Friedman: Less “Heavy Lifting” To Do For Dodgers This Winter

The Dodgers are back-to-back World Series champions thanks to a massive financial outlay over the past two offseasons that allowed them to bring in Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and a number of other pieces that were key to their current core. As they attempt to make it a threepeat, however, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register writes that president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman suggested to reporters that there’s “not as much heavy lifting required” this year as there was in previous winters, and acknowledged that the Dodgers may alter their approach somewhat as they look to avoid some of the perils that come with an aging core.

Andy Pages, Hyeseong Kim, and Dalton Rushing were the only three position players younger than 30 on the Dodgers’ roster this past year to appear in even 50 games. The pitching side has a bit more young talent thanks to the additions of Yamamoto and Sasaki, and homegrown arms like Emmet Sheehan, Ben Casparius, and Jack Dreyer all impacted the team as well. Even so, the Dodgers were already the oldest team in the majors this year (their Opening Day roster had an average age of 31.5). Freddie Freeman (36) and Mookie Betts (33) are under contract through their age-37 and -39 seasons, respectively. Snell is under contract through his age-36 campaign. Will Smith and Shohei Ohtani will play next year at age-31, but they’ll both be in Dodger blue until their age-38 seasons.

Long-term deals for free agents naturally come with a roster full of aging players as those deals progress. While Plunkett notes that the Dodgers feel the players they’ve invested in will age well, it’s not hard to see why concerns of eventual decline are present. That’s why Friedman said the age of the roster is something he’s keeping in mind as he makes decisions this winter. The Dodgers have a farm system rich with young talent, with seven top-100 prospects according to MLB.com including four at the Double-A level or higher. Friedman said that it will be important to be “thoughtful” about how those players are brought along at the big league level and made part of the team’s core.

It’s not always been easy for the team to find ways to plug in young talent. Rushing was viewed as ready to step into a big league role as early as last year by some in the industry, but has been blocked by Smith behind the plate. Pages was only able to step into an everyday role with the club this year thanks to a combination of injuries to Tommy Edman and ineffectiveness from Michael Conforto. Kim was signed primarily as a utility player and did not break out of that capacity. Alex Freeland is arguably big league ready at this point but is blocked by players like Edman, Betts, and Max Muncy headed into the 2026 season.

All of that is to say that there’s reason to believe reports that indicate the Dodgers may not be inclined to pursue a long-term deal with a star outfielder like Kyle Tucker. With well-regarded outfielders like Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope coming up through the farm system, the outfield could be the team’s best opportunity to inject some youth into the roster. Signing Tucker (or even someone like old friend Cody Bellinger) on a deal that would last into his late thirties would be counter-productive to that goal, although the fit could make more sense if the Dodgers were to trade another aging player like Teoscar Hernandez, whose name has been rumored to be in play as part of trade talks this winter.

Of course, De Paula, Hope, and other young talents aren’t likely to be ready for the majors on Opening Day 2026. That means some sort of stopgap will be necessary, and Plunkett writes that the team could turn to the trade market to improve an outfield that stands out as the roster’s biggest weakness. Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan and Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan stand out as among the best fits, though the Dodgers reportedly had some interest in Luis Robert Jr. last winter as well.

Plunkett also notes that, while the bullpen figures to be a focus for the Dodgers this winter after the departure of Michael Kopech, adding a surefire closer isn’t necessarily a high priority. While Tanner Scott’s first year in L.A. did not go as planned, Plunkett writes that Friedman expressed plenty of confidence in the lefty to be a “huge part” of the Dodgers in 2026. The Dodgers have been connected to Edwin Diaz and Robert Suarez this winter, but as the team looks to avoid adding aging players on long-term deals it’s possible they could instead look to pieces who could be had on short-term arrangements like Luke Weaver and Pete Fairbanks.