It is the offseason. The time in baseball when teams evaluate what they have and what they need to improve and get more competitive or dominant. One should understand that there will always be teams that fall just short or are totally noncompetitive every year. GM’s all around the league are already talking to their counterparts discussing major and minor trades. Some small trades, like the Dodgers sending Ortiz to the Mariners, have already occurred. One major free agent, Josh Naylor, has re-signed with his team.
Looking at the Dodgers 40-man roster, 15 of those players are 30 or older, some of them are in their mid-30’s and all of them figure to make the 26-man regular season roster next year barring trades or being released. The Dodgers are the oldest team by average age in the majors, and that is after some plus 30 guys are now free agents or retiring. That is one reason I am against trading for Buxton. Injury prone and over 30. LA does not need more players like that, they need youth.
It has been a while since the Dodgers have had a young position player who made a big difference in the lineup. Now some might point to Andy Pages. Andy had a very good sophomore season, unlike James Outman who was eventually traded. Their last two Rookies of the Year are now with other teams. Seager is injury prone but has had success with the Rangers. Bellinger has never come close to reaching the stats of his MVP season. He also has had injury issues.
Teams like the Padres and D-Backs have come up with some very good young players who have made impacts at an early age. Corbin Carroll, Jackson Merrill, Tatis Jr, Gabriel Moreno, and Geraldo Perdomo. Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners is just 26 and came into the league when he was 22. Most of the Dodgers youth lies in their young pitchers. I know Jeff probably knows the answer to this question, when was the last time the Dodgers had a position player who was just 22, make the team and make a big contribution?
Myself, the only really young position player I remember making the team and sticking, was Willie Crawford who debuted at 17. He became a regular when he was 22. Steve Sax was 21 when he won the ROY. Seager was 22 when he won the award, Bellinger was 21. Karros, Piazza, Mondesi and Hollandsworth were all 22 or younger. Lefebvre and Howard were also around that age. Miguel Vargas was 23 when they handed him the second base job and Outman was 25 when he debuted.
None of the major international signings I can recall were really young. Puig was 22 at the time he exploded on the scene. Maybe the Dodgers draft position year after year has something to do with it, and maybe, just maybe, it is because the Dodgers trade many of their young players to fill needs. All I know is that injuries or illness has limited some stars, Betts in 24, Muncy, 24&25, Freeman, 24, to missing significant time. One thing that I have noticed is that the Dodgers slow play several of their best prospects. Maybe that will change soon out of a need to get younger.
Born June 14th, 1948, in Los Angeles California. AKA The Bear
Last two – Seager came up at 21 and won ROY at 22. Belli won ROY at 21 and MVP at 23.
He played 27 games, so I really do not count his age 21 season because he spent the majority of the year at AAA.
Former SD Padre CY winner LHSP Randy Jones has passed away at 75.
RJ, RIP.
Remember him well.
Beltre was 19 I believe. I think Matt Kemp was 21?
But to your point, I 100% agree. While I’m very ok with signing Belli to a 3 year deal, I would not go longer than 3. Orrrrr, I’d prefer trading some of our excess from the #1 minor league system to get a young stud at 3b or CF.
I, and maybe Badger, really like Hyesong Kim, and I’d really like him to get a real shot at winning the 2b job. He’s the best athlete on the team and a fantastic defender. Let him bat 9th and grow into becoming a good hitter.
Beltre was indeed 19. I totally forgot about him. But he was not the starting 3rd baseman until the next season when he was 20. His 77-game rookie campaign was not that great,.215 BA. As a matter of fact, his offense the first five full seasons did not look Hall of Fame like. His walk year was the first time he had ever batted over .300 and he did not even make the All-Star team. His best years came long after he left LA. Kemp was 21 when he was called up but far from being a regular. He exceeded the limits for rookies in 06 when he hit .253 in 52 games. He played 99 games his sophomore season batting .342. He became the regular everyday CF in 08 at 23.
