2027 Roster Construction
The Dodgers have spent a lot of dollars in free agency with mixed results. It was necessary because, while their farm system had talent, none were at an All-Star level. They have also traded for and extended some players.
The dearth in top MiLB talent is no longer an issue. Not with 5 top 35 prospects and 6 top 80. While CF Eduardo Quintero, SS Emil Morales, and 2B/OF Chuck Davalan are not MLB ready yet, they might be during the year, and the Dodgers are not going to want to block them. RHSP Christian Zazueta could get called during the year.
Josue De Paula is going to get every opportunity to make the LAD opening day roster. Mike Sirota will be at OKC and ready to move to LAD when called. Zach Ehrhard is not a top overall prospect, but he could be an ideal 4th OF taking the place of Alex Call. BTW, I may be one of the few who actually appreciate what Call can bring. But Ehrhard is younger and has more of a ceiling. The problem will be that he will not get enough AB, and fans will clamor for his release when he does not catch fire right out of the gate. Right, Alex Freeland? Ehrhard does not have to be protected, so there is more of a chance (in the LAD organization) that he goes back to OKC to start the year.
There are currently 46 on the 40-man roster with 6 being on the 60-day IL. They will have to be reinstated 5 days post World Series. At the same time options need to be exercised, and free agents are declared.
Of the 6 players on the 60-day IL, two will be free agents and will not be reinstated: RHRP Brusdar Graterol and LHSP Eric Lauer. The four that will be reinstated: RHP Ben Casparius, RHRP Jake Cousins, RHRP Will Klein, and RHSP Gavin Stone.
At the same time those four are added, the following players will become free agents: RHSP Tarik Skubal, RHRP Blake Treinen, RHRP Evan Phillips, INF Miguel Rojas, UTIL Kiké Hernández, LHRP Alex Vesia, LHP Kris Bubic.
That will leave three spots available for Rule 5 protection, without needing to release or non-tender players. The date the players eligible for the Rule 5 draft have to be added is Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. ET. One for sure player to be protected will be RHSP Christian Zazueta. One very likely protection will be for LHSP Jackson Ferris. Others who will garner consideration: LHP Adam Serwinowski, 3B Jake Gelof, 3B Logan Wagner, 3B Kyle Nevin, RHP Patrick Copen, and RHP Hyun-Seok Jang. I do not believe the Dodgers will protect SS Noah Miller, but he could be picked up by another team in the Rule 5 draft.
Will AF/BG DFA players to make room to protect Rule 5 draft eligible players?
While the players still have to be selected to the 40-man, there is a distinct possibility that there will not be a Rule 5 draft, just like the last lockout. How will that factor into who is protected? Will they take chances on not protecting anticipating a long lockout and no Rule 5 draft?
The current roster has 6 players in arbitration:
· Year 3 – RHRP Brock Stewart – Current salary $1.3MM
· Year 2 – OF Alex Call – Current salary $1.6MM
· Year 2 – RHRP Jake Cousins – Current salary $950K
· Year 1 – RHP Emmet Sheehan – Current salary $810K
· Year 1 – RHP Gavin Stone – Current salary $810K
· Year 1 – OF Andy Pages – Current salary $800K (Super 2 arbitration player, first of 4 arbitration years)
Everywhere I read, Alex Call is a probable non-tender. If the Dodgers do not need a roster spot, why not keep him and option him or DFA him later? Or package him in a trade? Another non-tender candidate would be Cousins. I would be against that. The Dodgers are going to need to look at relievers anyway and they have one of those possibilities already on their roster. Cousins was a very good reliever pre-injury with NYY. Like Call, Cousins has an option and there is no reason to rush to non-tender him when he can be optioned or DFA later.
The Dodgers have 14 players under contract:
· Yoshinobu Yamamoto – 9 years $289MM
· Shohei Ohtani – 7 years ≈ $322MM ($2MM salary + $44MM deferral payment).
· Will Smith – 7 years $86MM
· Mookie Betts – 6 years ≈ $180MM (AAV value, cash out difficult to calculate because of differing deferrals. I will let MLBTR calculate it).
