The Dodgers are heading into an offseason of adjustment, and that means some familiar names may not be back when the dust settles.
After falling short of a third straight World Series title, Los Angeles is looking to retool rather than stand pat. The roster that helped the Dodgers become the sport’s most successful franchise since the turn of the decade - with three World Series titles - finally showed wear in the four-game sweep by the Milwaukee Brewers. The club will keep most of its core in 2027, but there’s a clear push coming to get younger and add some fresh energy.
That reality makes it tough to keep everyone. A few important free agents appear especially likely to move on, starting with Tarik Skubal.
There is at least a chance the Dodgers try to bring him back, and the report says he would love to return to Los Angeles this offseason. But the safer bet is the field in the Skubal sweepstakes, especially with so many teams needing him more than the Dodgers do.
Los Angeles will still be in the mix for one of baseball’s elite pitchers, and Skubal is only turning 30 this offseason. Even so, the Dodgers already have an inflated payroll, and possible salary restrictions in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement could make things even trickier.
If the bidding gets aggressive, it would not be a shock to see the Dodgers lose out. Skubal may want to stay in LA, but he could wind up going wherever the money leads.
Eric Lauer also looks like a likely departure after a season that changed the conversation around him. The question of where the 2026 Dodgers would have been without him wasn’t one anyone expected to ask in spring, but it became a real one by the end of the year.
Los Angeles picked him up from the Toronto Blue Jays in mid-May while injuries hit the rotation, and Lauer responded with a strong run after being designated for assignment by Toronto. He went 5-0 with a 2.96 ERA in his first nine appearances for the Dodgers, and all nine of those games were wins for Los Angeles.
Lauer ended the season on the injured list, and now he’s headed for free agency. After that kind of revival, he should have a solid market, and the Dodgers are expected to lose him to a team looking for a middle-of-the-rotation starter.
Then there’s Blake Treinen, a bullpen mainstay who has been part of the Dodgers since 2020 and helped them win three World Series titles. He delivered some of the biggest outs in the 2024 World Series, and his place in Dodgers history is secure.
But the injuries have piled up, especially in his shoulder. Treinen hurt that shoulder again in the Dodgers’ final regular-season series, and his future is now uncertain. He is 38, retirement is a possibility, and at this point it’s difficult to picture him back in Los Angeles next season.
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Eric Longenhagen has pointed to Davalans versatility as one of his selling points, and the new look only adds to the sense that the Dodgers may be exploring a path that keeps his bat moving while broadening his defensive value. Longenhagen has projected him as an everyday player who could handle both second base and left field, with a possible major league role by 2028, and this fall assignment gives the club a chance to see whether that kind of flexibility can become part of the roster puzzle. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Have Two Rotation Fallbacks If Tarik Skubal Gets Away
The Dodgers are expected to chase Tarik Skubal if he reaches free agency, but they are not likely to sit around with only one name on the board. As the winter market takes shape, Los Angeles is already being linked to a pair of rotation alternatives in Freddy Peralta and Michael King, giving the club some insulation if the top target proves too expensive or simply lands elsewhere.
Peraltas season was uneven after splitting time between the Mets and Rays, though he finished on a better note with a strong September and postseason run. King, meanwhile, declined his player option after a strong October and brings the added familiarity of having pitched for the Padres, which only adds to the sense that the Dodgers will have several paths to choose from if their preferred ace slips away. [Read more 🡒]