With all due respect, what stud CF or 3B do you think is available? Anybody know? It is easy to say trade for PCA because LAD fans want him. Why would Chicago trade him? Why would St. Louis trade Victor Scott? Atlanta and Michael Harris II? Seattle and Julio Rodriguez? Milwaukee and Jackson Chourio? San Diego and Jackson Merrill? Boston and Ceddanne Rafaela? Every organization wants a stud CF, so if any of those teams trade their star CF, they will be like LAD and looking for one.
Next tier? Jakob Marsee from Miami. Miami believes they can contend in the NL East this year. Miami does not need pitching, where LAD figures to have a surplus for trades. Oneil Cruz? One of the worst defensive CF in MLB and has never been a prolific offensive threat. Last year OPS+ of 85.
Prospect wise, Detroit’s Max Clark and Minnesota’s Walter Jenkins are the two best OF prospects and happen to play CF. They are not getting traded. The next best CF prospect is LAD’s Eduardo Quintero. I do not see the Dodgers pushing him up the organization ladder quickly.
The best young 3B is Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero. He is at least 4 years from Tampa Bay trading him. He is not even arb eligible until 2028. I would like to see the Dodgers pursue KC’s Maikel Garcia, but there is zero reason for KC to trade him. With Garcia and Witt Jr. on the left side of the infield, they are set. Besides, KC needs MLB and/or MLB ready OF bats. Dodgers have none to even entice them.
Two 3B who might be available:
· Addison Barger – 26
· Royce Lewis – 27
Statcast is a good tool if you want to look at comps objectively. Barger has a lot of red in his offensive metrics, while Lewis is almost all in blue and below the 50th percentile.
Matt Shaw is young, but his statcast metrics are very blue, which is why the Cubs are looking for an upgrade at 3B. Philadelphia is looking to give Alec Bohm away.
The Dodgers have the youngest 3B prospect in the top 3B prospect list by MLB Pipeline…19 year old Chase Harlan. When will he be ready? 23? 24? He figures to start the year in Ontario (Low A). He grades out as a low end regular or platoon 3B with a 45 FV.
So as long as the Dodgers stack their farm system with depth (especially pitching depth), they are not going to get younger anytime soon. So expect the Dodgers continue to do what they do best. Pay $$$ for 30 + year old FA. I agree with Badger, AF/BG will look to get better not necessarily younger. And their biggest tool is $$$.
Maybe, hopefully Pages plus a pitcher could get a CFer.
Statcast looks at value of center field skill https://share.google/w6ZNVOwWqBJLNJXHv
I agree with Kim at 2B. They gave Vargas a looong rope at 2b a couple of years ago. Why not a good defender with speed. That allows Edman to be the UT player that he is, 2B, SS, 3B and CF.
Whenever I hear somebody declare that AF is a genius, I remember that he somehow convinced himself that a keystone of Lux and Vargas would be a winner.
With his defense, speed and youth, Kim definitely should get a long look at 2B. Edman and Rojas (assuming he returns) can back up Kim, Max and Mookie, and Edman can play OF as well.
I’ve become optimistic about Pages in CF, or in RF. His defense improved dramatically over the course of the season, capping with his highlight catch in the WS. His offense is streaky but that could improve as well. He still has all-star potential.
Actually, I think the Dodgers have already improved the OF simply by replacing Conforto with a platoon of Call and Ryan Ward.
As for 3B, I don’t see an easy young upgrade in the trade market. Bregman is the best 3B option in the FA market, but he’s expensive and controversial because of the Trashtros history.
Murakami is be a risky proposition–but what if he is willing to take a team-friendly deal to join his countrymen on the Dodgers? If all goes well, the ’26 season could serve as an apprenticeship (similar to Kim in ’25) and he could take over in ’27–and later shift to 1B when Emil Morales is ready to handle 3B.
A more boring move might be to sign Ramon Urias, a former gold glover with the Orioles. He was just DFA’d by the Astros. One of the best UT options available now.
Kim batting 9th is fun for when he gets on ahead of Ohtani.
