The Dodgers are in Toronto and have a couple of days of practice before Friday’s Game One of the World Series. Everyone is comparing the Dodgers’ position players to the Blue Jays’ Position players as if Vlad Guerrero were pitching to Freddie Freeman or George Springer were pitching to Andy Pages. The starters for the Dodgers don’t pitch to the starters of the Jays. The Dodgers are the better team… even Ray Charles can see that, but you have to play the games and then there’s that “crapshoot thing.”
So, we might look into my crystal ball and see what the next couple of years might hold for the Dodgers. These are my opinions and not in any way connected to reality. The reality is that the Dodgers have four of their top five prospects (according to MLB.com) who are outfielders (actually, five of the Dodgers’ Top Ten Prospects are outfielders). So, that and the fact that Teoscar is under contract for two more years, with two more years of two more years of options, and that Andy Pages is under team control until 2031, makes me believe that the Dodgers won’t really be players for Kyle Tucker… unless he really, really, wants to be a Dodger and signs under market. I don’t see that happening.
Alex Freeland is ready, but has no place to play. Here are the Dodgers’ outfielder prospects and what I see as their futures:
- Mike Sorota – He was the focal point of the Gavin Lux trade and is a pure Centerfielder who has been injured for parts of the last two years, which has slowed his progress. Is this a coincidence or a pattern? I can see him patrolling CF for the Dodgers in 2027 or still at Tulsa fighting injuries. Pages moves to RF and Teoscar goes to LF in 2027. Sirota is unlikely to be of help in 2026. MLB.com says this about him: “Sirota has an extremely disciplined approach — his 59 walks in 51 games last year broke Peña’s school record — and excellent bat-to-ball skills. His timing got out of whack for much of his junior season, but he has corrected that and torn up two Class A levels in his 2025 pro debut. He has the bat speed and projectable strength to provide 20 homers per year, perhaps more if he can add some loft to his right-handed stroke. Sirota doesn’t have to make a huge offensive impact to help a team win games. He has plus speed and shows the aptitude to steal bases. He makes good reads and takes good routes in center field, where he’s a solid defender with arm strength to match.“
- Eduardo Quintero – While I think Sirota could be a solid player (maybe even an occasional All-Star), Quintero could be that Superstar that comes along once every 10 years or so, and it appears that he could play any outfield position… including CF. MLB.com says this about Quintero: “Quintero is a polished hitter who rarely chases pitches out of the zone and makes consistent contact to all fields. His quick right-handed swing produces high exit velocities for a teenager that could portend 20-homer power, though he’ll need to learn to drive balls in the air to his pull side to get there. His patience can border on passivity at times, and his scuffles in Single-A indicate he may need to tweak his approach against better pitching. Quintero features at least plus speed and uses it aggressively, stealing 54 bases in 64 attempts (84 percent) in 132 games over his first two years as a pro. His quickness gives him plenty of range in center field, and he could become a plus defender as he continues to acclimate to his new position. His strong arm enables him to fit anywhere in the outfield and has registered 15 assists in 113 pro starts.“
- Josue DePaula – A LH hitter who is a consensus Top MLB Prospect and is projected to arrive in MLB in 2026 (I don’t see that). He has improved his footwork and has at least average speed… maybe above average. That was the rap on him when he started. There have been rumors that the Dodgers are considering moving him to 1B to take Freddie’s place in 2028. I think he’s due to arrive about then. I am not as high on him as some are. MLB.com says this about DePaula: “De Paula’s approach is unparalleled within the Dodgers’ system and is one of the most advanced among his youthful peers. Among his system-mates with 400 or more plate appearances, his 16.2% chase rate was the lowest and his 105.3 mph 90th percentile exit velocity was the third highest, behind just Chris Newell and Dalton Rushing. Scouts praised De Paula for how long he kept his barrel in the zone, his all-fields approach and his fearless attitude against lefthanders. There’s little question about De Paula’s ability to hit. The bigger question is where he’ll land on the diamond. In spring training, the Dodgers enlisted veteran Jason Heyward to impress upon De Paula the importance of defense as part of a well-rounded skill set. He’s a fringe-average runner, and his average arm would fit in left field if he can stick at the position. Currently, evaluators give De Paula an outside chance to remain in the outfield, though they acknowledge a future at first base or DH might be in the cards.”
