What’s better than your favorite team winning the World Series? Bantering about said team’s roster for the following season before the hot stove is even lit.
Welcome to the 2025-26 Dodgers Digest (my) offseason plan for the Dodgers.
With the 2026-27 up in the air due to the expiring Collective Bargaining Agreement following the ’26 season, it’d be easy to have this article be signing the likes of Kyle Tucker, Edwin Diaz and Devin Williams because who knows what’s going to happen. But that’s not as fun as mock trades to land a reliever, two backup catchers and the return of an old (but not that old) friend — I’m sure you can figure out who that is — so I’m choosing to go that route instead.
Without further delay, let’s get into it.
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Arbitration
Note: All arbitration estimates are via MLB Trade Rumors.
Tony Gonsolin and Michael Grove were both removed from the roster on Nov. 6. Ben Rortvedt was claimed off waivers by the Reds on Nov. 12. Everyone else who is arbitration-eligible is worth bringing back.
Option
3B Max Muncy – $10 million (no buyout)LHP Alex Vesia – $3.65 million ($50,000 buyout)
Both players had their options exercised and will be back in 2026.
Rule 5 Draft Protections
RHP Peter HeubeckLHP Ronan KoppIF Noah MillerOF Ryan Ward
Ward was a surprising addition to the 40-man roster. He should see some time in Los Angeles at some point in 2026. Kopp was added before yesterday’s deadline, though we’re also adding Heubeck and Miller to fill the 40-man here.
Free Agents
OF Cody Bellinger – 6 years, $157 millionUTIL Enrique Hernandez – 1 year, $5 millionIF Miguel Rojas – 1 year, $7 million
For free agents, I used The Athletic, ESPN, FanGraphs and MLB Trade Rumors (when applicable) to get to the term and dollars. For example, Bellinger was projected at the following:
The Athletic: 7 years, $182 million
ESPN: 6 years, $165 million
FanGraphs: 5 years, $140 million
MLBTR: 5 years, $140 million
Add ’em up, divide by four and you get 5.75 years, $156.75million. With rounding, that’s how I landed on 6/157 – $26.1667 million average annual value.
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Welcome home, Cody. The 2017 NL Rookie of the Year and 2019 NL MVP returns to the Dodgers while finally landing the nine-figure deal he (and everyone else) thought he would have landed three years ago. Since dislocating his shoulder during the 2020 NLCS, he has become a different hitter. His career can be pieced out into three parts.
2017-19
*- Don’t as me how the math works; it’s what Statcast said
2020-22
2023-25
A tale of three hitters, and it seems the most recent iteration is the one we can expect going forward. He’s not hitting the ball as hard and not walking nearly as much, but he has also massively reduced his strikeout rate and hits for enough pop to keep pitchers honest.
What’s most impressive is how much he has improved against left-handed pitching. Bellinger (151) was second only to Ketel Marte (158) in wRC+ against lefties. And he hits lefties with authority – more than righties. He had a .248 ISO against lefties against and a .193 against righties.
Something that should be addressed is his home/road splits. There were pretty dramatic in 2025:
Home: .302/.365/.544, 152 wRC+
Away: .241/.301/.414, 97 wRC+
But if you zoom out to 2024 (his final season with the Cubs), it’s almost the opposite:
Home: .247/.301/.399, 97 wRC+
Away: .282/.347/.451, 117 wRC+
His first season in Chicago was more evenly split – 141 home vs. 129 road wRC+. That’s actually more in line with his career splits: 127 home vs. 111 road wRC+. When it comes to home runs, his expected home runs in Wrigley Field vs. Yankee Stadium vs. Dodger Stadium is almost negligible over the last two years:
2023 expected HR: 25 at Wrigley Field, 26 at Dodger Stadium
2024 expected HR: 15 at Wrigley Field, 22 at Dodger Stadium
2024 expected HR: 33 at Yankee Stadium, 30 at Dodger Stadium
Yes, the park plays a factor, but Bellinger’s bat still plays anywhere, especially if he’s playing above-average defense in the outfield.