· Kyle Tucker – 3 years $180MM
· Tommy Edman – 3 years $39MM (includes 4th year club option buyout)
· Blake Snell – 3 years $80MM + $10MM club option for 4th year, no buyout
· Tyler Glasnow – 2 years $54MM. The 2nd year assumes a player option of $21.5MM, assuming the Dodgers do not exercise the $30MM club option (they wouldn't). It is plausible that Glasnow would not exercise the player option, and Glasnow could be a free agent in 2028.
· Edwin Díaz – 2 years $46MM with a $6.5MM club option for the third year.
· Tanner Scott – 2 years $36MM
· Freddie Freeman – 1 year $27MM
· Teoscar Hernández – 1 year $17MM, $15MM club option with $6.5MM buyout
· Max Muncy – 1 year $13.75MM – CANNOT BE TRADED WITH HIS 10/5 RIGHTS WITHOUT HIS PERMISSION
· Hyeseong Kim – 1 year $4.1MM + 2 $5MM club options with $1.5MM buyout
Both Snell and Díaz were on the IL list long enough to generate a club option after the original contract runs out, at very favorable terms.
Most expect Teoscar to get traded. With the expected $23.5MM obligation, it is likely the Dodgers are going to need to pony up some of the $$$. That is equivalent to about a 3.0 fWAR. In 2024 he had a 0.6 fWAR and last year a 1.2 fWAR. At this point in his career, Teo is really a DH. That will be too much for a low revenue team to take on. Because of one year remaining, it is probable that Teo gets moved to potential contender. A team like Toronto may want to bring Teo home. Would Houston be interested? Texas? The Dodgers need to make room for JDP, so I too expect Teo to be playing elsewhere in 2027.
Tyler Glasnow has also been rumored to be a potential trade option. There is no question about his “stuff”, but there are a lot of questions about his ability to stay healthy. I am an unapologetic Glasnow fan, and I do not think his financial commitments (2 years, $54MM) are so much that he is not a good trade possibility. IMO, the Dodgers are going to need to be convinced Glasnow cannot stay healthy, but that should not be hard. There should be teams who will be interested in his services, and depending how much cash LAD might be willing to include, they might be able to get a decent return.
Then again you never have enough pitching. I doubt the Dodgers will re-sign Skubal. Do the Dodgers have enough SP with:
· Yamamoto
· Snell
· Ohtani (he says he is pitching)
· Sasaki
· Wrobleski
· Sheehan
· Stone
I do not think the Dodgers can count on Jackson Ferris or Christian Zazueta coming out of spring training. With such an uncertain rotation, can they afford to trade Glasnow?
I have no idea who the Dodgers may be interested in for trade or FA. I have thought that if the Dodgers do want to re-sign Tarik Skubal, they are going to need to do it before the lockout. I have no idea what spending capacity they will have with the new CBA or Mark Walter’s litigations. Skubal should be another in the potential grandfathered contracts.
Elly De La Cruz? IMO, not a chance. Cincinnati has three years’ control. This is his first year of arbitration. There is not a chance that Cincinnati trades him now not knowing what the next CBA may bring. In his first year of arbitration, he is going to be more than affordable for the Reds organization. I doubt they want a double hit with what the pending lockout may mean to attendance, and also losing their franchise player. Then there is the issue that the Dodgers never overpay in a trade for this level of a player. Yes, the Dodgers got Mookie one year before he was to become a FA, but not three years. Cincinnati would expect a ton more than what they gave to Boston. They are also probably still bitter with how AF/BG fleeced them in the Gavin Lux trade.
Freddie Freeman? I know Mark thinks there is a chance, but I put the chance at zero that Freddie gets traded. They may not re-sign him after 2027, but he will finish this contract as a Dodger.
As stated above, Max Muncy is not getting traded. He can’t without his permission, and the Dodgers have no reason to request it. He will be making all of $13.75MM (about 1.7 fWAR) and then retire as a Dodger. I do not care how many of his HRs were solo HRs. He had 29 of them. He still had a .837 OPS and 128 OPS+. I do not know how, but he is a GG finalist. His fWAR was 4.1. Why would the Dodgers trade him? Outside of the pre-arbitration players, he may be the most affordable Dodger under contract.