The only two MLB ready prospects are 25 year old Dalton Rushing (no longer a prospect), and 24 year old Alex Freeland. Rushing is a backup catcher/1B for LAD, and Freeland is a backup utility player, playing behind Tommy Edman and Hyeseong Kim, and maybe Miguel Rojas. Unless traded, he will start back in OKC. You can also add 28 year old OF, Ryan Ward. But is a 28 year old rookie who has never played MLB really a prospect?
The Dodgers do not seem to be in any hurry to push:
· Josue De Paula – 21 – will start in AA
· Zyhir Hope – 21 – will start in AA
· Mike Sirota – 23 – Hopefully will start in AA
· Eduardo Quintero – 20 – Should start in AA, but will be held in A+
· Kendall George – 21 – will start ???
· Charles Davalan – 22 – will start low A? A+?
· James Tibbs III – 23 – Hopefully at AAA
The last time I checked, a team can only play 3 OF and usually have only 4 on the 26 man. Unless trades are made, there are going to be a lot of Ryan Wards in the organization, or a lot of Rule 5 draft picks from LAD.
De Paula had leg injuries a lot of the regular 2025 season. He missed all of Arizona Fall League with hamstring problems.
Noah Miller? He was not protected for Rule 5. Only 23 year old LHRP Ronan Kopp was protected, but it is totally unlikely that he will make the 26 man out the gate. The Dodgers run through relievers, so since he is on the 40 man, he should make his debut sometime next year. But he is another pitcher who cannot seem to find the strike zone. Career 6.9 BB/9 innings. Unless he significantly drops that, he is #40 on the 40 man. IMO, the Dodgers protected him partly because some team may be able to fix that issue. That is an organizational problem that should be addressed, but will it?
I agree with the point you make throughout the year: I wish the Dodgers would push some of these guys faster to see how good they are, could be, or as better trade bait
The Dodgers just won back to back championships. How do they do it again?
I don’t believe they do it by insisting on getting younger, they do it by insisting on getting better.
And how do they do that?
The starting lineup is mostly already there. They need to replace Conforto and Kiké and reinforce the bullpen. I start Kim at second but they may not. I’m not certain Freeland can hit ML pitching. He may be another Outman in that respect. I don’t see him on the 26 but I am prepared to be wrong about that. I see them acquiring a veteran bat to sit the bench.
So, a few new faces, but nobody under 25.
Without making trades or bringing back any free agents or signing new ones, the position-player depth chart might look like this:
DH–Shohei, Smith
C– Smith, Rushing
1B–Freddie, Rushing
2B–Kim, Edman, Freeland
3B– Max, Freeland, Edman
SS– Mookie, Edman, Freeland, Kim
LF–Ryan Ward, Call…Rushing?
CF–Pages, Edman, Call
RF–Teo, Call
Not too shabby. That’s 12 players, all with rings. And that leaves room for the proverbial player to be named later.
Perhaps Miggy or Kike. Or maybe both, with Freeland sent to OKC for more seasoning.
I’m hoping for some action to upgrade the outfield, but the baseline is very strong. It would not surprise me if the Dodgers splurge on Japanese bat.
Key questions to me:
–Can Kim build on his ’25 debut? He has a chance to make a serious impact.
–Will long-suffering Ryan Ward, as a 28-year-old rookie, really have a chance to prove the doubters wrong? Will that come with the Dodgers or another team?
Freeland, Kim and Rushing have too much swing and miss. Otherwise, they are ready.
Good point about draft position Bear. I think that has a lot to do with it.
Really, really good points Bear on the need for injection of youth. It doesn’t need to all at once but an infusion of a player or 2 per year while we wait for the young crop of talent at the lower levels to marinate.
It doesn’t take a purge, rather an opportunity that I hope can come from within the organization.
Jeff’s list illustrates well the potential to do just that. A player here, a player there to fill a need with youth, contact skill, and defense. I see no Boppers coming up, maybe Ward, so let’s have a mix of sluggers and contact guys to set the table and mix in the kids with productive veterans.
