The Dodgers came up short in their bid for a third straight World Series crown, getting swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. They’ll have their entire starting lineup back next season, but the work ahead is obvious on the pitching side.
Tarik Skubal sits at the center of everything, and Los Angeles should do whatever it takes to keep its ace starter in the fold. But if the Dodgers want another real shot at getting back to the top, they need more than one big arm. Three other free-agent targets stand out.
One of the most appealing bullpen options is Adrian Morejon, the Padres’ left-handed setup man. The Dodgers already have major money tied up in Edwin Diaz and Tanner Scott, yet their relief group still needs more stability.
Morejon would give them exactly that. He turns 28 before next season and just turned in a 2.83 ERA with 107 strikeouts in 86 innings.
Those are frontline bullpen numbers, and pairing him with Diaz and Scott would give Los Angeles a nasty late-inning trio in 2027. The catch is that San Diego could extend the qualifying offer, which would force any team signing him to surrender a compensatory draft pick.
The Dodgers also need to make sure Alex Vesia doesn’t go anywhere. The left-hander is set to hit free agency this winter, and he has been a key part of the bullpen since arriving in Los Angeles in 2021.
This year, Vesia posted a 2.64 ERA, 161 ERA+, 1.07 WHIP, 3.10 FIP, 74 strikeouts and a 1.5 bWAR over 72 appearances and 58 innings. The one issue is the walks - he allowed 5.0 BB/9 in 2026 - but his value is still clear.
For a team trying to reload for another title run, bringing him back should be a priority.
There’s also a starting-rotation move worth making in Clay Holmes. The former reliever turned starter is expected to opt out of his deal and test free agency this offseason, and he gives the Dodgers another layer of protection beyond Skubal.
Holmes was excellent with the New York Mets before a broken leg in May sidelined him for three months. After returning from the IL, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs at the deadline.
He finished with a 4.25 ERA in nine starts for Chicago, and his calling card is obvious: he gets ground balls at an elite rate, ranking in the 99th percentile. With strong defense up the middle, the Dodgers would be a natural fit, and Holmes would help buffer a rotation that took plenty of hits from injuries in 2026.
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Dodgers Lose Familiar Catching Depth As Roster Picture Gets Murkier
Ben Rortvedt is back on the market after electing free agency following the 2026 season, another small but notable shift in the Dodgers catching picture. The 27-year-old had been brought back at the trade deadline to help cover for injured players, and he appeared in 16 major league games for Los Angeles after previously spending time with the club in late 2025.
For a Dodgers team that has leaned on familiar depth pieces when the roster has thinned, Rortvedts departure leaves one less experienced option in the mix. He had already bounced through the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets organizations before returning to Los Angeles, and now the Dodgers will have to sort through a catching situation that feels a little less settled heading into the next stretch of roster planning. [Read more 🡒]
Max Muncy Sums Up The Dodgers Collapse In One Painful Reality
The Dodgers walked into the offseason carrying the sting of a playoff run that never quite broke their way. Swept by the Brewers in the National League Championship Series, Los Angeles saw its bid for a three-peat end in a series that turned especially frustrating because the club led in all four games but could not make those advantages stick, with the offense repeatedly coming up short in key spots.
Max Muncy was among the voices trying to make sense of it afterward, and his comments reflected how heavy the disappointment felt inside the clubhouse. He pointed to the grind of multiple long seasons as part of the reality the team has been living with, a reminder that even for a roster built to contend every year, the physical and mental toll can pile up when October ends in the kind of abrupt, painful fashion the Dodgers just endured. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Face A Massive Tarik Skubal Decision After His Latest Silence
The Dodgers season ended in abrupt fashion with a sweep by the Brewers in the National League Championship Series, and now the attention has already shifted to what comes next. Tarik Skubal, who was acquired before the trade deadline, was among the names naturally tied to the clubs future as the offseason began, especially with Los Angeles looking at another winter of important roster decisions.
Skubal did praise the Dodgers organization and his teammates after the loss, but he did not address where he plans to pitch next season. His contract situation is still unresolved, and with a significant deal expected to be on the table this winter, the silence leaves one of the Dodgers biggest questions hanging over an already painful exit. [Read more 🡒]