There are a lot of untradeable contracts, so where will the younger and more athletic come from?
LAA owner to be, Stan Kroenke, does not take control of the Angels until next year (currently projected to be 1st quarter). I do think Kroenke would trade with LAD, but Arte Moreno is too bitter, so unless Kroenke gets involved, I do not think that Zach Neto gets traded to the Dodgers.
Jeremy Peña is a viable target. He has one year of control remaining. The Astros traded Tucker a year before he was going to be a free agent. Houston got Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and Cam Smith for Tucker. A good return. Smith and Paredes are starters and Wesneski is in the rotation. They did not trade Alex Bregman or Framber Valdez before they became free agents. With their horrid farm system, I do not think they want to make that mistake again. Peña will get traded and the Dodgers can make them a good offer. Will they?
I am still in the Alex Freeland camp, and I believe he will be a regular for somebody. I wish it was for the Dodgers, but I just believe the Dodgers will push for a veteran (like Peña) over Freeland. Do not agree with it, but expect it. Maybe Freeland doesn't work out, but I do not give up on 24 year old players because of a poor start. But as always, I will still root for the team on the front of the jersey more than the name on the back of the jersey. I did with Corey Seager, so Freeland will not be a test.
Discussion (124)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Comments are closed on this post. Existing comments remain visible below.
Not only is Suzuki not returning to the Angels, interim GM, Matusik will not be back either.
A Miami newspaper reports the Marlins are willing to listen on Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards, both of whom can play second base (and shortstop). Maybe we should add those names to the list we're building to fill the 2B position for 2027. We need to help Andrew with his decision making.
Saw an interesting scenario in MLBTR comments. LAD trades Teo to Atlanta for Jurickson Profar and prospects. The Dodgers immediately release Profar and save nearly $9MM (Teo $23.8MM including buyout vs Profar $15MM). Teo is a better option than Mike Yastrzemski in LF. If the Braves insist on making the deal closer to cash even, then the prospects will get better.
Nobody has suggested that this is even on the table. But it does have some intrigue.
Some are predicting that not only will Call be traded, but Teo also, most likely to an AL team that needs a DH. Miggy will be back in some capacity with the team, most likely a minor league infield coach. Starting pitchers for the Rays not etched in stone yet. 3 AL West teams have managerial vacancy's, Hoston, the Angels and Mariners. Does not happen often that there are 3 teams in the same division seeking new skippers. Albert Pujols will be a candidate for a job for sure.
Japanese FA Sato had an strong year hitting .300 with 39 homers. He plays outfield and 3B. Dodgers should be interested in the LH hitter. With all the Japanese players, the Dodgers should be of interest to him. Dodgers would save 100K by not having to hire another interpreter(grin).
Huge prospect potential at 3B/SS in Harlan/Morales. Same with OF in JPD/Quintero/Sirota. I still believe in Rushing & Betts is going nowhere. An upgrade could happen at 2B because it's the only available spot.
I remember being a bit puzzled when this guy's name started popping up Jeff's Farm Report. Caleb Johnson plays at Ontario. Now he's earned a bit of attention from mlb.com focusing on standouts from the 2026 draft:
Dodgers: Caleb Johnson, SS (unranked) A four-year starter at Jacksonville State, Johnson is a switch-hitter with good actions at shortstop, gap power and baserunning savvy. The 13th-rounder batted .293/.375/.537 with five homers and nine steals in 22 Single-A games.
Was Caleb Johnson ever drafted before? Did he blossom late at Jacksonville State? The Dodgers paid a lot for their top pick Bo Lowrence, the big high schooler who oozes potential. Johnson, having finished college, was probably a bargain. Sweet. So far, so good, debuting in Ontario with a .912 OPS--and getting digital ink in LADT! The fact that he's a SS and switch hitter could put him in the mix for a UT role in a few seasons. Or perhaps he's just another nice trade chip who, all considered, may be better off with a smaller-market team.