Speaking of defense, Bellinger left LA as a center fielder. He has played his fair share of center since then. However, he has a -6 defensive runs saved and +1 outs above average in nearly 1,400 innings between the Cubs and Yankees. In the same amount of time (but far fewer innings), he’s +7 DRS/+4 OAA in left field and +9 DRS/+1 OAA in right field. With the way Teoscar Hernandez played right field this season, Bellinger might be one of the few guys the Dodgers could bring in to move Hernandez back to left field.
There was speculation that the Dodgers could go with an Alex Call-Ward platoon in left field, but that seems like a last resort kind of move they’d make. If Bellinger is acquired, he can start at any outfield position and not have to sit against southpaws.
The likely outfield alignment would be Hernandez in left field, Andy Pages in center field and Bellinger in right. If Pages has a rough stretch or needs some time off, Tommy Edman could slot into center field with Hyeseong Kim getting some looks at second base. Another alternative would be Call in left, Bellinger in center and Hernandez in right. Honestly, I’d probably just leave Hernandez in left field no matter what. But bringing in a guy who can start 150 games in any outfield spot would still leave the Dodgers with positional flexibility, despite that indicating the opposite.
Finally, Bellinger would give the Dodgers some protection down the line. Hernandez and Freddie Freeman’s contracts expire after two more seasons. Freeman could decide to hang it up at that time (he’d be pushing 39 years old) while Hernandez probably would move on. Bellinger could slide to first base – his original position – and make room for one or two of the prized Dodger outfield prospects. You’d have to think the Dodgers hit on at least one of them. Of course, that would also depend on them not being traded between now and then, which could very well happen.
There are a lot of positives in signing Bellinger (including the fact he wouldn’t cost the Dodgers a draft pick since he wasn’t eligible for the qualifying offer). And even if the relationship didn’t end in the most amicable way, time (and money) heals a lot of wounds.
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Kiké and Rojas coming back on 1-year deals for minimal financial commitment just makes too much sense. Hernandez will find a way into the lineup come October — even in a part-time role — and Rojas can be the stabilizing force in the clubhouse in his final MLB season. In fact, it could be the final ride for both of them as Dodgers, as Hernandez will need to produce enough to justify his roster spot this season and beyond. Either that or the Dodgers play him sparingly and unleash him in October. Either way, Hernandez is a welcome jolt of energy for the clubhouse. His offseason elbow surgery could keep him out into the regular season, giving the Dodgers an extra active roster spot to work with.
Trades
To MIA: C Dalton Rushing, OF/1B James Tibbs III, RHP Landon Knack, RHP Nick FrassoTo LA: RHP Ronny Henriquez, LHP Nate Payne
Folks aren’t going to like this one. With so many quality free agent relievers on the market, it’d make sense for the Dodgers to just throw more money at the problem. But with Andrew Friedman having been burned so far on the Scott signing, so I’m thinking he’ll be a little gunshy about dropping big money on a reliever at this point. Instead, they turn to the Marlins to snag a 25-year-old who was really good in 2025.
Henriquez was claimed off waivers from the Twins and the Marlins turned him into a bonafide weapon out of the bullpen by getting him to reduce changeup usage while adding a sweeper to his other three offerings – 4-seam fastball, slider and seldomly used sinker. Yes, he has a slider and sweeper, which are basically the same type of pitch. However, both were equally effective against both lefties and righties.
Slider
Sweeper
Overall, he threw a slider/sweeper 52% of the time. Pair that with an above-average fastball — the best in MLB, if you go by Stuff+ (minimum 70 IP) — and you have the makings of an elite late-inning reliever under team control for a half-decade.
If you aren’t completely sold on Henriquez, let me give you his Statcast similarities:
Pretty good company for a guy whose best days may lie ahead of him.
The Dodgers would also acquire a low-level lefty in Payne, who has a starters’ repertoire, but bullpen command. His curveball and slider are ahead of his fastball. The Dodgers’ pitching lab could do some things with him — either in the rotation or out of the ‘pen.
