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Dodgers' 2025 Free Agents, Trade Targets, Offseason Guide After Winning World Series
After a regular season spent seemingly just going through the motions and never remotely living up to that preseason "juggernaut" hype, the Los Angeles Dodgers found their mojo when it mattered most, riding a dominant rotation to a second consecutive World Series win.
After surviving an epic final chapter against the Toronto Blue Jays, there are plenty of reasons to assume they will be right back on top of the mountain next year, much to the chagrin of fans of the other 29 teams.
Just about every key player from their October run will be coming back, as well as several pitchers returning from injury. And—knowing the Dodgers—there will be money to spend this winter to shore up any weak points.
What should we expect from them this offseason, though?
We'll discuss impending free agents and key options decisions before identifying areas of need and possible targets, culminating in a way-too-early projection of the Dodgers' 26-man roster when they open the 2026 campaign against the Arizona Diamondbacks a little less than five months from now.
Notable Free Agents and Contract Option Decisions
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Notable Free Agents
Frankly, none of these impending departures will be a back-breaker for the Dodgers.
Kershaw is a legend, of course. He's a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer. But over the past two years, he has been a borderline No. 4/5 starter who might have been pushed out of a job if the Dodgers had ever been anything close to fully healthy. They still have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani and Emmet Sheehan, plus the returns of Gavin Stone and River Ryan. Don't forget starter-turned-temporary-closer Roki Sasaki, either. Can't say we're concerned about the state of this rotation in 2026 sans Kershaw.
Yates and Conforto both had a rough run on one-year deals. Kopech was injured for most of the campaign. And Hernández was the definition of replacement level until October, per usual.
Rojas was the most valuable of the bunch, playing the role of Game 7 World Series legend, but he only played as much as he did because of injuries to Tommy Edman and Max Muncy. And if replacing a 36-year-old utility infielder is the Dodgers' biggest concern, what a testament that is to their likelihood of getting right back to the World Series again.
Notable Club/Player Options
It's a near certainty the Dodgers will exercise both of these options. (Though, they could trade away Muncy if they manage to sign a certain third baseman to be mentioned momentarily.)
Vesia was arguably their best reliever during the regular season, and $10M is nothing for Muncy, who remains one of the 25 or so best sluggers in baseball, when he's healthy.
If declined, both would likely get multiple-year deals with AAVs around 50 percent greater than the team-friendly price points at which the Dodgers can keep them.
Biggest Needs
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Right-Handed Relief
The Dodgers' bullpen was, as a whole, nowhere near what it should have been in 2025, given how much they invested in it. But while southpaws Tanner Scott, Jack Dreyer, Anthony Banda, Justin Wrobleski and (assuming they exercise the club option) Alex Vesia will all be back, the right-handed contingent that posted a combined 5.21 ERA needs work.
Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech are free agents. Blake Treinen was a disaster down the stretch. Evan Phillips will probably miss all of 2026 while recovering from a June Tommy John surgery. It got to the point where the list of right-handed options was so bleak that they even took a chance on Will Klein in late September, despite a 4.97 ERA in Triple-A over the past two seasons with four different teams. (And never would have won Game 3 of the World Series without him.)
Outfield
Whether they actually need to add anyone to the outfield is open to debate. With Michael Conforto about to be out of the picture, Plan A would seem to be Andy Pages in left, Tommy Edman in center and Teoscar Hernández in right with Hyeseong Kim the regular second baseman and Alex Call the reserve outfielder. Not a shabby situation, but given how poorly things went in left field in 2025, they might want to make an upgrade.
It probably doesn't need to be a long-term upgrade, though, as six of the top 10 prospects in the Dodgers' farm system are outfielders, several of whom should be ready for the big leagues by 2027. There will be talk of Kyle Tucker to the Dodgers simply because they're the Dodgers, but it'd be surprising if they go that route.
Utilityman
The Dodgers seem to always have at least one, if not two or three versatile veterans on their roster. But they gave up the ghost on Chris Taylor earlier this season, and now have both Miguel Rojas and Kiké Hernández headed for free agency, getting a bit up there in years anyway.
They do still have versatility in the form of Edman, Kim and Mookie Betts, but they're more so guys who can play anywhere than guys who will play anywhere, potentially more or less locked into their respective positions in 2026. Look for them to add at least one player who is likely to start at four different positions in any given week.