Use the depth in the organization first and resort to expensive trade pieces only to fill an immediate need.
Good posts
That was exactly my point. I know they cannot do it all at once. Freddie has 2 years left on his deal. Teo has the same. Smith, Betts and Ohtani will all be around a while. Edman, 4 more years. But they can start injecting some youth along the way.
I was thinking only of ‘26. What happens after that doesn’t concern me now.
Michael Toglia, Chritopher Morel, and Jake Fraley were all DFAd yesterday
Scott Boras revealed that Bellinger would be fine with a reunion with the Dodgers. The animosity between them was because Boras blamed the Dodgers for Bellinger’s two injury plagued seasons. But they have signed Boras’s clients since then including Paxton in 24.
We gradually move on from older guys. This year it was Taylor and Barnes. Next to go Yates and Conforto. Kike may not be available (if at all) until late in the season. Pages, Kim, Rushing moving along. We don’t need guys who are 20-23 years old. We have won with front office making the right moves. I’m not a ‘hot stove guy’ myself. Just wait and see who comes along. Before they signed who ever thought we would get Ohtani, Mookie or Freddie??
Many Dodger fans, I’m sure, expected Shohei to eventually become a Dodger.
I credit the front office with engineering the Mookie deal, and Freddie kind of fell into the Dodgers’ laps because the Braves’ management screwed up.
Hearsay but evidently Kershaw was on Betts’ podcast or some such and joked about how the team was tired for two days after the 18-inning game.
We need to get younger
and old Kersh is finally retired
Raisel Iglesias re-signs with Atlanta for 1 year – $16MM, same as 2025.
Francys Romero (an excellent source for info on Latin players) is reporting that the Dodgers made a similar offer to Iglesias, but he chose to go back to the Braves.
Dodgers outfielders ranked dead last in the major leagues this season with minus-27 defensive runs saved, according to Fangraphs statistics. Their 11 fielding (non-throwing) errors were tied for fifth-most in baseball, and the seven throwing errors by Los Angeles outfielders was tied for third-most.
MLBTR lists three LAD who could be non-tender:
Phillips is the only one that makes sense unless Stewart is hurt more than we have been led to believe. I doubt the Dodgers are looking to save $1.4MM or $1.7MM, and I doubt that the Dodgers are looking to pick up other non-tenders who might be better than these two or Rule 5 draft picks in 3 weeks.
Is there a deadline on tendering contracts?
I expect the Dodgers to sign at least two FA relievers, perhaps Devin Williams and Tyler Rogers, the submariner ground-ball specialist.
Adding a couple of guys would make it easier to release a couple.
Teams must tender a contract by Friday at 5:00PM ET. Contract does not need to include a dollar figure. They have until the arbitration ruling to finalize the amount. Dodgers do not normally let their players go to arbitration hearings.
I thought the same thing when I read that about those three,although Jason Adams is a name on that list that interests me, he had a little bit of a down year in 2025 but other than last season, he has been an excellent reliever.
I’d be very surprised if AF non-tenders Phillips unless it’s just to turn around and sign him to a 2 year deal.
I wouldn’t. He could miss most if not all of the year.
In cases like this the player usually takes a small salary for year 1 and a bigger one for year 2. Usually done when both team and player want to continue the relationship.
I fully understand why some Dodgers fans are leery of Byron Buxton–but I don’t think his age should be a big concern.
Buxton is 31, about six months older than Shohei. Most players peak in their late 20s and early 30s. Buxton is younger than Conforto, Mookie, Teo, Max and Freddie. If we think of him as replacing Conforto in an OF with Teo and Pages, he actually makes the trio a bit younger.
More importantly, I’d argue that Buxton may have just had his “youngest” season.
Yes, his career has been riddled by injuries. But the ’25 season was his best yet, an all-star campaign that ended with an .878 OPS, 35 HRs and 97 runs scored in 126 games played. (Yes, he missed a few dozen games due to injury; so did Tucker.)