- Zyhir Hope – Another LH hitter, who can play all three outfield positions. He was prt of the Michael Busch trade and is a very good prospect. MLB.COM says this about him: “When the Dodgers acquired Hope, they knew they were getting a potential gem waiting to be polished. They believed he was being too passive and letting too many hittable pitches go by as an amateur. In Hope’s first full season, his swing decisions had improved immensely and he was doing an outstanding job connecting on pitches in the zone. The contact also came with big-time impact, including a 90th percentile exit velocity of 108.5 mph. Hope uses quick, powerful movements from a compact, athletic frame to help him lose baseballs to all sectors with shocking ease. His home-to-first times show a fringe-average runner, but the sprint speeds he’s posted underway are closer to above-average. He’s likely ticketed for left field thanks to a below-average arm, but his bat should be plenty for the position. His reads off the bat need to improve as well.”
- James Tibbs III – Another LH bat who is the oldest of the bunch, Tibbs was part of the deal for Rafael Devers and was then sent to LA in the Dustin May trade. He is an intriguing prospect who could flame out or become a star. I have no prediction as to what might happen, but I love his outlook.
If I were the Dodgers, I might trade Freeland, Rushing, and others, but I wouldn’t trade any of the five players. I think that at least two will be stars… I don’t know which two! Sooo, the Dodgers will need an outfielder (not named Conforto) next year. Preferably, he can be LH and platoon with Call and be on a one-year deal. Well, that or they could put Dalton Rushing in LF for a year. They could do a lot worse!
Discussion (19)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Vesia out for the World Series?
That’s the kind of pitcher who always gives Dodgers batters a lot of trouble, hopefully that will end tomorrow.
Don’t you think the SF players will respect Vitello, or don’t you think Vitello will be respected in SF? I think the same thing was thought about Roberts when he was hired as manager.
Sources Confirm: Ohtani was seen on a plane to Toronto
Trey Yesavage (Game 1 Starter) has just 14 innings of MLB experience.
He started the season in A ball and moved to A+, AA, and then AAA before coming to MLB.
He also has 15 innings of postseason pitching and a 4.20 ERA.
This is a big risk for a 22-year-old. This is a dope-fiend move. Sometimes they work… most times they don’t!
Max Scherzer said he “absolutely believes” in Tony Vitello, his former college coach, and thinks he will succeed as the new manager of the San Francisco Giants. Scherzer highlighted Vitello’s ability to connect with and motivate players, stating that his passion and ability to get players to “buy in” will translate well to the major league level, despite Vitello’s lack of professional experience. Scherzer also called Vitello one of his closest friends and expressed confidence that he will “get it done at the big league level”.
Others describe Tony Vitello as a charismatic and fiery coach who has built a successful college baseball program, though some see his personality as arrogant. His supporters highlight his energy, ability to develop players, and create an exciting team environment, with one MLB executive calling the move to San Francisco a “risk” but a potentially rewarding one. Critics mention his lack of professional experience and the potential for his personality to clash with MLB veterans.
Andrew Baggarly (a great writer) wrote this in The Athletic:
“Drew Gilbert hung up the phone with his college coach Wednesday and felt the same emotions that he experienced so often during their three seasons together at the University of Tennessee: inspired, motivated and pumped up beyond all belief.
The only difference now is that Tony Vitello won’t be his coach. He’ll be his manager with the San Francisco Giants.
“I felt like I was shaking when I saw the news,” Gilbert said in a phone interview. “This is the guy, man.”
Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey certainly agrees. Posey, seeking to bring fresh leadership and perspective to the Giants’ dugout, set aside Vitello’s total lack of pro baseball playing or coaching experience while he zeroed in on the charismatic Tennessee coach over the past two weeks. They wrapped up the unconventional process Wednesday and announced Vitello as the 40th manager in franchise history. A source confirmed to The Athletic that Vitello’s contract with the Giants is a modest raise over his Tennessee salary: $3.5 million for three years with an option for a fourth year.
Vitello will inherit an entirely different set of challenges. He also happens to inherit Gilbert, the player he credits for instituting foundational change in a Volunteers baseball program that was transformed from Southeastern Conference doormat into a swaggering, national powerhouse. Giants fans needed just a few weeks this past season to appreciate the rookie outfielder’s off-the-charts energy and excitability. Now imagine Gilbert’s ceiling-peeling reaction when he learned that Vitello would be running the show in San Francisco.
“Those three years with him changed my life,” Gilbert said. “I wouldn’t be here without him. I’m just excited, man. I know how much he wants to win and how intense he is and how much of a players’ coach he is. I can’t wait to see him get around everyone. I truly believe he’ll bring out the best in everybody just like he did in college.
