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This year, the Dodgers watched the World Series from home, with the Milwaukee Brewers’ World Series victory over the Tampa Bay Rays officially ushering in a fresh slate for the Dodgers to plan their 2027 championship pursuit.
“When you take the experience and the talent of our core guys, and you look at what is coming [up through the farm system], that is what gives us a high degree of confidence about being able to sustain this,” said Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, in his end-of-season news conference, “not just in 2027, but as we look out.”
As the Dodgers attempt to strengthen their roster to climb back to the top, however, they’ll have to navigate a disjointed winter transaction window.
MLB owners are expected to impose a lockout when the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1. If that happens, the offseason will grind to a halt, suspended indefinitely until the two sides sign a new agreement.
Will that expected shutdown spur early action in free agency?
Will the threat of a salary cap freeze the player market?
It’s unclear, but teams are readying themselves to jump into action whenever the market does move.
“There’ve been a number of things that we’ve done over the last couple of years that, in October, early-November planning we didn’t think was likely or that possible,” Friedman said. “An opportunity popped up, and we were at least prepared enough to act in the time to get something done — there’ve been trades, there’s been free-agent signings.
“So for us, it’s just about our internal meetings, getting as prepared as we can be. Because things are going to play out in ways and timing and things that we can’t anticipate, so be as prepared as we can be.”
Amid those unique circumstances, here’s a guide to the Dodgers’ offseason:
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Which Dodgers are entering free agency?
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Nine Dodgers became free agents at the conclusion of the postseason — although veteran infielder Miguel Rojas announced his intention to retire.
The other eight are utility player Kiké Hernández, and pitchers Tarik Skubal, Eric Lauer, Kris Bubic, Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia. So, bullpen help and all-around pitching depth have become areas of need.
“Obviously we’ve got some key free agents,” Friedman said. “That being said, if we started the season tomorrow, we feel really good about the roster and team that we have. But that’s never our mindset to say, ‘OK, we’re good enough.’ We’re going to work hard to try to figure out where we can improve, and in different areas.”
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Could the Dodgers make a trade?
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For the last two years, the Dodgers have had a hot offensive first half (115 WRC+) before a second-half dip (109 in 2025, 105 in 2026). Friedman said the team would work to diagnose the problems that plagued the Dodgers in July and August — and reemerged in the postseason.
“A lot of the rules are designed for the run-prevention side to have a real advantage,” Friedman said. “So much of our focus has been, how do we try to combat that on the run-creation side. And I think there are ways that we can get better. And even if we were coming off a consistent great year, our minds would be, how do we get better? But we’ll definitely spend a lot of time trying to wrap our arms around it and figuring out what is actionable and what things we can improve going forward.”
Friedman pushed back on the notion that age was to blame, saying that explanation was painting with too broad of a stroke.
If the solution involves personnel changes, however, a trade might be necessary to shake up the Dodgers’ veteran position-player group. Whether the Dodgers would want to part with one of their clubhouse leaders, and whether another team would be interested in taking on (or the Dodgers would pay down) any of those contracts, remains to be seen.
The Dodgers have pointed to their farm system, ranked No. 1 by MLB Pipeline as of mid-August, as a reason for optimism. But their position-player prospects, including three outfielders at the top of the list, are blocked by veterans already on the Dodgers’ roster.
“Things work themselves out,” Friedman said. “There are times where you wake up one day and you’re too left-handed. You start to address it, wake up another day and say, “Wow, we’re too right-handed now. Things happen.
“Like right now, we have a really talented group of outfielders coming through our minor-league system. There have been times where we haven’t. We also have a lot of really talented infielders coming as well. But for us, it’s just about having as many talented players as we can.”
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What are the recovery timelines for injured Dodgers?
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Shohei Ohtani is expected to return to two-way duties next season and be ready in time for spring training, according to Friedman. Though Ohtani battled lingering left knee and recurring right biceps injuries through much of the season, surgery is “not on the table.”
Backup catcher Dalton Rushing underwent elbow surgery last week. His nine-month estimated recovery would have him back to catching around late July and hitting before then.
Right-handed reliever Will Klein underwent a procedure to remove bone chips from his right elbow last week, and the Dodgers said he was expected to be ready in time for spring training.
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What are key early-offseason dates?
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Nov. 2: The first five days after the conclusion of the World Series are a “quiet period,” when teams have exclusive rights to negotiate with their free agents, before free agency opens in earnest. By the Monday deadline, teams must also decide whether to extend one-year qualifying offers to eligible players (Graterol, Hernández, Phillips, Treinen, Vesia), and it’s the deadline for contract option decisions.
Nov. 10-12: General managers meetings in Las Vegas. With the winter meetings in December expected to be canceled because of a lockout, GM meetings likely will be the one time for baseball operations leaders to all gather under the same roof this offseason.
Nov. 17: Players must accept or decline qualifying offers by the 1 p.m. PDT deadline.
Nov. 20: By the deadline, teams must tender contracts to 40-man roster players under team control who have not yet signed deals for the upcoming season. Non-tendered players become free agents.
Dec. 1: The current CBA expires.
The post Dodgers offseason primer: Bullpen needs, Shohei Ohtani’s health and a winter of uncertainty appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
