The two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers lost a pair of players that contributed last season after right-hander Tony Gonsolin elected free agency and catcher Ben Rortvedt was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds.
Gonsolin, 31, returned this season after not pitching in 2024 following Tommy John surgery. He went 3-2 with a 5.00 ERA in seven starts before going down with another elbow injury that required surgery.
In six active seasons with the Dodgers, the 2022 All-Star was 37-13 with a 3.34 ERA in 86 appearances (78 starts), including a 16-1 record in 2022. He was designated for assignment last week.
Rortvedt, 28, was acquired at the trade deadline as a catching insurance policy and it paid off when Will Smith went down late in the year with a broken hand. Rortvedt was solid defensively and batted .224 with a home run and four RBIs in 18 regular-season games.
He was on the Dodgers’ playoff roster for the entirety of the postseason but did not get on the field beyond the National League Division Series. In four playoff games he was 3-for-7 with an RBI. Over four seasons with four different teams, Rortvedt is a career .190 hitter with nine home runs and 52 RBIs in 227 games with four teams.
The Dodgers are expected to have Smith and Dalton Rushing at catcher next season.
