The Dodgers may be heading toward a familiar kind of offseason change: swapping out one of their most trusted October pieces for a player who can cover just about every inch of the diamond.
Kiké Hernández has been part of 10 Dodgers postseasons since 2015, and there’s no denying what he’s meant in those runs. He owns a career OPS of .706, but that number jumps to .806 in his decade of October work with Los Angeles. He’s been a key part of the club’s last three championships and has appeared in six total postseason runs since 2017.
Even at 35, Hernández remains a defensive oddity. He has logged at least 71 games at every infield spot except catcher and pitcher, and he’s also spent plenty of time in the outfield. He even has 11 career relief appearances, though that comes with an ERA of 11.45.
Still, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller sees the Dodgers taking a different path as they reshape the roster this offseason. His prediction has Los Angeles signing Mauricio Dubon, the two-time Gold Glove winner who would effectively step into Hernández’s utility role.
Dubon’s appeal is obvious. His defensive versatility mirrors what Hernández has provided off the bench, and he would also help solve the second-base issue that showed up at various points this season.
The money side of it is part of the picture, too. Hernández finished the 2026 season on a one-year, $4.5 million deal, while Dubon played on a $6.1 million salary to avoid arbitration. Spotrac projects Dubon’s market value at about $11.4 million per year, though former general manager and current MLB insider Jim Bowden believes he could land at $8 million annually.
Dubon is coming off what might be his strongest season yet. He hit .276 with a .719 OPS, posted a 2.7 bWAR that tied his career high, and missed only nine games. For a Dodgers club that was banged up at several points in 2026, that kind of durability stands out.
Over eight MLB seasons, Dubon has made at least 18 appearances at every position except pitcher and catcher.
Hernández could still be back in 2027 on a team-friendly deal if the Dodgers go after Dubon, but the more likely outcome appears to be Los Angeles moving on while trying to get younger. Dubon, at least on paper, looks like the kind of replacement that fits.
In Other News...
Former Dodgers Catcher Is Headed To A Rival Organization
AJ Ellis has been part of the Dodgers extended baseball family for years, so his next move will be one more familiar face leaving the West Coast orbit. The former longtime Dodgers catcher, now a Padres special assistant, is reportedly headed to the Mets as a major league strategy coordinator in 2027, a reminder of how often front-office and player-development jobs shuffle across rival clubs even when the playing days are long over.
For the Dodgers, it comes amid a busy stretch of roster churn and prospect activity. The club has 13 players who elected minor league free agency, including several with major league experience, while Chase Harlan, Brooks Auger and Luke Fox are all getting work in the Arizona Fall League. Harlan and Auger have also been selected for the Fall Stars Game, giving the organization a few notable names to track even as one of its former catchers prepares for a new role elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Likely Moving On As Ex-Deadline Pickup Faces Tough Market
Kris Bubics brief run with the Dodgers late in the 2026 season gave the club another left-handed arm to lean on down the stretch, and his inclusion on the postseason rosters suggested there was still some belief in what he could offer. After arriving as a deadline pickup, he made five appearances and now hits free agency with his next landing spot still very much in question.
ESPNs Kiley McDaniel sees a market that may not stretch far, projecting a one- or two-year deal worth around $18 million. The bigger issue is role, since teams will have to decide whether Bubic fits better as a starter or a reliever after the injury history that has complicated his value and left his free-agent outlook a little murky. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Hitting Shakeup Raises Bigger Questions Than Fans Expected
The Dodgers have moved on from hitting coach Aaron Bates after the two sides could not agree on contract terms, a development that came after the club had initially put a multiyear deal on the table. It is a notable shift for a team that has spent the past several months trying to sort through an offense that never quite found its footing in the second half and then sputtered again in the postseason.
What makes the change even more interesting is what has not followed it. Los Angeles has not said how it plans to fill the opening, and there has been no indication yet that co-hitting coach Robert Van Scyocs role will change. For a lineup built to produce at a high level, the Dodgers now face a familiar offseason question: whether this is a one-person adjustment or the start of a broader reset. [Read more 🡒]