Los Angeles Dodgers 2025-26 Offseason Wishlist

As if the Los Angeles Dodgers weren’t already public enemy No. 1, thanks to their starry embarrassment of riches and continuous player development, they just captured their second World Series title in as many years, and their third since the start of the decade. 

In 2024, they got the job done in New York. In 2025, they got it done in Toronto following an epic Game 7, cementing what many believe to be the greatest World Series ever.

The Dodgers have already secured themselves as one of the great dynasties of the last 50 years, and in 2026, much of their core remains intact. 

World Series MVP, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, enters year three of a long-term deal, and back-to-back National League MVP, Shohei Ohtani, also enters year three of his heavily deferred $700 million deal.

Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaski, Emmett Sheehan return on the mound for the Dodgers, just as Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy, Will Smith, Tommy Edman, Andy Pages, and more do in the field and in the lineup. 

BetMGM Sportsbook has already installed the Dodgers as the 2026 favorites, and pretty big ones at that, claiming +350 odds, with the Yankees holding the next shortest price at +750. 

The Dodgers have already become the first MLB team to win back-to-back rings since the Yankees in 1999-2000, and they will look to be the first to three-peat since those same Yankees from 1998-2000. 

The roster is deep, expensive, and battle-tested. But even dynasties need maintenance. And for the Dodgers, the 2025-26 offseason presents a unique challenge: replacing/re-signing depth pieces without disrupting the machine that has carried them to consecutive titles.

Let’s take stock.

Dodgers 2026 Free Agents

The Dodgers enter the offseason with a cluster of veterans hitting the open market:

• Michael Conforto
• Kirby Yates
• Evan Phillips
• Miguel Rojas
• Michael Kopech
• Enrique Hernández
• Tony Gonsolin
• Andrew Heaney

The team has already exercised Max Muncy’s $10 million option and Alex Vesia’s $3.55 million option. And, of course, the franchise officially closes the book on one of the greatest careers in MLB history: Clayton Kershaw has retired, ending a run that included an MVP, three Cy Youngs, three World Series rings, and a legacy that will carry him straight to Cooperstown.

Miguel Rojas & Enrique Hernández

Rojas and Hernandez are special cases and covered in depth in Do the Dodgers Bring Back Either of Their Postseason Heroes?.

Rojas crushed left-handed pitching (143 wRC+), played plus defense at second base and hit the most important home run of the Dodgers’ season: a game-tying, two-strike blast in the ninth inning of Game 7 that saved their World Series hopes. He wants one more year. The Dodgers can easily justify giving it to him.

Enrique Hernández is a franchise legend, an October performer, and a beloved clubhouse presence, but also a declining everyday player coming off elbow surgery with a 70 wRC+ in 2025. The Dodgers may give him a conversation, but unlike Rojas, a reunion is far from assured.

Michael Conforto

It’s safe to say the Michael Conforto experiment did not work out in LA, which is unfortunate given the Dodgers’ historic ability to correct and resurrect hitters.

Despite an incredibly long and forgiving leash, Conforto delivered one of the worst offensive seasons of any everyday player in MLB, struggled defensively, and was left off the postseason roster. With outfield needs looming large, it’s almost a certainty he will not return.

Kirby Yates

The Dodgers took a calculated risk last winter thinking they could squeeze one more high-leverage season out of Yates. It didn’t work. Il stints kept him out of rhythm, and he ultimately pitched his way out of trust by midseason and isn’t expected back.

Evan Phillips

Once a pillar of the bullpen, Phillips threw just 5 2/3 innings in 2025 before Tommy John surgery. He was non-tendered and won’t pitch in 2026. A reunion down the road is possible, but not this season.

Andrew Heaney

A veteran depth arm, the Dodgers signed Andrew Heaney for a second stint on September 1. He didn’t make the postseason roster, and the rotation is too crowded to justify re-signing him.

Michael Kopech

That electric fastball is awesome when he’s on the field, but after proving to be an awesome trade deadline pickup in 2024, Kopech could hardly stay on the field in 2025 and dealt with consistent erratic command when on the field. Re-signing Kopech does not appear to be top of mind for the Dodgers entering 2026.

Shortly after capturing the Commissioner’s Trophy, the Dodgers removed Tony Gonsolin, World Series defensive hero Justin Dean, and Michael Grove from the 40-man roster.

