LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ offseason is officially underway, and it starts with the biggest question in baseball: what happens with Tarik Skubal? The two-time Cy Young Award winner headlines a group of eight Dodgers who hit the open market on Thursday, October 29, the day after the Milwaukee Brewers closed out the World Series — plus Miguel Rojas, who has retired and joined the organization in a player development role.
Skubal, acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline, went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 10 regular-season starts for Los Angeles and finished 2026 at 12-7 with a 2.72 ERA and 186 strikeouts in 158 2/3 innings. He is widely projected to command a contract north of $400 million, potentially the largest ever for a pitcher, and is expected to sign before a possible December 1 lockout. The Dodgers are expected to be in the sweepstakes, though how aggressively they bid — with an already inflated payroll and a new collective bargaining agreement looming — remains the winter’s central subplot.
The rest of the class tells the story of a roster at a turning point. Alex Vesia, arguably the Dodgers’ most important free agent after six years anchoring the bullpen, should command a multi-year deal. Kiké Hernández, a fan favorite who has played for Los Angeles in 10 of the last 12 seasons, battled injuries in 2026 — missing the first 53 games after elbow surgery and 51 more with an oblique strain — and hit .222 in 96 plate appearances, but said on October 15 he hopes to return: “I love this place.” Kris Bubic, Eric Lauer, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen and Brusdar Graterol round out the group, with Treinen — a Dodger since 2020 — and the injured Graterol, who has not pitched since 2024, facing the most uncertain futures.
The timing matters as much as the names. The Dodgers hold an exclusive five-day negotiating window with their own free agents through November 2, when the rest of the league can finalize deals and qualifying-offer decisions come due. After a season that ended one series short of a third straight World Series title — a four-game NLCS sweep at the hands of the eventual champion Brewers — president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has already signaled the club will be active. The first decisions, starting with Skubal, will define whether the 2027 Dodgers reload or rebuild around a new core.
With the nine filings, the Dodgers sit at 37 players on their 40-man roster, leaving room — and pressure — to act before the calendar turns to the lockout deadline.
Photo: MLB
Photo: MLB
Photo: MLB
Source: Sports Illustrated, October 29, 2026; True Blue LA, October 29, 2026
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