usatoday
As the Milwaukee Brewers bask in their World Series triumph, the Los Angeles Dodgers' front office, led by Andrew Friedman, is bracing for an offseason filled with both opportunity and ambiguity.
The Dodgers' bid for a third consecutive championship fell short, and while federal investigations into owner Mark Walter have prompted the sale of several Guggenheim-owned sports franchises—including the Los Angeles Lakers and Chelsea FC—Friedman has indicated that the team's financial wherewithal remains intact.
“It's been business as usual for us,” Friedman remarked during the Dodgers' season-ending press conference.
Yet, “business as usual” may take on new meaning as the sport's collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on December 1. With owners pushing for a salary cap and the MLB Players Association resisting, a lockout appears increasingly likely. Should a cap be implemented by 2027, the Dodgers—with a luxury tax payroll of $384.7 million—would be among the most impacted clubs.
Regardless of how the labor situation unfolds, Friedman intends to pursue roster upgrades aggressively to position the team for another deep run in 2027.
“It's about us being as prepared as we can be, depending on what opportunities pop up and when, to be able to pounce,” he stated. “But we feel good about our jumping off point of where we are.”
Dodgers Pending Free Agents
Eight Dodgers are slated to hit free agency, excluding the recently retired Miguel Rojas. Several have been key contributors to the team's World Series runs this decade, including Alex Vesia, Kiké Hernández, Blake Treinen, and Evan Phillips.
However, no name looms larger than Tarik Skubal. The Dodgers paid a hefty price to acquire the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner from the Detroit Tigers at this year's trade deadline, but his future in Los Angeles remains uncertain. Skubal is expected to command one of the largest contracts ever for a pitcher on the open market.
The Dodgers have historically allowed rentals like Yu Darvish, Max Scherzer, and Manny Machado to depart in free agency, and Skubal might follow suit.
“I can't say enough good things about the impact he made in such a short period of time,” Friedman said. “We have a tremendous amount of respect for him on and off the field and for us, he's put himself in this position to go out and be a free agent. He and his family get to make a choice over where they want to spend the next X number of years and, obviously, we wish them nothing but the best.”
Beyond Skubal, other top arms available include Freddy Peralta, Michael King, and possibly Sonny Gray if the Red Sox decline his $30 million option. On the position-player side, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Luis Arraez, Randy Arozarena, and Seiya Suzuki headline the market, though none appear to be clear fits for the Dodgers' lineup.
Here is the full list of Dodgers free agents:
- Tarik Skubal, LHP
- Evan Phillips, RHP
- Kiké Hernández, UTIL
- Alex Vesia, LHP
- Kris Bubic, LHP
- Blake Treinen, RHP
- Brusdar Graterol, RHP
- Eric Lauer, LHP
Dodgers Trade Candidates
The other major question facing the Dodgers this offseason is the role of Josue De Paula. The 21-year-old impressed during a two-week stint in the majors filling in for Shohei Ohtani at DH, earning a spot on the postseason roster as a left-handed bat off the bench. His poise, confidence, and strike-zone discipline have shown MLB-readiness in a small sample, though his defense still requires refinement.
Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes praised De Paula's defensive progress from 2025 to 2026 and expect similar growth entering 2027.
“We've all seen what he's capable of in the box, which is incredibly exciting,” Gomes said. “With that being said, we already have a very talented core group already here. So, it's finding those opportunities but also making sure that throughout this offseason and coming into spring that he continues to improve and gets to that bar and gets to be an above average defender.”
If De Paula takes that next step, Teoscar Hernández could become a trade candidate as he enters the final year of his contract. Additionally, the Dodgers may be willing to deal some of their top prospects for immediate upgrades.
While Friedman acknowledged the farm system's importance in transitioning from an aging roster, many top prospects play the same position, potentially limiting development opportunities. Four of the Dodgers' six prospects ranked in MLB Pipeline's Top 100—De Paula, Eduardo Quintero, Mike Sirota, and Charles Davalan—are outfielders.
Friedman isn't overly concerned, noting that things tend to “sort themselves out” in the minors, with players changing positions, getting injured, falling off, or being traded.
There will be some sorting in the front office, but this wave of young talent gives Friedman hope that the Dodgers can avoid “falling off a cliff” as most veteran teams eventually do.
“That is why we have poured so much energy and focus into our farm system,” he said. “We couldn't feel more bullish on the position player core group, from A-ball through Triple-A that are coming, and obviously we've traded away a lot of really talented players also. We feel really good about our future outlook.”
Originally reported by usatoday.