For 29 teams, reaching the League Championship Series might be considered a launching pad, a reason to hope for even better things in the future. For the Los Angeles Dodgers, the sudden ending to their 2026 season represented a step back.
To go forward, the answer might be boring compared to years past. Fourteen different players who have made an All-Star team — more than half of a 26-man roster — appeared in a game for the Dodgers in 2026. Two are free agents, but the rest will be back, giving the front office a strong base of talent to work with as it reshapes the roster for 2027.
Andrew Friedman and company could roll it back next year, betting on a shorter postseason run than usual — and potentially longer offseason, depending on the length of the impending lockout — to give an aging roster the recharge it needs to win the 2027 World Series.
The oldest position player group in MLB needs to get younger. A pitching staff that faces the potential loss of Tarik Skubal and several key relievers faces important questions too. Here are the Dodgers' biggest offseason needs:
1. Find younger lineup solutions
Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Will Smith are closer to the end of their careers than the beginning. The Dodgers might need to plan on more down time for each of them next year — and hope their backups hit their weight.
Miguel Rojas' retirement will open up a roster spot next year, but his ostensible replacement, Tommy Edman, is 31. There are younger options in Triple-A, but few have seen extensive big-league playing time. The others invite questions.
Can Josue De Paula be trusted in left field for a full season? If so, what does that mean for Teoscar Hernandez? Who among Mike Sirota, James Tibbs III or Zach Ehrhard will push for big-league promotions next season? Even if the young outfielders are ready, how would they fit in an outfield with Andy Pages in center field and Kyle Tucker in right?
There's no single path to a younger lineup next season, but another October breakdown will only force the issue more a year from now.
2. Build a new bullpen
The Dodgers have turned managing bullpen usage into an art form. Only four relievers made more than 50 appearances for the Dodgers in four of the last six seasons. Only three have made more than 70 appearances in any season since 2021.
Even with all that workload management, Dave Roberts' "trust tree" can never be too full. If not Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips and Blake Treinen — all free agents — who will be the bullpen workhorses in 2027 behind Edwin Diaz and Tanner Scott?
Several attractive in-house options are under team control next year. Edgardo Henriquez, Will Klein, Brock Stewart, Jack Dreyer, Kyle Hurt and Bobby Miller are known quantities, but re-signing or replacing the trio of free agents is a top offseason priority.
3. Make a decision on Tarik Skubal
How much can — and should — the Dodgers extend their resources to sign the two-time Cy Young Award winner?
A number of important factors are difficult to know from here, like what the economic boundaries of baseball will look like under the next CBA, how much longer Ohtani is physically able to hold down a rotation job and whether Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell can be counted on for more starts in the future.
What we know: long-term contracts for pitchers in their 30s (Skubal turns 30 next month) are risky. The Dodgers need to get younger. Fans won't complain about seeing Skubal in a Dodgers uniform again, but the top free agent on the market will come with a price.
For the Dodgers, the years on Skubal's next contract should inspire more caution than the dollars. Unless there's a salary cap.
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