“I know it’s a different game, this and that, hasn’t had any pro ball experience, whatever. But the one thing I do know is he knows how to compete. That doesn’t change whatever level you’re at. At the end of the day, it’s a competition and you’d like to have the best competitor leading us.”
It just so happens that the competitor Posey chose is making an unprecedented and direct jump from a Division I program to a major-league dugout. It’s a transition that will be fascinating to watch unfold and subject to constant scrutiny. It could result in a spectacular success or an even more spectacular failure. Gilbert is betting on the former, and even though he’ll be the first and most enthusiastic Giants player to buy in, he doesn’t anticipate much skepticism from others within the clubhouse.
“I could come up with some answer to tell them this or that, but it’s true: He hasn’t played pro baseball,” Gilbert said. “I’m biased, but I personally don’t give a s—. I know it’s a higher level and you’re facing the best of the best, and I know I haven’t been up here that long, but what we’ve been doing hasn’t worked. What I personally was doing didn’t work, either. We need to spice it up a bit and bring somebody in who’s going to change things up. He knows how to compete, and that’s really all I’m worried about. He knows the game. Not worried about that. And he’s probably the best people person I’ve ever been around, so I’m not really concerned about him getting the vibe of the clubhouse or whatnot. That’ll be one of the easier transitions he has to make.”
This is a high risk, high reward move by Buster Posey. To the best of my knowledge, no other team has done this.
Tony Vitello=Gabe Kapler 2.0
We got a World Series to win….
Mark, I love your solution when the time comes but I’m not sure why everyone thinks Muncy will deteriorate so fast. As Mark Twain once said, “rumors of my death are premature “. My untrained baseball eye says Max has 2 to 4 years left and we need a way to platoon smith and rushing before that to save their offensive batteries.
Will Smith’s bat plays. Finding ways to keep him productive over the course of an entire season should be a priority for the Dodgers. A platoon catching role over the short term would be wise but an eventual move to either 3B or 2B would be ideal in my book.
With Freddy and Muncy approaching the twilight of their careers, moving forward the LAD are going to need Smith’s to remain productive over the course of an entire season.
A move away from catcher is not necessary but would be wise. His bat is that good.
The Dodgers are deep in OF prospects, but relatively thin on the infield. The ML roster is deep with pitching, especially starters. The four aces in the WS are locked up for the next several years, and they are backed by Sasaki and Sheehan, plus Stone and Ryan returning from injury, plus a maturing Jackson Ferris. Et cetera.
Alex Freeland had some nice moments as a rookie, but he really didn’t prove he should crack the roster in ’26. I had figured that he’d take Rojas’s place, but Miggy seems to be aging like fine wine. The Dodgers could decide to opt for a younger player, but Miggy was very reliable in ’25.
I’d be reluctant to deal Rushing, but he could be the key in dealing for a young stud infielder to succeed Max. But who?
Less worried about 1B. Freddie’s successor could be DePaula, and Tibbs has played some 1B too. And then there is Rushing… but, amazingly, Rohrtvedt may have put him on the market.
The Dodgers have plenty of trade chips, and a roster that is difficult to crack.
The Giants hired Joey Vitello to be their manager, Suzuki hired by the Angels. That leaves six openings in the majors, Atlanta, Colorado, DC, Baltimore, San Diego and Minnesota. Dodger bench coach, Danny Lehmann is being considered for the job in Atlanta. Guys like David Ross, John Gibbons also being considered. Tio Albert supposedly to be interviewed by the Orioles and Padres. I would hope he goes to Baltimore. I do not want to see him in San Diego with that bunch. For those of you who do not remember, game one starter, Blake Snell struck out 10 Jays in his start against them at Dodger Stadium, a 9-1 win. The day before that, Kershaw beat them 5-1. They lost the third game of the series 5-4 because Treinen and Vesia gave up 3 homers in the last 2 innings.
Mark, is George not an mlb starter in your opinion?
Multiple sources estimate the Dodgers’ 2025 tax bill will be in the range of $143 million to $169 million, depending on the final payroll total. This would bring their total spending for the season, including their payroll, to approximately $586 million in 2025.
Since the Dodgers have exceeded the luxury tax threshold for multiple consecutive years, they are subject to higher tax rates, with spending over the highest threshold ($301 million) taxed at 110%.