Jake Geloff! I keep forgetting about the stealthy slugging second baseman. He made extraordinary progress in '26, but I don't think he's on a Top 30 prospect list. I don't see the Dodgers protecting him, given the need to protect Zazueta and Ferris and ???, so I wouldn't be surprised if a small-market and/or crappy team (like the Angels) nabs him. Would it make sense to package him another second-tier prospect to bring in a strong catching prospect? Or maybe he could just sweeten the deal for Jeremy Pena, because Altuve is in the winter of his career.
I think it's safe to say that Bill Plaschke is just a complete and utter turd. BTW, I remember Jim Murray when I used to read the LA Times Sports section as a kid. Who else remembers Jim Murray?
Yeah, run out the same team they had last year...
Maybe miss the playoffs!
You can't turn back the clock by running out the same old lineup. The Dodgers don't need a reunion tour. They need a roster renovation.
Rushing to have surgery . No throwing for NINE months!! Could have done it in August or Sept
Suzuki out as manager of the Angels.
Lost in the hype of the others?
Friedman and Gomes press conference currently live on AM 570
The World Series doesn't start until Friday. Both teams can set up their starting pitching accordingly. They have a graph on MLB.com which shows how each team was constructed. 8.9% of the Rays roster via the draft or international signings. 31.2% came from trades. 1.9% from rule 5 and 5.1% were free agents. 41.1% of their roster is home grown. Milwaukee has 23% from the draft, 8.4 from international signings, 21.5% from trades and 0.6% from free agents. 53.9% of their roster, is home grown.
Will the the Dodgers get younger through trades or minors? Prospects are just that, prospects. They need a second baseman who can rake. They need, like Bear said, some power off the bench. They need a utility player who can play 3rd , short, or second. AND HIT! They will be just fine. But hitters should be a priority. Not .210 hitters!
True about Call/Ehrhard btw. No need to rush things that may sort out on their own.
Yeah, this pretty much sums things up the current state of thinking, including the uncertainty over what moves might actually be made. Thank you for reminding people of the silliness of thinking Muncy or Freeman will be traded. Muncy had nearly a career year last year and will be paid 10 million. He's the best bargain in baseball and a loyal Dodger. Freeman had a down year, and might be declining at 36, but he'll have one more year as a well above average player.
Everyone making all of these dramatic roster moves and trades of veterans, what you're really talking about is a rebuild. Is that what you want? You know what rebuilds are, right? It means the team gets rid of the players that made it a winning team and endure not being a winning team until the young players develop. I read Mark's 2028 roster - it's like all prospects except for Ohtani and Betts, with, for example, Tibbs at first. Do people really think that kind of team is going to win 100 games?
"The Dodgers have to get younger!! They're old!!! Younger!! Younger!!" Does that always mean better? Is getting younger the goal, or being a WS contender the goal? Getting younger could help, but it is a means to an end.
JDP could be that means to an end. I just don't know that he can play defense anywhere. Hopefully he really works on D in the offseason, because I'd really like to see his bat in the lineup.
I don't think people are bashing Freeland. With Miggo Ro and Kike likely gone, the Dodgers will need him, but I see his ceiling as a utility player - good defense in three infield positions, and a slightly below average hitter. If he can up his offense to his minor league level of, say, 2025, where he had a 115 wRC+, then he could be a starter, but he hasn't adjusted to the quality of MLB pitching, and might never will.
I am a believer that we'll get max effort/production from Freddie, Max, and Teo bc they're in a walk year and likely have one contract left. That said, Father Time is a factor which means if we keep them on the roster they will need to be time-managed to stay healthy.
If we really want to move Teo (and maybe Glassnow so we can sign Skubal), we should look at how the Red Sox move unwanted, aging stars, which is packaging them with a legitimate star/anchor player--e.g., The Dodgers wanted Adrian Gonzales, but had to take Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, et al. as part of the deal. In this situation, the Dodgers could dangle Pages, Rushing, and perhaps even JDP.
