The 2027 offseason may be headed for a lockout, but Emmet Sheehan says his preparation won’t change much in the way that matters most: he plans to be ready whenever the season starts.
“I think it’s gonna be a little different,” Sheehan said of how he’ll prepare in the offseason. “Just trying to make sure you’re ready for whenever the season is gonna be. If we start on time, I’m going to be ready for that either way, but may have to make some adjustments.”
That mindset comes after a season that didn’t quite match the promise Sheehan showed in his return from Tommy John surgery in 2025. The right-hander spent most of 2026 in the Dodgers’ rotation, but the results were uneven. In 23 appearances, he finished with a 4.57 ERA and gave up 21 home runs, more than he had allowed in his MLB career before this year.
The Dodgers sent him to Triple-A at the trade deadline after Tarik Skubal arrived, and that move ended up giving Sheehan a chance to reset. In four minor league starts, he posted a 1.50 ERA and struck out 24 batters in 18 innings, good enough to earn PCL Pitcher of the Month honors for August. He came back to the big club in September and looked sharp again, allowing just one run over 17 innings across three outings.
Even with that late surge, the Dodgers left him off the postseason roster for both the NLDS and NLCS.
“We didn’t get done what we wanted to get done,” Sheehan said. “At the end of the day, dwelling on it isn’t gonna do anybody any good, so getting back to work is the most important thing right now. Getting ready for next year and to try and get it done next year.”
The path back into the Dodgers’ rotation won’t be simple. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki are all expected to have spots locked down when next season opens. If Shohei Ohtani is healthy enough to pitch again, Los Angeles could go back to a six-man rotation, which would leave one opening for Sheehan to chase.
He’s not the only one in that fight. Justin Wrobleski is also in the mix, and Gavin Stone, who spent the year injured, is part of the picture too. If Sheehan carries his late-season momentum into spring training, and if the Dodgers come up short in their pursuit of Skubal, he could be in position to claim that final rotation spot.
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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 🡒]
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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 🡒]