It’s sad to see Gonsolin go out like this after an injury-riddled decline in LA, but it doesn’t mean he can’t regain health and success somewhere else. 

Their arbitration class is small: Brusdar Graterol, Anthony Banda, Brock Stewart, and Alex Call, and we will have to wait until Arbitration hearings take place on January 9 to understand what their situations look like.

Several injured pitchers are returning in 2026, further tightening roster space. The Dodgers used every ounce of pitching depth in 2025, but surplus is still surplus, which leads to a crucial offseason question:

Should the Dodgers trade from their pitching well?

Names likely to be discussed include:

• Emmet Sheehan (2.82 ERA, four years of control)
  
• Gavin Stone (coming off shoulder surgery but highly regarded following a stellar rookie campaign in 2024)
  
• River Ryan (explosive stuff, rehabbing from Tommy John)
  

As Dodgers Way recently noted, these pitchers are extremely attractive trade pieces because the MLB rotation is stacked: Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow, Ohtani, and Sasaki. The Dodgers will have to figure out how to deploy all of them, or move one or a couple via trade.

Top Offseason Priorities

1. Add an Impact Outfielder

The outfield picture is complicated:

• Teoscar Hernández regressed at the plate and in the outfield, but still delivered clutch hitting and is an offensive bounce-back candidate in 2026, though his defense is not expected to bounce back
  
• Andy Pages was hot → cold → hot → cold at the plate, but a gem on defense
  
• Tommy Edman’s ankle couldn’t hold up in CF
  
• Alex Call and Hyeseong Kim were held to limited playing time

The Dodgers need someone who stabilizes both the offense and the defense.

Kyle Tucker

The biggest fish on the market fits perfectly. He’s an MVP-caliber corner outfielder who’d slot right into the middle of the lineup. But the bidding will be immense, and the Dodgers may be hesitant to commit another long-term deal with top prospects Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope rising quickly.

Cody Bellinger (reunion candidate)

More plausible. The Dodgers love familiarity, Bellinger loves L.A., and his bounce-back season with the Yankees, which included one of the best contact rates in the sport and continued top-tier defense, fits the organization’s emphasis on run prevention and lineup balance. A return makes sense if the years and dollars align.

Mike Yastrzemski

The veteran and longtime San Francisco Giant could make an effective platoon pairing with Alex Call while maintaining defensive quality.

Steven Kwan

The Dodgers tried at the 2025 deadline but could not get it done. Expect those trade talks to rekindle with the Cleveland Guardians. Kwan would instantly fix the outfield defense and lengthen the lineup without requiring superstar money.

Sneaky Trade Fit: Byron Buxton

Buxton is reportedly willing to waive his no-trade clause. L.A. would have to manage his workload, but the upside, when healthy, is incomparable.

2. Bolster the Bullpen

Even with Sasaki possibly easing in as a reliever after a terrific postseason showcase out of the bullpen, the Dodgers need reliable leverage arms. Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, and Yates couldn’t fill that role consistently in 2025.

Potential fits:

• Edwin Diaz: The best closer on the market has been linked to the Dodgers in the early offseason.

• Pete Fairbanks (tall right-handed, high-leverage reliever who has postseason experience with the Tampa Bay Rays and is a free agent)
  
• Robert Suarez (Do the Dodgers sign a former Padres high-leverage reliever for the second year in a row? An All-Star closer in 2025 with an explosive fastball, Suarez could cost a pretty penny)

Other Possible Trade Targets

Brendan Donovan (Cardinals)

A long-standing Dodgers target who fits their contact-oriented, multi-positional profile.

Nolan Arenado (Cardinals)

A long shot, as Nelson Espinal of Sports Illustrated noted, but the glove still plays, the bat could reach old heights at the bottom of a deep lineup, and the price may be lower than ever. Only makes sense if Muncy shifts into a more flexible role.

Final Thoughts

The Dodgers are in an enviable position. But depth can quickly become clutter, and this winter is about clarity: finding the right outfielder, reinforcing the bullpen, and trimming roster excess without losing their championship identity.

They’ve already done the impossible: winning back-to-back in the modern age. But this offseason is about the building blocks to achieving something even rarer.

If we have learned anything over the last several years, however, it’s that if anyone can pull it off, it’s this front office, you know, the front office that has started to lend its powers to the Los Angeles Lakers!