The Dodgers’ offseason is already taking shape around a simple reality: a lot of familiar names may not be back.
Los Angeles has nine free agents on the board, and there are no guarantees attached to any of them. That means the Dodgers are staring at a roster with several open spots, including places that were filled by two starting pitchers, position players, and four of five bullpen arms during the run that helped get LA to the National League Championship Series.
If those departures stick, the Dodgers will need a new wave of replacements. One name already being floated as a fit is Gold Glove utility man, who was predicted to sign with LA this offseason as the club looks ahead to life without Kiké Hernandez.
The idea is straightforward: if Hernandez moves on, the Dodgers could turn to a player who can handle just about anywhere on the field. Over the course of his career, he has played every position except catcher.
There’s also one free agent the Dodgers are being urged to prioritize keeping. Dodgers On SI identified one of the nine as a player LA should bring back for the 2027 campaign, and that player made his own feelings clear after the season with a message to fans before free agency.
“By far the hardest year of my career. It’s hard to put into words what this season was like,” he wrote via Instagram.
“Personal battles with confidence, expectations and highs and lows mentally. I can’t thank my teammates enough for picking me up on down days and dealing with my crazy ass on my high ones.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but I do want to say thank you to Dodger Nation for showing me so much love over the past six years, especially this year. I’m just a man on a mission!”
The Dodgers’ free-agent picture doesn’t stop with their own roster, either. The market around MLB matters here, too, and one projection has LA landing a Gold Glove utility man while another has a Dodgers All-Star free agent headed toward a two-year, $18 million deal.
There’s also the bigger financial backdrop to watch. MLB’s impending lockout could affect the Dodgers’ spending and future, adding another layer to an offseason that already has plenty of moving parts.
And while the roster churn is front and center, the Dodgers have also taken some recognition elsewhere. Shohei Ohtani and Max Muncy were named finalists for the 2026 NL Silver Slugger Award, and the Dodgers were also finalists for NL Offensive Team of the Year.
Muncy is up at NL third base alongside Alex Bregman, while Ohtani is a finalist at DH. Winners will be announced November 17.
For now, though, the biggest question remains the same: who stays, who goes, and which of those nine free agents ends up defining the Dodgers’ next move?
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Dodgers Fans Have A New Prospect Debate With A Fall Stars Twist
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Now the debate shifts to who should join them, with fans voting on one more National League spot from a pool that includes Dodgers prospects Eduardo Quintero and Charles Davalan, along with Padres infielder Justin DeCriscio. For a player development system that has already put two names on the roster, the final choice adds a little extra intrigue for Dodgers followers who have been tracking the fall circuit closely. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Could Be Near A Tough Kik Hernndez Decision
Kik Hernndez has been one of the more familiar October pieces in the Dodgers recent run, a utility presence who has shown up in postseason after postseason since 2015 and given the club flexibility all over the diamond. Even with that track record, the offseason always has a way of forcing uncomfortable choices, and Hernndezs status is now part of that familiar roster churn as Los Angeles weighs how to reshape its bench and defensive depth.
One name that has surfaced in that conversation is Mauricio Dubon, the versatile defender most recently with the Atlanta Braves. Dubon would likely come at a higher salary, which only adds to the calculus for a Dodgers front office trying to balance value with familiarity, and while a move away from Hernndez looks increasingly possible, it is not yet official. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Could Lose A Bullpen Weapon To A Familiar Rival
The Dodgers have already made one major bullpen splash by landing Edwin Daz, and they are not likely to stop there as they keep looking for ways to deepen a roster built to chase another title. With Tarik Skubal expected to be a major winter target, Los Angeles is also being linked to a more immediate relief-market possibility in Padres left-hander Adrin Morejn, a pitcher who has quietly become one of the more interesting names in the division.
Morejn has been extended a qualifying offer by San Diego and has until November 17 to decide whether to take it or test free agency, which leaves the door open for a familiar rival to make a run at him. For the Dodgers, the appeal is obvious: pairing Morejn with Daz would give them another high-end bullpen look, while also turning a Padres weapon into part of the same late-inning mix that has long frustrated opponents in the National League West. [Read more 🡒]