Our farm system like every other team is a hype project. I am not convinced we have the OF's of the future we think we have. The only player I want to see in the starting line-up is Alex Freeland. He's the type of gritty, aggressive ball player we need more of.
Glasnow has made 31 starts in the past 2 years combined and has never made more than 22 starts in a season. He has chronic back problems and is not getting younger. I'm not sure why any team would be interested in him despite how great his stuff is unless the Dodgers pay most of that contract.
This is a brilliant synopsis and you made me look forward to thinking about this offseason's moves.
Small note: Muncy also has a $10m club option for 2028 with a $3m buyout.
Thank you, Jeff.
Great review, Jeff. Always appreciate your insights. (I did not notice Freeland in your list of players under contract. I assume that's just an oversight.) With the current roster--without making a single trade or signing a single free agent--the Dodgers should be frontrunners to win NL West and perhaps take the first step toward the coveted "three-peat" in The Kyle Tucker Era. And although everybody's a year older, the roster can also get younger in the process. Skubal could be gone, but in addition to the three postseason SPs, the Dodgers rotation could include Shohei, Sheehan, Wrobo and Gavin Stone. (Heck, maybe even Bobby Miller! But I hope he gets a fresh start somewhere else. My crystal ball sees him in a Angles uniform...) Consider this lineup:
Shohei DH Mookie 2B JdP LF Pages CF Freddie 1B Smith (Feduccia, or Rushing if healthy) C Max (Edman) 3B Tucker RF (of course he should bat much higher, but...you know... Kim (Freeland) SS
Bench: Edman, Freeland, Feduccia/Rushing, Sirota/Ehrhard.....On the cusp: Noah Miller, Tibbs
Addressing some likely questions... Why Kim at SS? Early this past season, while Mookie was injured for several weeks, the Dodgers played Kim at SS and Freeland at 2B. Not sure why--maybe the Dodgers just wanted Freeland to get more reps at 2B--but Kim handled the position well. Plus, Kim was chosen for the postseason roster over Freeland, probably because of his superior speed. (That said, I fully agree that Jeremy Pena or another acquisition is more likely to start at SS than either Kim or Freeland. I'm starting to think Zach Neto, a few years younger than Pena, might be a good fit.) Sirota or Ehrhard? Both bat righty and both are 23. Either could platoon with JdP, if advisable, and either could be a good defensive replacement. Ehrhard may be more "ready" because of his recent success in OKC, while Sirota's impressive progress through the system was slowed a bit by injury. But Sirota is rated higher as a prospect, and JdP was promoted straight from Tulsa. Spring training should sort this out. Why bat JdP 3rd and Pages 4th? If the Dodgers are determined to get younger, let the kids play! This lineup follows the L/R/L/R rhythm that Doc likes. To me, JdP's plate discipline just cries out for a top 3 lineup position--and I think Freddie is regressing from the top of lineup, while Tucker just doesn't inspire confidence. As for Pages, he's now a veteran and has the most potent righty bat in the lineup. Remember, he was an RBI machine in the first half last season, making the all-star team. Doc should trust him take on more responsibility. (I will always find it mind-boggling that Doc had Max pinch hit for Pages in the 6th inning in Game 3. With plenty of game to play, he took out a dangerous bat and also the team's best outfielder. Doc wanted to roll the dice with Max. Snake eyes.) Should Mookie, at age 34, play 2B and bat second? He's had a remarkable run at SS, solidifying his HOF credentials, but Mookie's range and arm strength figure to diminish with age. But I'm optimistic that his bat can still play high in the order. Why? After the all-star break, Mookie hit to a team-leading .849 OPS, including 12 HRs. Trailing Mookie in second-half OPS were Max at .830, Pages at .820 and the slumping Shohei at .772. Moving to 2B might slow the aging process a bit. Alas, I wish I could feel more optimistic about Freddie, but his performance tailed off after the all-star break. Hmm.... Maybe Max should bat 5th and Freddie should drop to 7th. If Freddie gets banged up, then Tibbs could get his chance.