Four Ways the Dodgers Can Further ‘Ruin Baseball’ This Winter
The Dodgers are expected to scour the market to address roster holes. As a result, it sets the stage for them to further "ruin baseball." How exactly can they do that?
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Fresh off consecutive World Series titles, and several offseasons adding star-caliber talent, many believe the Los Angeles Dodgers are ruining baseball.
It’s not hard to see why people feel this way. A roster consisting of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, to name a few, has enough stars to contend for a World Series.
When you add the likes of Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Will Smith, again, to name a few, it gets a little silly. Especially when factoring in the level of deferred money the Dodgers have on the books, allowing ownership to spend more cash on free agency and extensions.
But the Dodgers operate at an S-tier level when it comes to roster construction. All they do on an annual basis is plug roster holes. If you have the money to do it, and there isn’t a sports owner out there who doesn’t, why skimp out on talent?
This offseason is no different; there’s a reason the Toronto Blue Jays pushed Los Angeles to the brink in the Fall Classic. There were several glaring weaknesses on the Dodgers roster that Toronto was almost good enough to turn fatal.
Naturally, the Dodgers are expected to scour the market to address these holes. As a result, it sets the stage for them to further “ruin” baseball.
Here are four paths they can take to do so.
Note: It was five paths, but they already signed right-handed closer Edwin Díaz.
1. Sign Kyle Tucker, 11-year, $500 million deal ($200 million deferred)
Unsurprisingly, the top free agent outfielder makes the most sense for the Dodgers to sign this winter.
Last year, Los Angeles finished converting Betts to a full-time infielder, creating a primary outfield of Michael Conforto, Andy Pages, and Teoscar Hernandez. The latter two had productive campaigns, but the free agent Conforto slashed just .199/.305/.333 with an 83 wRC+ and -0.6 fWAR in 138 games.
Simply replacing Conforto with 2025 Tucker represents a 5.1-win increase on FanGraphs, despite Tucker playing injured much of the season. In 136 games, Tucker slashed .266/.377/.464 with a 136 wRC+. Down from recent stretches in Houston, but still comfortably in elite-player status.
2. Sign Bo Bichette, 10-year, $250 million deal ($100 million deferred)
Perhaps an underrated need for the Dodgers is middle infield. Betts covered shortstop beautifully last season, so signing Bichette would trigger a move to second base for the longtime Blue Jay.
But to rub salt in the wound, this signing would be reminiscent of when Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors a decade ago.
Okay, not as extreme, but in the same vein.
Bichette played essentially on one leg in the World Series, but hit .348 in the series with a home run that could’ve been remembered much differently in Toronto sports history with a better outcome in Game 7.
The 27-year-old is a hit-over-power bat, but that doesn’t mean he can’t jump the yard if you groove him a pitch. Outside of 2024, he’s lived between a 122 and 134 wRC+ since his first full season in 2021. He’s a great hitter, and someone to keep the pressure on the opposition following a power hitter.
3. Trade for Tarik Skubal, Make Him the Highest-Paid Pitcher in MLB History
This one is lower on the totem pole of needs for the Dodgers, but there’s two major reasons they’d want the Detroit Tigers ace: He’s the best pitcher in baseball and they don’t have him.
Skubal’s resume speaks for itself, but the two-time reigning American League Cy Young may be moved this offseason. ESPN’s Buster Olney reported as such on The Just Baseball Show before the winter meetings.
The Tigers would certainly covet young pitching, so it’s a good thing the Dodgers have the likes of Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan, and Gavin Stone. You could even float Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki into the mix of moveable arms for Skubal.
Watching Clayton Kershaw ride off into the sunset means the Dodgers lack a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer in the rotation. Skubal is well on his way to that status, even at just 29 years old.
4. Trade for Jarren Duran
What started the Dodgers reign of terror over the National League was a trade for a Red Sox outfielder. Why not tap into that well again?
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported there’s a 50% chance Duran ends this offseason elsewhere. What he brings is an uber-dynamic skillset, balancing power and chaos on the basepaths. Duran uniquely provides the Dodgers a player they don’t have.
Since 2024, the Red Sox outfielder is 12th in fWAR among position players with 10.8. He’s also second in baseball in triples (27), and the only player with 10 or more triples and at least 75 doubles.
An extra-base hit machine with three years of control will cost the Dodgers a good sum of young players. But with the Red Sox looking to improve its rotation, and reports the Dodgers might look to offload Glasnow, there’s potential framework of a deal there.
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