The acquisition cost isn’t going to be cheap. Henriquez is under team control through the 2030 season, and with the roster getting older, an infusion of youth in the bullpen is all but assured. To get him, the Dodgers have to give up their former top prospect in Rushing, a Top 10 org prospect in Tibbs III, a serviceable starter in Knack. Rushing would slot into the Marlins’ lineup as the starting catcher, allowing Agustin Ramirez to give Rushing a breather behind the plate but, more importantly, allow him to play first base or designated hitter to keep his bat in the lineup almost everyday. Tibbs III, acquired in the Dustin May trade at the deadline, could be the Marlins’ starting left fielder by midseason. Knack would give them a starting pitcher option as the Marlins could look to move a starter or two for offensive help this winter. Frasso seems to be a reliever only at this point, but he does have a plus-fastball and changeup that could play well out of the Miami bullpen that featured the heaviest slider usage in baseball last season.To TOR: LHP Anthony BandaTo LA: IF Nick Goodwin
From the Dodgers’ side, this makes sense for a few reasons. First, Banda took a step back, performance-wise, in 2025. While his ERA was almost identical to 2024, his FIP jumped almost a full run and his walk rate increased by 4 percentage points. If you factor that with the existence of Jack Dreyer, Kopp, Tanner Scott, Vesia and Justin Wrobleski and well, there isn’t a lot of room for him in the bullpen.
He’d go to Toronto to give them another left-handed presence in the bullpen. We saw in the World Series that was something the Blue Jays lacked against the Dodgers’ left-handed hitters. He’s only a year removed from his breakout season and is affordable as he heads into arbitration for the second time.
In return, the Dodgers land a versatile infielder in Goodwin. The 24-year-old is a year from needing to be added to the 40-man roster, so he fits well into LA’s roster construction. The 2023 7th-rounder hit .244/.366/.403 with High-A Vancouver while paying second base, third base and shortstop. He was once thought to be a power-over-hit tool guy, but he was more balanced with the bat in 2025 and saw his walk and strikeout rates go in positive directions. There could be something there for the Dodgers’ player developmental staff to unlock.
To StL: LHP Jackson Ferris, RHP Patrick Copen, OF Kendall GeorgeTo LA: C Jimmy Crooks, IF Thomas Saggese
With Rushing and Rortvedt gone, the Dodgers, suddenly, need another catcher on the 40-man roster. They don’t need a Will Smith clone, they just need someone to help take a little pressure off Smith and can step in when called upon. While Crooks probably isn’t going to supplant Smith anytime soon, he should be plenty serviceable behind the dish. His calling card is his defense, as he should be an above-average defender with some pop and can draw a walk. There’s swing-and-miss in his game, which brings his offensive potential down a touch, but he could still be among the best backup catchers in the league, once given a chance.
Saggese, 24, is an interesting utility infielder who could take the reigns from Hernandez and Rojas (and be paired with Alex Freeland) for the next generation of part-time, versatile infielders. It could also allow Kim to play a little more center field, just to broaden his defensive ability. His numbers don’t immediately jump off the stat sheet, but he have a 90.2 MPH average exit velocity and a max EV of 109.9 in 195 batted ball events in 2025. He nearly doubled his barrel and HardHit% from his debut season and has solid metrics last year with Louisville. The Cardinals’ need for pitching could outweigh them holding onto a utility infielder, especially if they’re not projected to really compete for a playoff spot in 2026.
