The Dodgers got a pretty loud reminder this fall that their roster is built for now, not forever.
It started with San Diego Padres owner José E. Feliciano, whose jab at Los Angeles - "The owner of the Dodgers owns a lot of dinosaurs." - clearly landed as a shot at an aging team.
The Dodgers took it that way, even if Feliciano might have been referring to Mark Walter’s dinosaur bones. Instead, the line became fuel.
Teoscar Hernández brought it back up after the Dodgers knocked off the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, and Kiké Hernández leaned into it with a photo of himself, Max Muncy, Miguel Rojas, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman as dinosaurs.
But the Brewers exposed the other side of the joke in the NLCS. Milwaukee was the eighth-youngest team in baseball, and Los Angeles looked like a group that had been asked to carry too much for too long.
Shohei Ohtani was managing multiple injuries. Freeman had not looked like himself since early September.
Hernández had one big postseason swing left in him, then faded.
That’s the backdrop for one of the Dodgers’ biggest offseason calls: whether to bring back Kiké Hernández again.
He’s set to hit free agency for the fourth straight year, one of nine Dodgers headed there this winter. And even though a reunion has often felt inevitable, the case for moving on is stronger than it’s been in a while.
There’s no question the Dodgers value him. His teammates do, too.
Fans are attached to him. But sentiment doesn’t answer the larger roster question, and that question is whether Hernández still helps them build a team capable of winning in 2027 and beyond.
His regular season was limited to 41 games, and the postseason production was basically reduced to one moment: his homer off Chris Sale in Game 3 of the NLDS. That’s a useful memory. It’s not enough to ignore the bigger picture.
He should be inexpensive, and he may well prefer to retire before playing anywhere else. The Dodgers also don’t need to rush.
Since 2024, Hernández has signed in February, just as pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Andrew Friedman can keep him near the bottom of the priority list and still count on him to answer the phone if the Dodgers call.
For now, Los Angeles can treat Hernández as a fallback. With their resources and their clear need to get younger, though, that’s exactly what he should be: an option only after every other one has been exhausted.
In Other News...
Dodgers Fans Will Have Strong Feelings About This Massive Trade Idea
Jim Bowdens latest trade proposal is the kind of idea that gets Dodgers fans talking for all the right and wrong reasons. In his scenario, Los Angeles would send prized prospect Josue De Paula and additional pieces to Washington in exchange for outfielder James Wood and shortstop CJ Abrams, a swap built around two young Nationals stars who both earned All-Star nods last season and still come with multiple years of team control.
It is easy to see why the concept has some appeal on paper, especially with Los Angeles always looking for ways to strengthen a roster already built to contend. But it also feels like the sort of package the Dodgers would be reluctant to part with, and the articles larger point is hard to miss: even if the Nationals would be getting a significant return, this is the kind of blockbuster idea that seems more useful as debate material than as a realistic path for either side. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Could Lose Another Familiar Front Office Voice Soon
The Mariners search for a new manager has taken them well beyond their own dugout, and it could soon reach into the Dodgers front office. Seattle is casting a wide net after Dan Wilsons departure, with former big-league skipper Rocco Baldelli among the names drawing interest while he serves as a special assistant in Los Angeles. Baldellis background makes him a natural fit for a club looking for a manager with experience, especially after spending several seasons running the Twins.
Joe Espada has already interviewed for the opening, and the Mariners had previously looked into Carlos Mendoza before he landed with the Phillies. For the Dodgers, the larger issue is familiar: Baldelli has already been linked to other managerial vacancies since arriving in Los Angeles in 2025, and another successful search elsewhere would only add to the list of voices the organization could lose from its staff. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Fans Will Have Mixed Feelings About This World Series
Even with the World Series now featuring teams far from Chavez Ravine, there is still a familiar Dodgers thread running through it. Jonny DeLuca is with the Rays, Dustin May is on the Brewers, and former Dodgers such as Ryan Pepiot, Gavin Lux and Michael Grove are part of the wider picture too, which means this matchup carries a little extra intrigue for fans who have watched so many of those names come through Los Angeles.
For Dodgers supporters, it is the kind of postseason that can prompt a split reaction. There is obvious pride in seeing former players in the Fall Classic and the possibility that some of them could end up with championship rings, but there is also the strange reality of tracking ex-Dodgers on clubs that stand between Los Angeles and another title run. Mays season with Milwaukee has been uneven across the regular season and into October, adding another layer to a World Series that already feels unusually tied to the Dodgers recent past. [Read more 🡒]