Opening day is far from finalized for the Dodgers’ utility man, who has struggled with ankle issues since arriving midseason in 2024. He and the Dodgers hope that slower progression this spring will put those ankle problems aside for good. This winter’s procedure, Edman said, included ligament repair and removal of some painful bone spurs in the ankle that had limited not only his baserunning but also his ability to bounce back and forth between the infield and outfield.
“I think it all depends on how the progression goes,” Edman said. “I’m not putting that as a hard line in the sand. I’m doing everything I can to be ready for Opening Day. But if it gets around then and my ankle is 90 percent, not quite where I need it to be, then I’m going to do my best to be patient with it and get it back to 100 percent and not worry about it again for the rest of the year.”
A similar situation in that he won’t rush it back, which likely opens up a spot for their deep guys like Hyeseong Kim And Alex Vrijland to have a tryout of sorts to see who sticks around.
In other updates we gained weight reports on River Ryan And Brusdar Graterolsomeone who added beef and another who subtracted some.
A few players showed up at Fanfest with noticeably different physiques. Starting pitcher River Ryan, a former top prospect who had to recover from all of last season Tommy John After surgery, he said he added about 30 pounds of muscle mass during his rehab process, from 195 to 225. “I can throw a lot harder, a lot easier,” he joked. Reliever Brusdar Graterol, on the other hand, has lost about 15 pounds this winter after missing all of last year recovering from shoulder surgery. Both are expected to be ready for opening day.
Whatever they feel is for the best, I think. Mass has never necessarily been a negative for a pitcher
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Speaking of pitching depth, the Dodgers added Cole Irvin on a minor league deal.
The Dodgers and LHP Cole Irvin have agreed to a Minor League deal, sources say @JustBB_Media
Irvin, 32, spent last season in KBO with the Doosan Bears, where he pitched to a 4.48 ERA in 144 2/3 IP. Over parts of six MLB seasons (593 IP), Irvin owns a 4.54 ERA.
— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) February 1, 2026
He has extensive big league experience as a starter, so it’s quality on paper. However, after a career as a command man, he experienced a loss of control over a small group until late 2024, after which he went to the KBO in 2025 and walked 79 in 144.2 innings, more than double his major league career average. Something to keep an eye on in Spring Training as they assess his legitimacy as starting depth.
Right-handed reliever Nick Robertson (27) has signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers.
Source: The #Evaders Signing RHP Nick Robertson to a minor league deal.
Robertson was in the #Astros And #Royal systems in 2025.
He has MLB experience with the Dodgers, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Cardinals. pic.twitter.com/LASbFFpLhx
— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) January 16, 2026
In 35.2 career MLB innings over two seasons with four teams, he has a 5.30 ERA and a 4.09 FIP, including 10.1 innings with the Dodgers in 2023 when he debuted. He didn’t appear in the Majors last year and stayed with AAA the entire season.
Yet another pitching addition is River Ryan’s brother Ryder Ryan on a minor league deal.
The Dodgers signed RHP Ryder Ryan to a minor league deal, sources tell The Athletic. Brother of Dodgers RHP River Ryan. Will make $800,000 if he makes it to the majors.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) January 29, 2026
Ryder is already 30 and has 21.2 innings in the majors between the Mariners and Pirates. Last year, in AAA with the Pirates, he posted a 4.73 ERA over 72.1 innings with unremarkable strikeout and walk rates. He’s around 90 mph, so it’s not necessarily an explosive arm, but maybe they see something in the slider that makes him a potential guy in the pen for them.
Overall, organizational depth is always welcome, and honestly, with this team, there’s always a decent chance they see the mound.
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Hey, remember that Kyle Tucker boy they signed? To make room for him, they assigned an outfielder Michael Sianiwho she were granted exemptions at the end of last year.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million contract. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers designated outfielder Michael Siani for assignment.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 21, 2026
The Dodgers maneuver around the margins a lot like this, trying to increase organizational depth by sneaking guys through waivers. Unfortunately it didn’t work this time because the Yankees demanded him.
Furthermore, when the Dodgers won the Andy Ibanez deal they designated Ryan Fitzgeraldwhich they claimed exemptions from Twins around the time Ibanez’s contract was reported. That pickup was also about trying to build depth in the minors, but it was successful, as was Fitzgerald later. downright to AAA.
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I can’t imagine how the players feel if this offseason seemed short, even as a fan.
#Snell #Edman #easy #add #trio #pitchers #depth #Ryan #Graterol #ready #news #Dodgers #Digest