As a consequence of exceeding the highest CBT threshold, the Dodgers will also have their highest pick in the 2026 draft moved back 10 spots.
The Dodgers can’t reset this overnight, but if Kershaw, Teoscar, Freeman, and others can come off the books in the next two years and are replaced with cost-controlled Prospects. That can’t happen if they sign Tucker.
You can say it’s only money, but $150 to $200 million over 5 years is almost a Billion Dollars.
The bottom line for this year is likely to be around $21 million in operating income.
Translation: Walter will have to sell the team in a few years to make the shareholders whole.
Notes from Internet (WS Edition)
Jay Jaffe Chat:
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/jay-jaffe-fangraphs-chat-10-21-25/
Jake: Do you expect Rasmussen or Pepiot to get 200 innings in ’26?
Jay Jaffe: Three pitchers threw 200 innings this season, and four last year. the last pitcher to throw 200 innings for the Rays was Chris Archer in 2017 (his third year in a row). So my answer isn’t just no, it’s an emphatic “absolutely not. Expectations for starting pitchers have changed. and you’ll need to adjust yours accordingly
Jos: The Blue Jays limited LHP options seem like a good matchup for Ohtani, but the dodgers dont have great RHRP for Vlad. Who’s going to get those guys out in the 7th/8th/9th??
Jay Jaffe: It’s no secret that the Dodgers’ biggest weakness is their bullpen. Their trust tree is no taller than some of my father’s bonsai. They’ve been able to get around that thanks to starting pitchers going deep, and using some starters as relievers. I suspect they’ll approach the World Series similarly while also not getting too hung up on strict platoon splits. Lefty Jack Dreyer, for example, held righties to a .256 wOBA, and Alex Vesia .295. the path to beating the Dodgers certainly runs through their bullpen, though.
Tom B: Are there any interesting platoon splits among Blue Jays hitters that Dodger fans should keep in mind?
Jay Jaffe: The Blue Jays do a fair bit of platooning to cover weaknesses, but the one that comes to mind is Ernie Clement, who during the regular season hit for a 146 wRC+ (.326/.351/.549) against lefties and 75 wRC+ (.254/.295/.327) against righties but has been playing every day in October and has come through against righties in some key spots.
Matt: Where do you stand on how successful the Dodgers have been by outspending their competition? There are plenty of cheap owners making the product worse, but do you believe something should be done to curtail the runaway spending that goes beyond the luxury tax? Perhaps even more revenue sharing?
Jay Jaffe: I think there are too many owners pocketing the revenue sharing money and skimping on payroll, and the mechanisms that one could put in place to try to prevent the Dodgers from spending more money are ones that are going to put more money in the pockets of the owners, not the players. So screw that. The answer to competing with the Dodgers is to push the envelope the way the Padres have — it hasn’t paid off with a World Series trip but they did bounce them in 2022 and were thisclose to winning last year’s Division Series as well.
The great Kiley McDaniel takes a look at each Dodger starter:
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46660921/world-series-2025-los-angeles-dodgers-rotation-guide-snell-ohtani-yamamoto-glasnow
“Snell had been a power fastball/breaking ball pitcher for basically his whole career — but this season, his changeup became his second-most-used pitch and his clear best by run value (i.e., good things happened when he threw it this year, much more so than with his other pitches)”
Per Sonya Chen:
Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers will likely roll out the same rotation in the World Series as they did in the NLCS, at least for the first two games: Blake Snell in Game 1 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2.
Longhagen Chat
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/eric-longenhagen-prospects-chat-10-3-25/
flightsongs: Big jump for Quintero on The Board! What caught your eye?
Eric A Longenhagen: His top hand is much more involved in his swing now than at the start of the season, I’m more confident he can actually turn on the baseball now.
GA Blood: As someone who watches an insane amount of baseball, are there any single events (plays or PAs or even individual pitches) that stand out to you as memories from this season? For example, I got to witness Mason Miller dot up 104 the other day, and then when someone on twitter called it the best pitch ever I just thought, “yeah, that’s probably true.” A great reminder that baseball is fun like that.
Eric A Longenhagen: Roki/Yamamoto piggyback during Spring Training, some of Roki’s splitters were unreal. Any time I’m at Chase and Ketel really lays into one it’s moving, Perdomo made a play to his right against the Phillies a few weeks ago (the Friday night game of that series) that was unreal, watching Rainiel Rodriguez go nuclear in Florida
Passan on Ohtani:
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46632002/2025-mlb-playoffs-nlcs-los-angeles-dodgers-shohei-ohtani-two-way-dominance
“Game 4, his teammates were convinced, was going to be a culmination of that extra cage work and the matching of his pitching peers’ dominance.
