Dodgers Offseason Plans

Edition #184

After 2 World Series championships in 5 years, the Dodgers are back to where they started. Free agency.

I love free agency. It's the best time of the year for sports guys like me. It's fun to see what team different players are going to.

So, what do the Dodgers do next? Let's start with the offense. Here is their current lineup.

DH: Shohei Ohtani

C: Will Smith

1B: Freddie Freeman

2B: Gavin Lux (Weak position)

SS: Tommy Edman

3B: Max Muncy

RF: Mookie Betts

CF: Enrique Hernandez (Weak position)

LF: ?

Now, I like Kike a lot, especially in the playoffs, and he helped the Dodgers win it all in 2024, but it's a weak position after all. He batted a .229 with only 12 home runs, 42 RBIs, and 83 hits this season. The Dodgers need the best of that position. Onto Gavin Lux, he might've been a great Dodgers prospect, but he's not clutch and his attitude doesn't match his play. When you have the chance to go and get Willy Adames, Ha-Seung-Kim, or reach into your farm system and grab a huge prospect, then you do that, not stick with a guy who can't contribute to the team. I'll get to the middle infield in a second.

The real question is left field. Teoscar Hernandez or Juan Soto.

Left Field:

I've been debating about this for a while now, and we all have different opinions, but the main worries are basically:

Teoscar Hernandez is old, and signing him now means missing out on a great free-agent class OR
Juan Soto isn't good at defense, and he'll become a DH in a few years.

Let's take a look at both sides for a second.

Hernandez is a fan favorite, he's been so good at making people smile this year, and he's amazing at baseball, but Soto gives the Dodgers the best opportunity to win more baseball games, regardless of how much more the Dodgers have to pay. Soto is 26, while Hernandez is 32. Soto is a more patient batter. Hernandez is not. When you take a look at the Expected Weighted On-base Average, Juan is first and Teoscar is 46th. Hardhit% also falls in Soto's favor, with him coming in 3rd, and Hernandez coming in 47th. Needless to say, all the stats (and career stats) fall in Soto's favor.

Now, taking Soto doesn't meet all ends as the Dodgers will have a lot of holes to work out. What's more, many Scott Boras clients don't play for the Dodgers, and Juan Soto is one. Soto is reportedly looking for a $700 million contract. Understandable, because the guy already has 1 World Series ring and is a beast on the hitting side (look up for the stats), but he's not a $700 million caliber guy. If Ohtani was only a batter, he would've probably signed for about $400 million. He got the extra because he's a two-way player. Soto isn't even good on the defensive side, and according to top analysts, he isn't even going to be playing a position in a couple of years. $700 million, for just a DH??

Getting Hernandez means that you can upgrade pitching, the middle infield, and all the other holes that the Dodgers have.

But, why does it have to be a choice? Why not get them both? If Teoscar wants to come back to LA for less money, you can fill in that center field hole too, and since it's for less money, you can go ahead and get Soto as well.

To get the Dodgers to improve overall, Hernandez is key. If you want to go out and get another star player, who'll be as good as the 2 other weak positions, go and get Soto.

Middle Infield:

Miguel Rojas does have a club option this year, but even if the Dodgers pick it up, going after a middle infielder will be key. With Willy Adames being in free agency, the Dodgers are destined to go after them. The Dodgers obviously have the money to go out and sign Willy Adames, but how far are they willing to go? He's 29 years old, and while that's a baseball player's prime, he's probably going to be retiring in 6 years. His play will slowly decline.

If the Dodgers want to go after an experienced shortstop, I would take Willy Adames. Otherwise, I would dig deep into our farm system and let our young guys have a try at it. If they fail, we can always trade for a shortstop like Bo Bichette, Trevor Story, Orlando Arcia, Jorge Mateo, or Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Pitching:

Bring Back:

Jack Flaherty is a free agent in 2025, and the first thing the Dodgers have to do is sign this guy to a multi-year extension. He's been so good for the Dodgers during the time he's been with them, and even with the up-and-down postseason, he has stuff that teams can't even touch. Bringing back Blake Treinen is a must. In 50 games pitched this season, he gave up 10 earned runs. He had a 1.93 ERA. It's crazy how good he was in these high-leverage situations. Lastly, Walker Buehler. This guy is a postseason legend for the Dodgers now. If he doesn't get signed, I'm going to be angry. We know he can pitch; his postseason starts were crazy, and he's always willing to take one for the team.

Bring In:

You have Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto locked in. If the Dodgers decide not to go for Flaherty and Buehler, and decide to try the free-agent market, they'll have some amazing options. One is Corbin Burnes, who's one of the league's best starting pitchers. He's already racked up 1000 strikeouts, and his career WHIP is 1.06. Then you have Max Fried, who to me is the best pitcher in the MLB since 2020. With an arsenal of 7 pitches and a top-rated movement profile, Max Fried is scary for any baseball player to face.

For the bullpen, there are a lot of old guys available on the market for one-year deals, such as Kenley Jansen, Aroldis Chapman, and Paul Sewald. If the Dodgers really want to go for someone in the bullpen, I would say Tanner Scott. Otherwise, I would refrain from making any bullpen moves until the end of the offseason, when you can see if you can get someone for a bit of a cheaper price.

Conclusion:

With that, I leave you. This is going to be an interesting free agency, with a lot of big name players moving to different teams. Who do you think is coming to LAD? Who do you think is going? Tell me in the comments below.

Here are the "free agents" for the Dodgers this year:

Free agents:
RHP Walker Buehler
RHP Jack Flaherty
UTIL Kiké Hernández
OF Teoscar Hernández
RHP Joe Kelly
RHP Blake Treinen

Options:
LHP Clayton Kershaw (player)
SS Miguel Rojas (club)