Freddie Freeman has already done enough in Los Angeles to earn a permanent place in Dodgers history. Five All-Star nods in five seasons.
Two top-five MVP finishes. Two championships.
A World Series MVP award. That’s not just a good run - that’s a franchise-defining stretch, the kind that puts a player squarely in the “franchise great” conversation.
But the Dodgers are staring at a tougher question now, and it has nothing to do with what Freeman has meant to them. It’s about what comes next.
Freeman is 37, and last season looked a lot more human than the ones that came before it. He still posted a 120 wRC+, which is nothing to dismiss, but the rest of the profile kept sliding the wrong way.
His power dipped to 16 homers. His speed fell to seven steals.
His defense checked in at -2 Defensive Runs Saved. The result was a 2.6 fWAR mark, his lowest since 2012.
That matters because the contract clock is ticking. Freeman is entering the final year of his deal, with $27 million owed in 2027.
After that, he’d hit free agency again at 38. That’s the point where the Dodgers have to decide whether sentiment is clouding the bigger picture.
And the bigger picture is pretty clear: this roster is old.
The warning signs were laid bare by the Brewers in the NLCS, when a younger, more athletic club exposed the Dodgers’ aging core. That’s the backdrop for any discussion about Freeman’s future.
Extending him for two more years beyond 2027 would line up with his stated desire to “play until he's 40,” and it wouldn’t be outrageous if he were willing to take a lower AAV than the $24.7 million he’s making now. But even that wouldn’t answer the larger problem facing the team.
The Dodgers’ current core is built around veterans, not youth. Kyle Tucker, who turns 30 in January, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who recently turned 28, are the youngest players in that long-term group. Hyeseong Kim is the only other under-30 player on the roster owed guaranteed money in 2027.
That’s a lot of age to carry, even for a team as talented as this one. The Dodgers can still be dangerous with this group.
They could still chase more titles before the whole thing starts to crack. But that doesn’t change the reality that Father Time catches everybody.
There is younger talent in the organization. Andy Pages, Dalton Rushing, and Roki Sasaki are all 25 years old, with Sasaki set to turn 25 in the first week of November. The farm system also gives the Dodgers more options, with under-25 players close to the majors such as Josue De Paula and Mike Sirota.
That’s why the concern around a Freeman extension goes beyond one player. It would read like a decision to keep leaning into the aging core instead of making room for the next wave. And for the Dodgers, that’s the real tension now: honoring a legend without letting that loyalty steer them away from the future.
In Other News...
Former Dodgers All-Star Is Still Fighting To Stick Elsewhere
Tony Gonsolins path back to a stable big league job has taken another turn, and for Dodgers fans it is a familiar name in a new place. The right-hander, who spent 2019 through 2025 with Los Angeles and was part of the clubs 2020 World Series run, landed with the Royals in August after signing while coming back from right elbow surgery.
Kansas City has now exercised its club option for the 2027 season, keeping Gonsolin on the roster with a $2.5 million salary. It is another sign that the Royals still see something worth holding onto in a pitcher whose recent seasons have been interrupted by injuries, even after the Dodgers moved on from him following the 2025 season. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Come Up Empty In Two Gold Glove Races
Max Muncy and Andy Pages gave the Dodgers a little late-season Gold Glove intrigue, but the club came up empty in both of its finalist races. Muncy was among the finalists at third base and Pages was in the mix in center field, a sign that Los Angeles had at least two defenders drawing real league-wide respect heading into the awards.
Alex Bregman took the honor at third base, while Pete Crow-Armstrong won in center field after the voting from MLB managers and coaches was combined with the SABR Defensive Index. For the Dodgers, it was a reminder that even when the defense looks strong enough to earn a seat at the table, the final verdict can still go another way. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Stability Faces A New Test Behind The Scenes
The Dodgers are preparing for another significant behind-the-scenes change, with executive vice president and chief operating officer Bob Wolfe set to retire at the end of 2026 before moving into an advisory role. Wolfe has been part of the organization since 2012, and his long run with the club has made him one of the more steady hands in the business side of a franchise that has built a reputation for consistency.
Wolfes departure matters because he has worked closely with team president and CEO Stan Kasten for years, including across multiple sports organizations, giving the Dodgers a familiar voice in a role that touches so much of the operation. The transition gives the club time to plan, but it also marks the end of a long-running partnership that has helped shape the organizations day-to-day stability. [Read more 🡒]