Free Agent Targets
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RHP Edwin Díaz OR RHP Robert Suarez
They technically aren't free agents yet. However, both Díaz and Suarez will likely opt out of the remaining two years of their respective five-year contracts in pursuit of more money.
With Tanner Scott already on the roster on a four-year, $72M deal, can the Dodgers justify giving perhaps the exact same offer to a second reliever?
Better question: Given how poorly things went in the ninth inning throughout this season, can they justify not doing something drastic about their bullpen/closer situation?
Buying low on Devin Williams could also be an option here.
CF Trent Grisham
If they're looking to sign a one-year solution until at least one of the outfield prospects is ready in 2027, the best option is probably just bringing back Michael Conforto at what would presumably be a discounted rate in the aftermath of his tough year.
But maybe they instead pursue a multi-year deal with a 28-year-old, two-time Gold Glove center fielder fresh off the most homer-happy season of his career, by far.
Grisham looked like a non-tender candidate one year ago, but he has quite unexpectedly become maybe the third-most coveted outfielder in this free agent class, behind only Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger.
3B Munetaka Murakami
If we've learned anything in recent offseasons, it's that when "Japanese star" and "bidding war" go hand-in-hand, you can safely assume the Dodgers will be prominently in the mix.
Murakami missed most of the current season with an injury, but still clubbed 24 home runs in just 220 ABs. He hit 223 home runs over the previous six seasons, including 56 in 2022 alone.
Even if they exercise their $10M club option to bring back 3B Max Muncy for one more year, that shouldn't deter the Dodgers from pursuing what could be their third baseman of the future.
Trade Targets
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CF Luis Robert Jr. OR LF Steven Kwan
Robert has a $20M club option for 2026, which the White Sox previously indicated they plan to exercise. He also has a $20M club option for 2027, which means he could be a two-year solution for the Dodgers if A) he performs admirably in 2026 and B) the crop of outfield prospects would all benefit from opening 2027 still in the minors.
Meanwhile, Kwan has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining, at a combined cost that figures to be in the vicinity of $20M-$25M.
Between that lower cost and the fact that he has been more valuable/consistent than Robert in recent years, got to think the prospect haul to acquire Kwan would be considerably greater than what it would take to get Robert. But both could be on the trade block this winter.
UTIL José Caballero
In a three-year career already spread across three different teams, Caballero has played basically everywhere while stealing well over 100 bases.
He's no power hitter, but he provides good value with his speed and versatility. Why both Seattle and Tampa Bay were content to get rid of him, goodness only knows. But he has four years of arbitration eligibility remaining and fits the super-utility role that Los Angeles loves on its roster.
RHP Pete Fairbanks
With 75 saves and a 3.02 ERA over the past three seasons, Fairbanks has been worth every single penny of that three-year, $12M extension he signed with Tampa Bay in January 2023.
There's also a $12.5M club option in that contract for 2026, and we all know how the Rays feel about spending that type of money, least of all for a relief pitcher.
Chances are they will exercise the option and then put him on the trade block, where the Dodgers could find a much-needed right-handed reliever.
Projected 2026 Opening Day Roster
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Starting Lineup
DH/RHP Shohei Ohtani
SS Mookie Betts
1B Freddie Freeman
RF Teoscar Hernández
C Will Smith
3B Max Muncy
LF Andy Pages
CF Tommy Edman
2B Hyeseong Kim
Bench
C Dalton Rushing
OF Alex Call
3B Munetaka Murakami
UTIL José Caballero
Starting Rotation
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto
LHP Blake Snell
RHP Tyler Glasnow
RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani
RHP Roki Sasaki
Bullpen
RHP Pete Fairbanks
RHP Edwin Diaz
LHP Tanner Scott
LHP Jack Dreyer
LHP Anthony Banda
LHP Alex Vesia
RHP Blake Treinen
RHP Ben Casparius
RHP Brock Stewart
The Dodgers had one of the highest-scoring offenses once again this season, and the vast majority of it remains under contract through 2026. Hard to bet against them in the pursuit of Murakami, but it might otherwise be a quiet offseason as far as Los Angeles' position players go.
At least one, possibly two significant splashes in the bullpen are bound to happen, though. And the debate over whether Gavin Stone, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan or someone else deserves the fifth spot in the rotation should be a fun one.
Regardless of where they land on that front heading into Opening Day, it's already looking like the Dodgers will once again enter next season as the singular World Series favorite.