“You guys asked me yesterday, and I said I was expecting nothing short of incredible today,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said. “And he proved me wrong. He went beyond incredible.”
Baseball America ranks Minor League systems in Stuff+ for this season ($$$$)
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2025-mlb-farm-system-statcast-pitching-rankings/
Dodgers at #1.
Orioles, Marlins, Mets, Red Sox round out the top 5.
Fan Graphs Free Agent Tracker for 2026
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/instagraphs/the-2026-free-agent-tracker-is-here/
The Windup podcast previews the WS, with NED COLLETTI!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/starkville-former-gms-ned-colletti-steve-phillips-preview/id1558220009?i=1000732953289
“The Dodgers go at it in such a unique way, they’re view is always the long view. When they sign pitchers they explain, you’re not going to make 30-35 starts. Okay? We don’t expect that of you…””
Jay Jaffe on Kike and Teo resetting in the playoffs:
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/enrique-and-teoscar-hernandez-have-hit-the-reset-button-in-timely-fashion/
Keith Law’s AFL Notes ($$$$)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6735473/2025/10/22/hagen-smith-anderson-brito-arizona-fall-league-pitchers/
“Dodgers left-hander Jakob Wright made a last-minute start and was 93-95 with some deception, getting good shape on an 83-84 mph slider. His changeup seemed like it might be too firm, but it’s effective enough to work off the fastball”
Old friend Sean Linan gets a mention as does Hyun-Seok Jang
Baseball America ranks Minor League systems in Hit+ (Hitters) for this season ($$$$)
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2025-mlb-farm-system-statcast-hitting-rankings/
Dodgers at #1
Tigers, Giants, Astros Twins round out the top 5
Ardaya on the Dodgers late-season rallying point ($$$$)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6735503/2025/10/21/dodgers-mlb-world-series-dave-roberts-meeting/
“Roberts’ message was simple and came through.
“Just giving everyone permission to let go of the prior, call it, five months of the year, the inconsistencies of play,” Roberts said.””
Baseball Prospectus Podcast, Five adn Dive breaches the “ruining baseball”
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/five-and-dive-episode-501-turn-the-season/id1481597851?i=1000732357525
“My contention is that The Tampa Bay Rays could have won every World Series for the last decase and we still would have a lockout next year… They’re all insulting covers, yeah, because like we get that they’re not going to open the books. Yeah, nobody’s opening the books here”
Joe Torre on Dave Roberts:
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/joe-torre-in-awe-of-dodgers-dave-roberts-postseason-success
Notes From Internet (WS Edition)
The great Kiley McDaniel takes a look at each Dodger starter:
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46660921/world-series-2025-los-angeles-dodgers-rotation-guide-snell-ohtani-yamamoto-glasnow
“Snell had been a power fastball/breaking ball pitcher for basically his whole career — but this season, his changeup became his second-most-used pitch and his clear best by run value (i.e., good things happened when he threw it this year, much more so than with his other pitches)”
Per Sonya Chen:
Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers will likely roll out the same rotation in the World Series as they did in the NLCS, at least for the first two games: Blake Snell in Game 1 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2.
Longhagen Chat
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/eric-longenhagen-prospects-chat-10-3-25/
flightsongs: Big jump for Quintero on The Board! What caught your eye?
Eric A Longenhagen: His top hand is much more involved in his swing now than at the start of the season, I’m more confident he can actually turn on the baseball now.
GA Blood: As someone who watches an insane amount of baseball, are there any single events (plays or PAs or even individual pitches) that stand out to you as memories from this season? For example, I got to witness Mason Miller dot up 104 the other day, and then when someone on twitter called it the best pitch ever I just thought, “yeah, that’s probably true.” A great reminder that baseball is fun like that.
Eric A Longenhagen: Roki/Yamamoto piggyback during Spring Training, some of Roki’s splitters were unreal. Any time I’m at Chase and Ketel really lays into one it’s moving, Perdomo made a play to his right against the Phillies a few weeks ago (the Friday night game of that series) that was unreal, watching Rainiel Rodriguez go nuclear in Florida
Passan on Ohtani:
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46632002/2025-mlb-playoffs-nlcs-los-angeles-dodgers-shohei-ohtani-two-way-dominance
“Game 4, his teammates were convinced, was going to be a culmination of that extra cage work and the matching of his pitching peers’ dominance.
