Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Trey Yesavage and the Toronto Blue Jays did everything in their power to bring a championship back to Canada, but in the end the Los Angeles Dodgers proved to be simply unkillable. L.A. trailed 3-0 early in Saturday's Game 7 and 4-3 entering the top of the ninth inning, down to just their final three outs. And then Miguel Rojas delivered one fo the most shocking homers in baseball history, and Will Smith followed up with the dagger in the top of the 11th. The Dodgers' 5-4 victory completed a 3-2 Los Angeles comeback and ended the Blue Jays’ pursuit of their first World Series title since 1993.
However, as one door closes, another opens. Just because the Dodgers have to start planning another championship parade doesn’t mean their work is done. On the contrary: If we know one thing about L.A., it's that they're never ones to rest on their laurels. And while they survived the Fall Classic, this series also showed that the Dodgers have plenty of work to do this offseason, from potentially making some difficult lineup decisions to replacing future Hall of Fame pitcher Clayton Kershaw in the starting rotation.
And that work will inevitably mean that some members of the 2025 Dodgers won't be back in 2026. In some instances, that's a bitter pill to swallow. In others, well, let's just say free agency can't come soon enough.
Complete Dodgers offseason preview
- Los Angeles Dodgers free agency preview: The Michael Conforto nightmare is finally over
- Los Angeles Dodgers trade targets: Max Muncy on the move?
- One more Dodger who won't be back: Clayton Kershaw rides off into retirement
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Los Angeles Dodgers free agency preview: The Michael Conforto nightmare is finally over
Free agent who won't be back: OF Michael Conforto
The writing was on the wall here before we even hit the All-Star break. Conforto felt like a shrewd, under-the-radar signing last winter, a professional hitter dogged by injuries in New York and a terrible home park in San Francisco finally ready to erupt. Safe to say it did not work out that way: The outfielder posted a .637 OPS during the regular season and was left off of L.A.'s postseason rosters.
At this point, Dodger fans might storm Chavez Ravine if the team even hints at re-signing him this offseason. That would be true even if there weren't ready-made replacements on the market, but the fact that both Kyle Tucker and old friend Cody Bellinger will be free agents guarantees that Andrew Friedman's attention will be squarely on finding a new corner outfielder.
Will that in fact be Tucker? Only time will tell, although there's reason to be skeptical. But if this loss motivates Los Angeles to take another big swing, Tucker in right with Teoscar Hernandez in left, Andy Pages in center and Tommy Edman sliding to second base has an awfully nice ring to it. Or maybe a trade for someone like Luis Robert, perhaps?
Free agents who won't be back: RPs Michael Kopech, Kirby Yates
Job No. 1 for Los Angeles this offseason is identifying what in the world went wrong with the bullpen in 2025 and how to fix it as quickly as possible. Some of those fixes won't involve personnel changes; Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen aren't going anywhere, and the team will just have to hope that they can be healthier and more effective next season. But at least two pending free agents aren't likely to be retained.
Kopech had his moments with the Dodgers during their World Series run last season. But his health has always been a question mark, and he was hardly ever on the mound this year (and worryingly erratic when he was). Yates, meanwhile, felt like the cherry on top of L.A.'s massive offseason but flamed out in spectacular fashion, not appearing in October at all.
Given all the red flags here, the Dodgers are almost certain to move on over the winter. Names like Edwin Diaz and Robert Suarez are likely to decline their options and join a free-agent class that already includes the likes of Ryan Helsley, Devin Williams and Raisel Iglesias. Los Angeles doesn't need to break the bank here, but at least one big name feels likely.
Free agents who won't be back: UTIL Miguel Rojas
I almost included Kiké Hernandez here as well, but let's be honest: He'll be a Dodger for as long as he wants to continue playing. Rojas has been valuable as well over his time in L.A., and he's already expressed a desire to stay. But he'll be 37 in February, and the Dodgers have Hyeseong Kim waiting in the wings as a younger, better, more athletic and versatile version of essentially the same player. Kim flashed some intriguing potential during his first year in the Majors, and Los Angeles figures to give him plenty of runway to carve out a bench role in year two.
Los Angeles Dodgers trade targets: Max Muncy on the move?
Hear me out here. Yes, Muncy has been a stalwart in the Dodger lineup for years now. And yes, he was excellent when healthy this season, with a 136 OPS+ and 19 homers in 100 regular-season games. If he continues that production in 2026, he'd more than earn back his $10 million team option.
But Muncy also just turned 35, and at this point he's an outright liability at third base. Valuable as he is as a hitter, Father Time is undefeated, and it doesn't seem very likely that he'll re-sign with the team as a free agent ahead of his age-36 season next winter. So rather than pick up the option and play out the string, hoping that he has at least one more good, healthy campaign in the tank, why not try to be a year earlier rather than a year late?
If the Dodgers shopped Muncy, there'd be plenty of interest in one year of a power bat like that at just $10 million. And moving him would open up third base, allowing Los Angeles to explore an addition there like Bo Bichette or Alex Bregman or even someone like Brendan Donovan.
One more Dodger who won't be back: Clayton Kershaw rides off into retirement
Kershaw got the send-off he and Dodger fans were hoping for, and he's now got three World Series rings to go with a resume that will have him in Cooperstown the nanosecond he's eligible in five years' time. Plus, that last hurrah at Dodger Stadium was pretty cool.
Beyond the sentiment of it all, though, Kershaw will leave a void in this rotation as well. Injuries thrust him into a more significant role than anyone anticipated, and the Dodgers will need to figure out who they want as their fifth starter and how they'll build depth after some awful health luck this year. That more than likely won't be a huge name, given the needs elsewhere and the firepower they already have on hand. But a vet like Zach Eflin to complement the young guys like Emmet Sheehan could make sense.