Buxton’s age did not prevent him from stealing 24 bases in 24 tries. Not a typo. He is still one of the fastest players in the game. His range in CF would minimize the damage that Teo might do with his defense.
Maybe Buxton loves the Twin Cities so much he’ll never leave. Maybe he’d prefer to go home to Georgia. Importantly, Buxton can control his destination. But the Twins are rebuilding and not expected to contend for years.
But maybe Buxton really wants to win a ring. If Buxton is willing to waive his no-trade rights, the Dodgers should make a serious offer, because he could be the best bargain in baseball.
Buxton, who signed a team-friendly deal with the Twins years ago, is owed $45 million for the next three seasons. Meanwhile, Tucker is expected to receive offers in excess of $300 million, and Belli might snare a $100 million contract. What will another fat contract do to the Dodgers’ payroll and luxury tax? Would an overpaid, underperforming Tucker block the progress of rising prospects?
Those big contracts can become burdens. If Buxton is a bust, the cost wouldn’t hurt much. If he can repeat his ’25 performance, that’s a lot of bang for the bucks.
The Dodgers could then write checks for a couple of relievers, and maybe Harrison Bader as an insurance policy as the 4th outfielder.
Yep, Buxton is elite “WHEN HEALTHY”. The problem is he can’t stay on the field. 3 seasons in 11 years where he played 100 games or more. He only played in 126 last year and 100 the year before. He is not on the field enough in my humble opinion. If you want a CF like that with close to the same tools, get Luis Ribert Jr. who is four years younger and at least has played 100 or more for 3 straight seasons. Put him in a lineup surrounded by all those good hitters and I would bet his stats get much better. By the way, Broxton turns 32 on the 18th of December.
Well Savant sure agrees with you. High percentile reads in nearly every category with 100% rating in speed. BR projects 500 plate appearances for ‘26.
The red flag of course is his history. In 11 years he’s averaged around 300 plate appearances a year. The four years leading up to last year he averaged around 360. If he can maintain 500 PA’s the next three years then yeah, he’s a bargain. I think it’s a huge if.
I say again, the Dodgers are going for it NOW. With Ohtani deferring roughly $68 million a year until 2034 the Dodgers are going to use that money to try to buy championships. The ‘26 lineup is going to look very much like the one that has won two in a row. The only thing they really need are replacements for Conforto and Kiké. and a late inning reliever or two. Who are the everyday middle of the order left fielders available? I think Teo to left, Pages in center, and Kyle Tucker (8.7 WAR) in right is the obvious choice. If Tucker can’t be landed then Bader or Bellinger are the next two up.
That said there are probably trade scenarios floating around that nobody but Friedman and Gomes know about. If an everyday 4-5 WAR outfielder is available in trade then it’s my opinion they use whatever it takes to get that trade done. Then in ‘27 they do it again. It’s going to be like that until the top of the lineup HOF players fade into the Santa Monica sunset. I for one am going to enjoy this ride as I too fade into that sunset. This has been a lot of fun for me. I trust it will continue to be.
Newsweek proposed Skubel for Sheehan, Wrobo, Ferris and Hope. Who would do this! How do we not win a WS with this starting rotation if healthy?
The time to get Skubal at a reasonable cost is if the Tigers are out of it at the trade deadline. In this scenario Skubal asks to be dealt to a team with a chance for the ring. He tells Detriot if they honor his request he will heavily consider the Tigers when he turns into a free agent. The Tigers may prefer this to a draft choice losing Skubal to free agency.
Not a chance for a 1-year rental. Ownership is looking over the long haul not just 1 more trophy. Skubal would be a great addition, but why trade for him when he will be a free agent in a year unless he agreed to an extension before the trade was finalized.
That’s a lot to give up for 1 year of Skubal when we already have a very strong starting staff. Wait a year and sign him as a free agent and use those other pieces to trade for an outfielder or future third baseman.
As much as I’d like to see Skubal in the rotation for a few years, I’m inclined to agree with you jefe. There’s also the fact Skubal has already had two TJ surgeries. Detroit may be thinking after the last two 190+ inning years, Skubal’s arm may be ready to blow.
