Can Dodgers win a third straight World Series? Targets, trade chips for Los Angeles' pivotal offseason
The Dodgers are aiming for history and they have clear room for improvement for 2026
By
Mike Axisa
•
7 min read
The three-peat talk has already begun. This year, the Dodgers became baseball's first repeat World Series champion since the 1998-2000 Yankees and there is every reason to believe they will be in the mix again next year. They have a loaded MLB roster, a stacked farm system, an aggressive front office, and an owner willing to spend. You name it and the Dodgers have it.
"I'll tell you right now, this group of guys was never going to be denied to bring this city another championship," manager Dave Roberts said at the parade. "... The last thing I'll say, I talked to a good friend of mine yesterday on the plane, and he gave me the OK to use this phrase. Pat Riley, what's better than two? Three! Three-peat! Three-peat! Let's go!"
The three-peat talk isn't to say the Dodgers are all set going into 2026. They have needs and some frankly glaring issues to address. L.A. finished 2025 with a $415 million payroll for competitive balance tax purposes, per Cot's Baseball Contracts, and they have roughly $313 million on the books for 2026 (including arbitration projections). It could be another active offseason.
What do the Dodgers need this offseason? Who could they target? Who could they move? Let's dive into that now in our offseason preview for the two-time defending champions.
Needs
The outfield and the bullpen most stand out. Michael Conforto was one of the worst regular hitters in baseball this season, so much so that the Dodgers left him off the postseason roster and started utility guy Enrique Hernández in the left field. In the postseason, you can live with it, but Hernández (a free agent) in left is not viable for 162 games. The Dodgers need an outfielder.
The bullpen is tricky. The Dodgers threw money at it last offseason (Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, Kirby Yates, etc.) and it didn't work. Scott and Yates had poor years and so did Treinen, who was far outside of the Circle of Trust come Game 7 of the World Series. Scott and Treinen will be back next year, as will Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer, and others. Roki Sasaki could stick in the bullpen too.
Going with smaller bullpen additions or even just standing pat is justifiable. It would surprise me though. It feels like the Dodgers, who have an aging position player core and every incentive to push hard for a World Series title in 2026, will bring in a top bullpen arm to solidify the late innings. Without a doubt, the bullpen and the outfield are the biggest areas of need this winter.
Possible targets
The Dodgers have the best of both worlds. They have money to spend on free agents and the prospects to trade. That isn't to say they'll get anyone they want, just that they shouldn't be at a disadvantage financially or trade chip-wise. Here are a few players who fit what the Dodgers need this offseason and are realistic targets.
It is definitely not great for the other 29 teams that the offseason's No. 1 free agent aligns perfectly with what the two-time defending champions need. Kyle Tucker would improve the Dodgers in all phases: offensively, defensively, and on the bases. The Dodgers could slide Teoscar Hernández to left field (assuming they don't find a way to unload him) and install Tucker in right, upgrading their defense, and he would be another bona fide middle-of-the-order hitter for a lineup that was surprisingly thin after the Nos. 5-6 spots in October. Tucker might make the offense too lefty-heavy through the middle, but when your lefties are Tucker, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani, you'll be OK.
The Dodgers were reportedly in heavy on Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan at the trade deadline. The two teams ran out of time to complete a trade though, and the Dodgers pivoted to righty hitting platoon guy Alex Call. I would expect them to rekindle those talks this winter. Kwan has won four Gold Gloves in four big-league seasons (and deserved them) and would massively improve L.A.'s outfield defense. The Dodgers wouldn't need him to hit leadoff either. They could (and would) leave Ohtani in the leadoff spot, allowing them to use Kwan as a pesky, overqualified No. 9 hitter.
Not the sexiest name, though a Mike Yastrzemski/Alex Call platoon could be sneaky great in left field. Farhan Zaidi, who unearthed Yastrzemski during his time running the NL West-rival Giants, is in L.A.'s front office now and could push the Dodgers in this direction if Tucker or Kwan or something bigger doesn't come together. Yastrzemski is a consistent .800 OPS bat against righties and still a quality outfield defender. If the Dodgers don't want to give out a long-term outfield contract to keep a lane open for top prospects Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope, there are far worse one-year contract candidates than Yastrzemski.
The Dodgers have been connected to Pete Fairbanks for about two years now. The Rays declined his $11 million club option last week, sending him out into free agency, and surely they did that only after being unable to come up with a trade. There are some red flags with Fairbanks, who has seen his strikeout rate plummet the last two years, but he remains a viable late-inning reliever for a contending team. After investing big in Scott and having that fall flat in Year 1, another big reliever contract for, say, Edwin Díaz would surprise me. A shorter-term, lower-cost signing like Fairbanks seems more likely.
I'm mentioning Tarik Skubal here because, if the Tigers do make him available, the Dodgers will be at the front of the line. They don't need another starter -- Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan, Blake Snell, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are all in place for 2026 -- but Skubal is not just any starter. When you're looking to three-peat, this is a guy you go out and get. He would make every rotation better, even one as stacked as L.A.'s. I'm not 100% sold on the Tigers trading Skubal or even just listening to offers. If they do though, expect the Dodgers to get involved and be aggressive.
Possible trade chips
Two top 100 prospects made their MLB debuts in 2025 and are blocked long-term with the Dodgers: Dalton Rushing and Alex Freeland. Rushing, a catcher, is stuck behind World Series Game 7 hero Will Smith, who is signed through 2033. Rushing has played some first base and left field, and giving Smith more time off his feet during the regular season seems sensible, though it's very possible Rushing is more valuable to the Dodgers as a trade chip. If I needed a catcher, I'd call about him.
Freeland, an infielder, has an easier path to playing time because Tommy Edman can play the outfield and Max Muncy is signed only through 2026, but he is another touted young player without a clear short-term role who could be most valuable as a trade piece. If nothing else, youngsters like Freeland and Rushing can't stand in the way of a big-time trade. Their value to the Dodgers is more long-term and if you can use them to boost your three-peat odds in 2026, you have to do it.
The Dodgers need waves of pitching depth given the injury histories of some of their starters and the fact they like to use a six-man rotation and spot starts to keep everyone's workload in check. Even with that, they have A LOT of arms. Justin Wrobleski and Kyle Hurt are on the outside of the rotation looking in now, plus River Ryan and 2024 Dodgers innings leader Gavin Stone will return from injury next year. Landon Knack and Bobby Miller (moved to the bullpen in July) are still around too.
Roster spots are a finite resource. The Dodgers have a full 40-man roster already and that's before making any outside additions or protecting prospects from the Rule 5 Draft (that will happen next week). As much as you want to, you can't keep everyone. At some point, the Dodgers will have to make a consolidation trade, which potentially means trading one or two of these depth arms for prospects who don't have to go on the 40-man roster yet. Wrobleski in particular would generate a lot of interest.
MLB Pipeline ranked the Dodgers' farm system as the best in baseball after the trade deadline. They have plenty of prospects and young MLB players to put on the table this offseason. Between that and their almost unmatched ability to absorb money, the Dodgers are well positioned to pursue any trade candidate this offseason. It doesn't mean they'll get anyone they want, just that they have the pieces to be competitive for anyone.
