3 more Los Angeles Dodgers who won't be back next season and why: Dodgers reload to pursue repeat in 2025

The Los Angeles Dodgers are your 2024 World Series champions after defeating the New York Yankees in five games in the World Series.

Los Angeles didn't get to the top of the mountain by accident, though. They went out and spent over $1 billion in free agency this past offseason to bring in the talent that led them to this championship. And they're going to take this next offseason to continue adding stars to their roster.

I've already written an article on three players that won't be back in Los Angeles with the Dodgers in 2025.But the changes in L.A. won't stop there, as this team is going to be very active in free agency again this year. Combine their potential free agent pickups, top prospects and some potential trades and you have a recipe for more roster shakeup.

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3. OF James Outman

When he was coming up, Outman looked to be the next great outfielder for the Dodgers. He slashed .248/.353/.437 in his rookie campaign, placing third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2023. But the 27-year-old struggled mightily in 2024, slashing .147/.256/.265 in 53 games on the season. Outman is too old to be struggling like this at this point in his career and the Dodgers have better options, either in free agency or in their own farm system.

The most intriguing option to replace the young Outman is the Dodgers' top prospect, Dalton Rushing. Rushing, a catcher by trade, has been thrown in the outfield in an attempt to find him some playing time at the big league level. The Dodgers have their catcher of the future in Will Smith, so moving Rushing to the outfield makes sense.

Whether it's Rushing, another prospect or a free agent, the Dodgers could find an outfielder to replace Outman on the roster very easily while also tossing his name on the trade block. Ultimately, Outman still has a ton of value given his pedigree. The Dodgers could look to trade him for a pitcher or some prospects in an attempt to get younger while also replacing him internally.

2. UTL Chris Taylor

The Dodgers have a ton of talent and a ton of money. They also spend money more than any other franchise, but that doesn't necessarily mean they want to waste their money. Having Taylor on the roster next year would be pretty close to a waste of money. The veteran is set to earn nearly $15 million in 2025, but the Dodgers would be much better off spending that money somewhere else.

Taylor, 33, slashed .202/.298/.300 with four home runs and seven doubles in 87 games this season. He was far from a contributor on offense, and the Dodgers are paying him too much money to not be an impact player with the bat.

There are teams around the league that would be okay with taking a shot on Taylor, who can fill a number of roster holes. But with the Dodgers looking to pursue a big-name starter, Juan Soto, Teoscar Hernandez and plenty of other expensive players, they don't want to be stuck spending over $10 million on a role player. If they can trade him and dump his contract off in the coming months, that would be the best-case scenario for Los Angeles.

1. OF Teoscar Hernandez

Hernandez has been very vocal in the media immediately following the Dodgers' World Series victory that he wants to remain in Los Angeles beyond just this year.

"The Dodgers will be my priority in free agency. I will do whatever is possible to return. It's not in my hands, but if it were I'd pick them," Hernandez told reporters.

While this is good news for the Dodgers, you can't deny the fact that Hernandez has played above his pay grade. He's played like the kind of player that is set to land a three- or four-year deal worth close to $100 million. With the Dodgers pursuing some of the bigger names in free agency this offseason, including rumors swirling that they could be in on Soto, it's tough to guarantee that they will have the money to sign Hernandez among others.

There's also a chance that Hernandez was still running on adrenaline in that post-celebration interview. After sitting for a few months and discussing things with his family, there's a much better chance that he ends up open to going somewhere else if the money is right.

But, at the end of the day, the Dodgers may not want to pay him the money that he deserves. If Hernandez is willing to take a pay cut to stay in Los Angeles, he will be back, but if the Dodgers land big-name free agents, it's tough to guarantee they will have $25 million a year to commit to Hernandez.