We have a deep set of starting pitching. On the surface it appears we have the depth to have the top 4 ready for October again. Let’s add a couple of bats and plan on bludgeoning teams for 7 mouths.
I was listening to a podcast, the other day, with Jim Bowden as a guest, he mentioned a trade exactly the same as this. The one thing that stuck out to me was, he referred to Hope as a future All Star, I liked to think Hope had that kind of talent but it was nice to hear someone on the national level say it.
as far as the trade goes, I hate to be wishy washy, but I’m not sure where I come down on it, if the team gets to the playoffs, that starting pitching would be as close to unbeatable as you can get. The down side to this trade is it wipes out much of the teams SP depth which we have needed every year to get through the regular season.
How about this? With all of our starting pitching depth, sign Alonzo to be our dh and put Ohtani in right field. IF Ohtani would go for it and I don’t think he would.
I love Cassidy but that might be the 2nd worst idea I’ve ever heard.
(1st is the Dodgers Digest offseason plan)
Considering Bradley’s trade proposals, that is quite an insult!😂
#3 is Bellinger getting $200m
:0
I’ve never been an Alonso guy, to many Ks, and until this season his avg had always been pretty bad, so I’m the wrong person to throw that out to, but this is the time of year we fans can propose anything we can dream of.
Braves traded SS Nick Allen to the Astros for SS Mauricio Dubon.
I think I heard Abrams could be had. He would push Betts to 2nd.
If the Dodgers are happy with Pages in CF doesn’t it seem like the Cubs might think they would be better with Pages in CF and a solid rotation addition instead of just Armstrong?
Armstrong didn’t have a good second half last year.
I saw that too. But Abrams defense was dead last for SS in the NL.
What is all the fuss over Abram’s? Can’t hit, can’t field and he’s immature. Not a fit for our team
RIP Randy Jones.
Randy “Junkman” Jones died Monday. He showed that there’s more than one way to skin a cat as a baseball pitcher.
“The harder I throw my fastball, the more it flattens out” He was a sinker-slider pitcher like many others. Sometimes he’d even throw fastballs. The difference is he couldn’t break a window. He could pump his fastball into the low 80s on his best day, but that wasn’t what made him effective.
Jones’ most magical year was 1976, when he started 40 games, completed 25 of them, won 22 games, and took home the Cy Young. He gave up more hits than any pitcher in the league, but he also had the lowest WHIP. He’s the only pitcher in the last 90 years to pitch 300 innings and strike out fewer than 100 batters. He induced contact, getting hitters to ground into 34 double plays.
Pete Rose once said Randy Jones throws his fastball 27 mph. Pete hit .183 off Jones in his career.
Cliff Ditto, signed Jones. Ditto was famous for signing the two most similar and different pitchers in baseball history. Similar? Yeah, they were both left-handed. They both won Cy Young Awards. They were both named Randy.
Randy Jones and 5’10”, portly soft-tosser and Randy Johnson, a 6’10” flame thrower.
A columnist Jack Lee said ““Well, they say his pitches are too good to take and not good enough to hit.”
There may be a lesson in Randy’s style for all the organizations and youngsters who think they have to throw 100 to be a successful pitcher. Randy got it done with guile, location and stuff.
Thanks to Joe Posnanski for his JoePods article today on Jones.
I am going to California for the holidays on the 30th. I will be there until after Christmas. So I will be on here sporadically. But I will keep a close eye on the baseball world in December for the winter meetings and any and all free agents or trades.
Safe travels and thank you to you and Jeff for the content and forum.
Adrian Beltre
Should have read down before posting. Puig could be considered for a year or two.
As I stated above John, even though Beltre was just 19 when he came up, he did not become the starter until the next year. But his first seasons were no where near close to being HOF worthy. It was not until his walk year in 04 that he hit over .300 and he did not make the all star team that year. His best seasons came after he left LA.
I consider 2004 to be his best year. Right here.