Once again, the Los Angeles Dodgers were baseball’s best team during the regular season. Once again, they didn’t take home a World Series ring.
LA fell far short of the Fall Classic, suffering a stunning NLDS upset defeat to their NL West rival San Diego Padres. Although the Dodgers won it all in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, that remains their only title in a run of 10 straight postseason appearances.
After four 100-plus-win campaigns in the past five full seasons, what can the Dodgers do to stay on top all year — October included? Here’s a look at their notable free agents and trade candidates and their three biggest questions heading into 2023 and beyond.
Notable free agents: SS Trea Turner, SP Clayton Kershaw, RP Craig Kimbrel, 3B Justin Turner (club option), SP Andrew Heaney, SP Tyler Anderson, RP Tommy Kahnle, INF Hanser Alberto (club option), SP/RP David Price, OF Joey Gallo
Let’s use this section to explore a name who is not on this list but could be: Cody Bellinger, who’s slated to make somewhere in the neighborhood of $18 million in his final year of arbitration this offseason. Bellinger won the NL MVP in 2019, but since then he has batted only .203/.272/.376 and hasn’t really shown any signs of getting back to his elite form offensively. In Game 4 of the NLDS, with a right-hander on the opposing mound and the Dodgers facing elimination, Bellinger was on the bench, a telling representation of how far he has fallen. Bellinger still brings plenty of defensive value at center field and is a major power threat at the bottom of a lineup. At 27, he’s also young enough to inspire hope. But one has to wonder if a chance of scenery might benefit both sides at this point. And whether the Dodgers would be better off not tendering him in order to allocate that money elsewhere.
Trade candidates: C Will Smith, 2B Gavin Lux, RP Brusdar Graterol
The Dodgers continually produce elite catchers, the latest being Diego Cartaya, the No. 17 prospects in Kiley McDaniel’s midseason rankings. Cartaya is probably still at least a year away from the major leagues, where Smith has established himself as arguably the game’s best catcher. But if the Dodgers can get a haul for Smith, particularly to bolster their rotation, perhaps they’ll be tempted. Smith is entering his first year of arbitration and brings a lot of value to a premium position, so he would be very highly coveted. The same can be said for Lux, although to a lesser extent. The Dodgers might also be able to get a good return for Graterol, whom a lot of teams might see as their full-time closer. The Dodgers probably don’t — and they have proven highly capable of producing high-end bullpen arms from within.
Extension candidates: SP Julio Urias
Walker Buehler is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, Kershaw is seemingly going year by year at this point in his career and only Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin are locked in for the foreseeable future. The Dodgers would be smart to attain some certainty for their rotation by extending Urias, whom they signed out of Mexico when he was only 16. But they’ll have to come with a big offer. Urias can be a free agent after the 2023 season and Scott Boras is his agent.
1. What do they do at shortstop?
A lot of the talk surrounding Trea Turner when he came over at midseason last year was that he would eventually sign with an East Coast team, or at least one that conducts spring training in Florida. Turner has rejected that notion, as you might expect for a pending free agent who wants to maximize his market. But he also seems to be having a lot of fun with the Dodgers, so perhaps his mindset has shifted. In any case, shortstop is one of the few places where the Dodgers have a clear hole. They can play Lux or Chris Taylor there, but that wouldn’t be ideal. Turner will join a star-studded list of free agent shortstops that also includes Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson. Chances are the Dodgers will come away with one of those players. If they’re going to spend big again this offseason, this is probably where they’ll do it. An ideal cross-section of top free agents is lining up with a major need on a high-spending team.
2. How do they fill out their rotation?
As noted above, three members of the Dodgers’ starting rotation could soon venture into free agency. That doesn’t mean the Dodgers are low on starters: They still have Urias, May and Gonsolin lined up for next season. The expectation is that Kershaw will return as well, but his hometown Texas Rangers still loom as a possibility. And even if he does come back the Dodgers would probably like to add at least one more starting pitcher. Perhaps they leave a spot open for one of their young arms — Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, Ryan Pepiot — but they’ll at least try to bolster this group.
3. Who becomes their closer?
As a modern executive, Andrew Friedman fits the mold of someone who wouldn’t be prone to shelling out big money for an established closer, given the volatility of relievers in general. But that hasn’t necessarily been the case. Friedman signed Kenley Jansen to a five-year, $80 million extension in 2017, then traded for Kimbrel this past April — shortly after failing to re-sign Jansen again. Kimbrel underperformed in 2022 and was stripped of his job as closer heading into the postseason. The Dodgers are expected to look elsewhere this offseason. Jansen will be a free agent again, as will Edwin Diaz. But perhaps the Dodgers finally decide to go by committee in the ninth. Their bullpen depth is still very strong.
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