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2 Los Angeles Dodgers Stars Named Among Top MLB Free Agents By Insider
By Matt Johnson,
8 hours ago
Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers reached the top of the MLB power rankings at the end of the regular season and will head into the playoffs with one of the best rosters in baseball. As the Dodgers prepare to battle it out in October for a World Series title, this could also be the last few weeks with the club for several of the Dodgers top free agents.
Los Angeles is in win-now mode, building a team filled with star talent and the highest payroll in MLB. That’s in large part thanks to the spending the team did last offseason when Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were all brought in on deals totaling more than $1 billion.
Unfortunately for Los Angeles, it loses just as much talent as it adds some years. All-Star shortstops Trea Turner and Corey Seager both departed the team through MLB free agency, as have All-Stars like Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger. It could be the same fate for a few key players on the Dodgers roster right now.
In previewing MLB free agency, Jon Heyman of the New York Post ranked the top MLB free agents for 2024-’25. While none of the Dodgers players made the top eight, Jack Flaherty, Teoscar Hernandez, and Walker Buehler were in the next tier of the top 12 MLB free agents available this winter.
Of the impending top Dodgers free agents in 2025, the team would likely bring Miguel Rojas and Austin Barnes back. Rojas entered MLB games today with a .748 OPS and he’s still playing very good defense at shortstop. Meanwhile, Barnes has a .320-plus OBP and remains a fairly effective backup catcher who knows the Dodgers pitching staff well. Both would only cost $8.5 million total to retain.
Kershaw has control over what happens, holding a $5 million player option for 2025. Considering his injury-riddled 2024 season and his desire to finish his career in a Dodgers uniform, it’s possible he exercises the player option to return next year.
The emergence of Michael Kopech, who owns a 1.17 ERA and 0.83 WHIP since being acquired at the MLB trade deadline, will likely push one of the veteran free agents out of the Dodgers bullpen. Considering the team’s track record at finding relievers, Los Angeles should be fine even if multiple relievers walk in free agency this winter.
Re-signing Flaherty is expected to be extremely expensive , which is worth keeping in mind considering some of the other top MLB free agents likely to be available. While free agency is weeks out, there have already been persistent MLB rumors tying the Dodgers to a long-coveted target who is expected to hit the open market. It could further push the likes of Flaherty and Buehler to other teams.
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