Practically every permutation of this Dodgers’ offseason starts with a pursuit to re-sign Tarik Skubal.
Where the club could go from there is where things might get even more interesting.
Despite failing in their bid for a third-straight World Series this year, the Dodgers already have the makings of a title favorite again in 2027. All nine of their regular position-player starters are still under contract for next season.
Skubal is the only notable potential loss from the starting rotation. And while the team has holes in the bullpen and on the bench, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman couldn’t have been more bullish when looking ahead to next year at his end-of-season press conference last month.
“If we started the season tomorrow,” he declared, “we feel really good about the roster and team that we have.”
For the Dodgers, however, roster-building decisions are never made with only the short-term future in mind.
One of Friedman’s most common mottos during his tenure in Los Angeles has been ensuring the team never “falls off a cliff,” committed to maintaining contender status for as far as they can see out.
And right now, with the Dodgers possessing the oldest lineup in the majors and facing what is likely to be more substantial roster transition in the next 2-3 years (against the looming backdrop of a new CBA that could also bring drastic changes to the sport’s spending rules), their longer-term outlook appears increasingly in flux.
That’s why, even if the Dodgers feel well-positioned for 2027, they will almost assuredly proceed through this offseason with an eye on the bigger picture, as well.
They know that, at some point soon, they need to start getting younger and more athletic. And that, as things currently stand, Andy Pages is their only established core piece entering his prime, not slowly fading out of it.
Thus, this winter could present an opportunity for them to be “opportunistic” –– another of Friedman’s favorite sayings –– and seek acquisitions who can not only help next year, but spearhead a new generation of Dodgers dominance too.
“It’s about us being as prepared as we can be, depending on what opportunities pop up, to be able to pounce,” Friedman said. “We feel good about our jumping-off point of where we are. That being said, to the extent that we can keep raising the bar, raising the talent level, and increasing our championship odds, we’re going to be aggressive to do so.”
Those efforts, of course, will begin with Skubal; who will be the center of attention at MLB’s General Manager Meetings in Las Vegas beginning on Tuesday.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner is far and away the best player in this year’s otherwise weak free-agent class. He was a seamless fit in the Dodgers’ clubhouse after arriving in a trade-deadline blockbuster from the Detroit Tigers.
Granted, the Dodgers’ preference (as usual) might be for a shorter-term, higher-annual-average-value deal –– as opposed to the longer-term, potentially $400-plus million guarantee many prognosticators have pegged the left-hander to receive.
But, they are nonetheless seen as co-favorites (along with the Mets) in this winter’s sweepstakes for the soon-to-be 30-year-old ace.
Skubal or not, though, expect the Dodgers to be on the lookout for other star-level, in-their-prime players.
And while free agency might be short on alternative options, the trade market could present intriguing possibilities.
Maybe the Reds will listen to offers on Elly De La Cruz, having thus far failed to lock up the uber-talented 24-year-old shortstop (who has three years of team control left) to a long-term contract extension.
Perhaps the Astros’ Jeremy Peña (a Gold Glover and former World Series MVP who is entering his final year before free agency) or the Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson (who is two years removed from a top-five MVP finish and two years away from hitting the open market) will be made available as their clubs try to retool their rosters.
At a bare minimum, Zach Neto of the Angels and CJ Abrams of the Nationals, two dynamic middle infielders entering their age-26 seasons, figure to be bandied about in trade rumors the same way they were at this year’s deadline.
For now, all of those targets are merely speculative (especially with the Dodgers still having Mookie Betts at shortstop and Tommy Edman at second base). The trade market, in particular, might be slow-moving this winter until teams know what the new CBA entails, following a lockout all but certain to begin on Dec. 1.
But if any of them become possibilities before next season, it would likely pique the Dodgers’ interest.
After all, the club boasts a highly-ranked farm system that will make them contenders in any marquee trade talks. They have the ability to deal from their current MLB roster if needed (something they might try to do anyway this winter to create more opportunities for some of their top young prospects).
And they also won’t want to find themselves facing too sudden of a personnel turnover in a couple years, either, as some of their older stars have their contracts expire and others move into less-productive phases of their careers.
So, for as much as this winter will be about bolstering their World Series hopes in 2027, it could also offer a chance to jumpstart their transition into a new era.
Re-signing Skubal is one way of accomplishing both. But, in an offseason that is still taking shape, it might not be the only pathway the Dodgers could explore.
