December 10: The Dodgers officially announced the signing of Conforto today.
December 8: The Dodgers signed a left-handed hitting outfielder tonight in the form of Scott Boras. No, not that. Shortly before the Mets signed Juan Soto Under a Seismic contract, the Dodgers agreed to Michael Confortoaccording to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. According to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, Conforto’s contract with Los Angeles is for one year and is worth $17MM. Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reported that the deal includes deferred payments and an $8.5MM signing bonus.
Conforto, who turns 32 in March, was selected by the Mets with the 10th overall pick in the 2014 draft and became an impact bat with the club early in his career. In his first six seasons as a major leaguer, Conforto slashed an incredible .259/.358/.484 with a 128 wRC+. Hit 118 home runs and established himself as one of the best players in the league.
Unfortunately, however, Conforto was plagued by shoulder issues early in his career, which came to a head after a poor 2021 season (104 wRC+). Conforto declined a qualifying offer and entered free agency for a lucrative payday, but required surgery during the 2021-22 lockout and was ultimately not signed for the 2022 season while recuperating.
Despite missing the entire 2022 season, Conforto signed a strong two-year, $360,000 contract with the Giants, eight months into former general manager Farhan Zaidi’s contract. One of the contracts that includes an opt-out contract. Conforto posted a league-average 99 wRC+ in his first year with the Giants before opting out of the $18MM owed him in 2024.
Conforto improved his wRC+ to 112 games in 2024, including a 137-game surge in the final two months of the season. He displays a reverse platoon split, hitting lefties more than righties. He also posted a 133 wRC+ at Oracle Park, a venue known for squelching offense.
In two years, Conforto has become a giant, and the offense at Oracle Park is the second-worst park in baseball, behind only T-Mobile Park in Seattle. Meanwhile, Dodger Stadium’s offensive performance is close to league average, ranking 17th among the major leagues’ best ballparks.
While the Dodgers are certainly hoping Conforto can show closer to the form he showed with them in his 20s this year in New York, even the 105 wRC+ he’s provided over the past three seasons will help strengthen the club. A lackluster outfield combination. Last year, Dodgers outfielders had a combined wRC+ of just 101. Teoscar Hernandez and Mookie Bates. However, Hernandez is currently a free agent, and while The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports the Dodgers are still interested in him even after signing Conforto, there’s no guarantee he’ll be available Donning a Dodgers uniform in 2025. Tommy Edelman, James Altmanand Andy Pages next season. Pages’ 100 wRC+ leads that trio in 2024, and even with Conforto’s relatively mediocre performance, it’s a huge improvement over Outman’s horrific 54 wRC+ in 53 games last year.
With the addition of Conforto, RosterResource projects the Dodgers’ 2025 payroll will be $326MM, which would exactly match their 2024 payroll, although that projection doesn’t take into account deferred funds. Regardless, that won’t stop president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and his front office from getting through the winter. All signs point to the Dodgers being willing and able to increase their payroll well beyond last year’s numbers in order to find the right players, which is certainly a relief to fans considering the number of openings remaining on the roster. Even when working with Blake Trenin Earlier tonight, they would benefit either from re-signing Hernandez or adding another bat to their lineup, and at least they seemed likely to go with Clayton Kershaw Enhanced spin even after landing Blake Snell last month.