Ferris, after a strong 2024, had a fairly lateral season, statistically, in 2025. He pitched the same number of innings (albeit against stronger competition) and saw his strikeout rate dip by 3 percentage points and his walk rate increase by 1 percentage point. He also saw hi ground ball rate creep closer to 50% (48.2), which is good and also contributed to a higher BABIP. There are concerns he took a bigger step back than his numbers would indicate. His command and a consistent third pitch will always determine how far he goes as a pitcher. The Cardinals have their own left-handed prospect who struggled with command in Double-A in Quinn Mathews, so they might be a little hesitant to pull the trigger on Ferris. But the stuff is there and proximity to the majors makes sense as they might be looking to move Sonny Gray this winter. Copen had a breakout 2024 season that also involved a terrible accident on the field. So, he followed up his 2024 with an even better 2025 split between High-A and Double-A. He struck out 152 batters in 117 2/3 innings. He’s a bit wild (16 BB%), but the pure stuff is there — enough to intrigue the Cardinals. George, with the glut of current Dodger outfield prospects, is the odd man out. He also doesn’t really fit what the Dodgers have in their top outfield prospects. He can run like the wind (100 stolen bases in 2025) and plays a good center field. But his power is non-existent and he doesn’t hit the ball particularly hard. Perhaps he can be the Cards’ second coming of Vince Coleman.
To MIL: RHP Bobby MillerTo LA: C/2B/3B Anthony Seigler
A “struggling-former-first-round-draftee-for-draftee” challenge trade. That’s even rarer than the prospect-for-prospect version. Seigler was a 1st-rounder of the Yankees in 2023, while Miller was the Dodgers’ 1st-rounder in 2020. Miller looked like a rotation mainstay after his rookie season. However, a disastrous 2024 season derailed that notion.
Seigler, 26, was picked up as a minor-league free agent by the Brewers a year ago and made his MLB debut in 2025. He hit just .194/.292/.210, but his MiLB numbers tell a better story of his skill set. He hit .285/.414/.478 for the Nashville Sounds on the strength of a 91.7 MPH average exit velocity. He’s a line-drive hitter with sneaky pop and above-average speed for a catcher. But he also has second- and third base in his defensive bag, which we know the Dodgers covet in their bench players.
Miller, 27 in April, couldn’t be going to a better organization to help him with his woes (outside of the Dodgers, of course). The Brewers are masters at developing pitchers and getting the most out of them, whether it be in the rotation or out of the bullpen. The smart money is on the latter, but there’s a chance Milwaukee’s player developmental staff can get Miller back on the right track. The pure stuff is still there, it’s just a matter of fixing what’s wrong. A late-July move to the bullpen produced slightly better results, but wasn’t the cure. With the Brewers having a glut of utility players and one of the best catchers (William Contreras) and catching prospects (Jeferson Quero), they feel comfortable enough to move Seigler for a chance to fix Miller.
26-Man Roster
Catchers (3)Jimmy CrooksAnthony SeiglerWill Smith
Infielders (5)Mookie BettsFreddie FreemanHyeseong KimMax MuncyMiguel Rojas
Outfielders (4)Cody BellingerAlex CallTeoscar HernandezAndy Pages
Infielders/Outfielders (1)Tommy Edman
Two-way player (1)Shohei Ohtani
Rotation (5)Tyler GlasnowRoki SasakiEmmet SheehanBlake SnellYoshinobu Yamamoto
Bullpen (7)Jack DreyerRonny HenriquezWill KleinTanner ScottBlake TreinenAlex VesiaJustin Wrobleski
40-Man Roster (12)Ben CaspariusAlex FreelandPaul GervaseEdgardo HenriquezPeter HeubeckKyle HurtRonan KoppNoah MillerRiver RyanEsteury RuizThomas SaggeseRyan Ward
Injured (5)Brusdar GraterolEnrique HernandezEvan PhillipsBrock StewartGavin Stone
Restricted List (1)Andrew Toles
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This isn’t the most straightforward offseason plan. Then again, if I just had the Dodgers sign all the free agents — like just keeping Rushing and signing Tucker/Bellinger and Diaz/Williams — would be simple but also that wouldn’t be very fun. This also isn’t necessarily what I would do if I ran the ship (thankfully, I don’t), but elements of this plan could make some sense.
With the unknown status of baseball and free agency beyond 2026, it might be the last chance for the Dodgers to go crazy on the market with only luxury tax/draft pick penalties. I’m never going to be an advocate for a salary cap in baseball, so hopefully the worrying is moot. Still, it’s more fun to read mock trades than free-agent signings, I’d contest.
Let me know what you think in the comments and/or on Twitter, BlueSky or Discord.
