3 free agents the Dodgers can sign to win the World Series again in 2025

Thanks to the heroics of Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Walker Buehler and the bullpen, the Los Angeles Dodgers are your 2024 World Series champions after defeating the New York Yankees in five games.

While winning one World Series is enough for most franchises to be happy, that's not the case for Los Angeles. The Dodgers gave Shohei Ohtani $680 million of deferred money because they want to win as many World Series titles as possible during the 10 years that Ohtani is on the field in Dodger Blue.

Los Angeles will be very active in the free agent market as they look to bring back a few key pieces while also adding on to a few key positions. The Dodgers will spend the next few days and weeks celebrating their victory, but once free agency opens up, Los Angeles will be all business as they look to go back to back in 2025.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

3. Bringing RHP Kenley Jansen back to retire in Los Angeles would be the perfect ending to a HOF career

While the other two players on this list will be focused on improving the team by adding a star-to-superstar caliber player, this one has a bit of a deeper feel than that.

Dodgers legend, Kenley Jansen, has been vocal about his desire to finish his Hall of Fame career with the team that he began it with. Jansen has bounced around organizations since he left Los Angeles, but he still looks like a great bullpen piece for any team in the league.

When the Red Sox were dangling the idea of trading Jansen at the trade deadline, it was the Dodgers that continued to come up in these trade rumors. Boston didn't end up trading him because they were much more competitive down the stretch than they believed they would be.

The Dodgers could give Jansen his Hollywood ending by bringing him back to Los Angeles. But it wouldn't be a hand-out. Jansen could still be a crucial piece to a bullpen that goes to the World Series. He was the most consistent piece in the Red Sox bullpen all season long. He could take over the seventh- or eighth-inning role for the Dodgers in 2025.

2. Re-signing RHP Jack Flaherty should be on LA's to-do list this Winter

If you were to find the obvious hole on the Dodgers' 2024 roster, it would be the pitching depth due to the plethora of injuries that they've suffered throughout the year. Now, I understand that this depth will be fixed when everybody is healthy next season. Yamamoto, Ohtani, Glasnow and a few of the prospects will be back from injury and ready to rejoin the rotation.

But, specifically with the young, unproven prospects, the Dodgers can't rely on these players to return to form after their injuries. The team decided to go out and get Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers this season and they would be much better off if they could ink Flaherty to a three- or four-year contract in free agency this season.

Flaherty threw a 3.58 ERA through 55.1 innings during the regular season with the Dodgers. He has looked great for the most part. He has the ability to be one of the best third or fourth pitchers in a rotation if the Dodgers can return their rotation healthy.

They traded for him because they liked him at the deadline. Flaherty did nothing but perform for the Dodgers. They will likely want to bring him back as more than a rental heading into 2025.

1. SS Willy Adames is the dream free agent target for the Dodgers

The most obvious free agency target for the Dodgers this offseason will be Willy Adames of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Dodgers need a true shortstop as they look to move Mookie Betts from the position going forward and Adames would be the perfect guy for the job.

Adames, 29, slashed .251/.331/.462 with 33 doubles and 32 home runs in 2024. He played a solid defensive shortstop, albeit he wasn't spectacular. According to Baseball Savant, Adames was worth 1 OAA and had a 0 FRV, both indicating that he wasn't a negative defender at shortstop, while also being a plus-plus hitter.

Los Angeles could offer Adames the amount of money that it would take to bring him in, while also being able to promise the opportunity to win more than the Brewers can.

If Adames was going to re-sign with the Brewers, he likely would have been able to come to terms on a contract extension. But after the club lost their beloved manager, Craig Counsell, last season and then had their hearts crushed to end 2024, Adames may be on the move. There's not a better place for him to land than with the Dodgers.