The Dodgers had already added a plethora of pieces to their championship squad and established themselves as super-team villains — in part by convincing players to agree to deferred money in their contracts, a trend popularized last year by Shohei Ohtani, whose $700 million contract includes $680 million in deferrals.

The Dodgers are reportedly close to reaching agreement on a contract with Yates, who led the majors with 41 saves in 2019 and made the All-Star team with the Rangers last year.