“You guys asked me yesterday, and I said I was expecting nothing short of incredible today,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said. “And he proved me wrong. He went beyond incredible.”
Baseball America ranks Minor League systems in Stuff+ for this season ($$$$)
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2025-mlb-farm-system-statcast-pitching-rankings/
Dodgers at #1.
Orioles, Marlins, Mets, Red Sox round out the top 5.
The Windup podcast previews the WS, with NED COLLETTI!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/starkville-former-gms-ned-colletti-steve-phillips-preview/id1558220009?i=1000732953289
“The Dodgers go at it in such a unique way, they’re view is always the long view. When they sign pitchers they explain, you’re not going to make 30-35 starts. Okay? We don’t expect that of you…””
Jay Jaffe on Kike and Teo resetting in the playoffs:
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/enrique-and-teoscar-hernandez-have-hit-the-reset-button-in-timely-fashion/
Keith Law’s AFL Notes ($$$$)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6735473/2025/10/22/hagen-smith-anderson-brito-arizona-fall-league-pitchers/
“Dodgers left-hander Jakob Wright made a last-minute start and was 93-95 with some deception, getting good shape on an 83-84 mph slider. His changeup seemed like it might be too firm, but it’s effective enough to work off the fastball”
Old friend Sean Linan gets a mention as does Hyun-Seok Jang
Baseball America ranks Minor League systems in Hit+ (Hitters) for this season ($$$$)
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2025-mlb-farm-system-statcast-hitting-rankings/
Dodgers at #1
Tigers, Giants, Astros Twins round out the top 5
Ardaya on the Dodgers late-season rallying point ($$$$)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6735503/2025/10/21/dodgers-mlb-world-series-dave-roberts-meeting/
“Roberts’ message was simple and came through.
“Just giving everyone permission to let go of the prior, call it, five months of the year, the inconsistencies of play,” Roberts said.””
Baseball Prospectus Podcast, Five adn Dive breaches the “ruining baseball”
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/five-and-dive-episode-501-turn-the-season/id1481597851?i=1000732357525
“My contention is that The Tampa Bay Rays could have won every World Series for the last decase and we still would have a lockout next year… They’re all insulting covers, yeah, because like we get that they’re not going to open the books. Yeah, nobody’s opening the books here”
Joe Torre on Dave Roberts:
https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/joe-torre-in-awe-of-dodgers-dave-roberts-postseason-success
MLB Trade Rumors posted their list of 2025/26 free agents recently. There’s only one player who looks like a clear upgrade in a position of need for LA: Kyle Tucker. IF he wants to be a Dodger, it seems like they could make it work. With Conforto and Taylor off the books, his ~$30M AAV wouldn’t change payroll much compared to this season.
They’ll leverage $$ for an upgrade before trading away prospects, especially Rushing and Freeland because they are vital deptch at catcher and infield. The 2025 trade deadline showed their strategy: don’t trade years of service time for a short term upgrade that might not work out. Rely on internal depth to survive the regular season, and align roster for October.
Signing Tucker would upgrade 2026 team, while allowing them to keep and develop the next outfielder from the pool Mark listed to replace Teo in a couple years. Maybe Bellinger would fit, but that doesn’t feel likely.
I would like to see Conforto on the team, I really don’t see the need to have Dean, he only plays one inning and on defense since he’s not even a bad batting option, he doesn’t even exist as a hitter, if they want a defensive replacement there’s Call, and that would serve to give Pages an extra game of rest.
Will Smith is an elite bat and rushing should become one. Catching kills hitting (see Smith second half vs first half history) . Why not platoon smith and rushing between catching and LF. Neither gets worn down physically that way.
Sounds like Tanner Scott will be on the playoff roster!
Awesome content, Mark. I like the thought of Sirota as a pure CF option and Quintero as a higher-upside addition a bit later. DePaula seems destined for LF/1B/DH but I’m higher on Hope’s overall tools than the above scoutibg report. He looks like RF of the future.
Next year should feature Pages, Teo & a new OF. Tucker fits really well and gives us that extra bat we tried to get with Soto. I could see him being a “final” piece FA signing early in the offseason as we focus mostly on bullpen & bench for 2026.
Winning this year eases the stress of future planning. The rotation is stacked and the prospects will start to hit the roster. I like Freeland as an extra IF next and Rushing as probably the back-up again. Trading him has to be for the right piece.