The Los Angeles Dodgers enter the offseason facing a different challenge than the one they anticipated. After pursuing a third consecutive World Series championship, the club fell short of its goal, leaving the front office to consider how its roster might need to change before another title run in 2027.
“Before they had fully digested Thursday night’s 6-4 loss to the Brewers in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series — which ended their season and their three-peat bid — the Dodgers had to grapple with the reality that changes are likely to come to their team. The Dodgers are set to lose nine players to free agency, a class headlined by the top player on the market, Tarik Skubal.”
The coming months could bring significant turnover in Los Angeles, although not every departure will carry the same implications for the club’s ongoing championship ambitions. But one player who has already moved on is a veteran catcher whose recent career has been defined by frequent organizational changes.
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Last week, Ben Rortvedt elected free agency after the Dodgers’ season ended, according to the official transaction log, bringing another chapter of his winding journey through the organization to a close.
Rortvedt’s departure followed a series of moves that repeatedly brought him back into the Dodgers’ orbit. The catcher spent part of the 2025 season with Los Angeles and was part of the club’s World Series-winning team before bouncing between organizations during the subsequent offseason.
“Rortvedt earned a World Series ring for his 18 regular-season games and four playoff games with the 2025 Dodgers, and a rather circuitous route took him back to Los Angeles at this year’s trade deadline,” Mark Polishuk recalled for MLB Trade Rumors. “A series of waiver claims saw Rortvedt go from the Dodgers to the (Cincinnati) Reds in November, back to the Dodgers in early February, then to the (New York) Mets in mid-February.”
Los Angeles eventually reacquired Rortvedt from the Mets in August, trading pitcher Chayce McDermott for the catcher. The move offered additional depth behind the plate as the Dodgers navigated the final stretch of the regular season with injuries to Will Smith and Dalton Rushing.
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Rortvedt’s departure is unlikely to define the Dodgers’ offseason, but it adds to the list of personnel decisions facing the defending champions. The club must assess its catching depth alongside broader questions about free agency and how to improve a roster that fell short of its historic ambitions.
Rortvedt, meanwhile, will have the opportunity to explore other organizations as he looks to continue his major league career. His journey through Los Angeles, Cincinnati and New York underscores how quickly a depth player’s circumstances can change.
For the Dodgers, the more consequential work begins with determining which pieces remain central to their plans for 2027 — and what changes might be necessary to return to the World Series.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com