Mookie Betts has already given the Dodgers enough reason to pause before they start shopping for a new shortstop.
After a career-worst 2025, Betts scuffled through the first half of this season before catching fire late and finishing with a 114 wRC+ and 3.7 fWAR. That’s useful production for almost anyone else, but for a player making more than $30 million a year, it still lands in the realm of merely solid. Even so, it feels early to treat the shortstop spot like a problem that needs solving.
Betts is still holding up well defensively, too. He posted 7 Defensive Runs Saved in 2026, a strong number for a player who used to be known primarily as an elite outfielder. And at the plate, few middle infielders can match his track record.
Still, Bleacher Report floated a bold offseason idea: the Dodgers should go after Angels shortstop Zach Neto.
On paper, Neto checks a lot of boxes. He’s 25, has three years of team control left, and is entering his second year of arbitration with a projected 2027 salary of $9.8 million.
That would keep him outside the Dodgers’ top 10 in salary if he wound up in Los Angeles. He’s also been worth more than 5.0 bWAR in each of the past three seasons, and while the strikeouts are a real part of his profile - a 30.5% strikeout rate - the production is hard to ignore.
Add in a career 35 DRS, and there’s enough glove there to justify a move away from Betts if the Dodgers wanted to go that route.
The problem is getting him.
The Angels are not eager to deal with the Dodgers, and that figure to remain true under new owner Stan Kroenke. Even if talks got serious, the asking price would be enormous. Bleacher Report’s suggested package includes Justin Wrobleski, Dalton Rushing, and Roki Sasaki.
That’s a deal the Dodgers could technically pull off, but it would be a heavy price to pay for a player who will soon need a pricey extension and may not fit cleanly on the roster. Betts has shown he’ll do whatever it takes to help the team win, but unless he - or Max Muncy at third base - is willing to move again, Neto looks more like a dream scenario than a realistic offseason target.
In Other News...
Former Dodgers All-Star Is Still Fighting To Stick Elsewhere
Tony Gonsolins path back to a stable big league job has taken another turn, and for Dodgers fans it is a familiar name in a new place. The right-hander, who spent 2019 through 2025 with Los Angeles and was part of the clubs 2020 World Series run, landed with the Royals in August after signing while coming back from right elbow surgery.
Kansas City has now exercised its club option for the 2027 season, keeping Gonsolin on the roster with a $2.5 million salary. It is another sign that the Royals still see something worth holding onto in a pitcher whose recent seasons have been interrupted by injuries, even after the Dodgers moved on from him following the 2025 season. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Come Up Empty In Two Gold Glove Races
Max Muncy and Andy Pages gave the Dodgers a little late-season Gold Glove intrigue, but the club came up empty in both of its finalist races. Muncy was among the finalists at third base and Pages was in the mix in center field, a sign that Los Angeles had at least two defenders drawing real league-wide respect heading into the awards.
Alex Bregman took the honor at third base, while Pete Crow-Armstrong won in center field after the voting from MLB managers and coaches was combined with the SABR Defensive Index. For the Dodgers, it was a reminder that even when the defense looks strong enough to earn a seat at the table, the final verdict can still go another way. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Face A Freddie Freeman Decision Fans May Not Like
Freddie Freeman has been one of the defining pieces of the Dodgers run over the past five years, a steady presence who brought All-Star production and championship pedigree to the middle of the lineup. But as he enters the final year of his contract at 37, the conversation around him is shifting from what he has meant to the club to what comes next for a team that has to keep balancing present-day contention with an aging roster.
The Dodgers have already shown they are willing to think ahead, and the next step may involve leaning more heavily on younger talent from a farm system that has given them real options. Freemans decline in power, speed and defense makes the decision more complicated, because this is not just about sentiment or legacy, but about how long the Dodgers can keep one of their most trusted veterans at the center of their plans. [Read more 🡒]