The Dodgers have a lot of moving parts to sort through after nine players from the major league roster hit free agency, and not all of those spots are going to be filled by the same names. Some of those players could come back.
Plenty won’t. So if Los Angeles walks into 2027 without bringing any of them back, that’s nine openings to patch.
Start with the rotation, where the Dodgers have two starters on the open market in Skubal and Lauer. Even with those departures, this is not a thin group. In fact, Los Angeles has enough starting depth that it could absorb the losses and keep rolling.
If the Dodgers stick with a six-man rotation in 2027 - and it would be a big surprise if they didn’t - the top six could be Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Justin Wrobleski and Roki Sasaki. Behind them, Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone and Landon Knack are part of the next wave of options.
The Dodgers would certainly like to bring Skubal back. They’d also be fine if that doesn’t happen.
The bullpen picture is a little more delicate. The first three names in that group have all been important pieces of the Dodgers’ relief corps since 2021. Bubic was only a late-season addition, while Graterol hasn’t pitched since 2024.
If Los Angeles carries a seven-man bullpen in 2027 and everyone is healthy, the Opening day group could be built around those arms. The depth behind them includes right-handers Paul Gervase, Seth Halvorsen, Kyle Hurt and Bobby Miller.
Even so, the Dodgers could live without a bullpen addition. But they also know they need help there, and the clearest need is for at least one left-handed reliever this offseason.
On the position-player side, Rojas has retired and joined the Dodgers’ player development staff, which leaves Hernandez as the only true free agent in that group. Los Angeles could bring Hernandez back, but the more likely path is to get younger at the spot.
Internal replacements are already in the mix. Infielders Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim are options, and so are several top prospect outfielders, including Josue De Paula, James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard.
In Other News...
Dodgers Make Key Front Office Move With Rival Ties
The Dodgers are bringing in a familiar name from a division rival to help steer the business side of the organization, hiring Caroline Perry as their new chief operating officer effective Nov. 30. Perry arrives after 16 years with the Padres, where she was deeply involved in stadium negotiations and team sales, and she steps into a role that will be central as the club continues operating at the highest level on and off the field.
Perry replaces retiring COO Bob Wolfe, and her hiring adds another notable voice to a front office that has long prized stability and scale. She is also one of only three women serving as a chief operating officer in Major League Baseball, a distinction that underscores both the significance of the move and the broader visibility that comes with it. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Left Field Plans With Josue De Paula Arent So Simple
Josue De Paula gave the Dodgers a promising glimpse in September, when his strong Double-A season earned him a big-league debut and he held his own at the plate in limited action. For a club that is always trying to thread the needle between present contention and future planning, that kind of arrival is worth paying attention to, especially with left field still a spot where long-term answers matter.
The complication is that De Paulas bat is only part of the equation. His defensive game, especially in the outfield, remains a work in progress, and the looming MLB lockout means the Dodgers will not be able to work with him through the offseason the way they normally would. That leaves his readiness for next season a little harder to pin down, with the organization waiting to see how much of that development can happen once baseball operations resume. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Prospect Cody Morse Keeps Giving Fans A Reason To Watch
The Glendale Desert Dogs came up short in a 1-0 Arizona Fall League loss to the Scottsdale Scorpions, but there was still plenty for Dodgers followers to track. Chase Harlan collected two hits, Charles Davalan added a single and a walk, and Dodgers prospects accounted for three of Glendales five hits in a game where offense was hard to come by on both sides.
Cody Morse was part of the reason the Dodgers contingent stayed interesting anyway, turning in another scoreless outing and keeping his AFL line spotless through nine appearances. Sam Horn did not pitch in this one, but he remains part of the mix as Glendale works through the fall schedule and the organization keeps getting a closer look at which arms are separating themselves. [Read more 🡒]