Outside of signing Edwin Diaz to a three-year deal, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been pretty quiet this offseason. This lack of activity gives MLB fans hope that perhaps the back-to-back World Series winners aren't going to push quite as hard this winter. This stance would make sense, given the Dodgers' massive payroll and the fact that, regardless of what goes on this winter, they'd be favorites to three-peat.
Unfortunately for the 29 other fan bases hoping to de-throne the Dodgers, it won't be that easy. The Dodgers still can dominate this offseason, and these moves would make them even bigger World Series favorites.
Dodgers can sign Bo Bichette
The Dodgers' lineup is as loaded as any, but that doesn't mean there isn't room to improve, and as we all know, the Dodgers stop at nothing when they see an opportunity to improve. Bo Bichette would make their insanely deep lineup just that much better.
Bichette might not be a great defender, but he's nothing short of a hit machine. He's led the majors in hits twice, and tied for second in hits this past season despite missing most of September due to injury. Not only does Bichette spray hits to all fields, but he's hit 18+ home runs and driven in 70+ runs in four of the last five seasons. He's a hit machine and a run producer.
The Dodgers can either play Bichette at shortstop, where he's played most of his career, or slot him in at second base, where he's probably better suited defensively. This can be done by moving Mookie Betts or Tommy Edman back to the outfield. If you talk about soul-crushing moves the Dodgers can conceivably make, stealing Bo Bichette from the team that was the closest to beating them in last year's postseason is as demoralizing for the field as it gets.
Dodgers can trade for Brendan Donovan
If the Dodgers don't want to meet what is likely a lavish asking price for Bichette, they can swing a big trade for a difference-maker like Brendan Donovan. No, Donovan isn't the pure hitter Bichette is, but he gets on base more, and he's a better and a much more versatile defender.
The Dodgers can choose to play Donovan at either of the middle infield positions, or they can choose to slot him into a corner outfield spot. The outfield was an under-discussed weakness the Dodgers had this past season, particularly in left field. Donovan would be a great fit there, while allowing Betts and Edman to remain in the infield.
They'd have to part with valuable prospect capital to acquire Donovan, a player who is under cheap club control through 2027, but perhaps this is seen as more appealing for a Dodgers team than spending a ton of money on a free agent, given the amount of money they're spending on their team already. Armed with one of the best farm systems in the game, the Dodgers have the ammo to acquire Donovan, bettering their World Series odds in the process, and not break a sweat.
Dodgers can trade for Trevor Megill
The Dodgers have already signed Diaz, the best reliever in the sport arguably, but considering how lackluster the bullpen was this past season, Los Angeles might benefit from adding another arm. While most of the impactful free agent relievers are off the board, the Dodgers could look at the trade market and try to poach Trevor Megill from the Milwaukee Brewers.
I don't know whether the Brewers would trade Megill to the team that just swept them in the NLCS, but again, the Dodgers have the farm system capable of making just about any trade they want. Megill is available, and with him being under cheap club control through 2027, he's very attractive for a team like the Dodgers.
Adding Megill to a 'pen that includes the likes of Diaz, Alex Vesia, and bounce-back candidates Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen, the Dodgers' bullpen can quickly go from worst to first, or close to it.
Dodgers can sign Cody Bellinger
With the Diaz signing complete, the Dodgers' biggest weakness now is probably their corner outfield. Teoscar Hernandez is likely to occupy one of the two spots, but the other corner is wide open. That's where a guy like Cody Bellinger can step in.
While Dodgers fans might immediately think of Bellinger's last two seasons in Los Angeles, which were a struggle offensively, he's a different hitter now than he was then. After striking out 150 times in 2022, his final season with the Dodgers, Bellinger has struck out an average of 88.7 times in 137.3 games over the past three seasons. He might not be an MVP-caliber hitter anymore, but he's received down-ballot MVP votes in two of the last three seasons, and he launched 29 home runs while driving in 98 runs in 2025.
With the talent the Dodgers would have around him, there's no reason to believe Bellinger's bat would slow down much at all in Los Angeles, and he's still an elite defensive corner outfielder. The Dodgers probably don't want to meet an insane asking price, but there's always a chance Bellinger's price would come down to a spot they're comfortable with. If so, don't be surprised to see the Dodgers pull the trigger on this reunion.
Dodgers can trade for Byron Buxton
Again, if the Dodgers don't want to spend what it'll take to land a high-end free agent outfielder, they can pull off a trade for a player making less money. Byron Buxton is set to make just $15.1 million annually through the 2028 season, a ridiculously low AAV for the kind of talent he is.
Buxton is a legitimate five-tool star, who happens to be coming off his best season with the Minnesota Twins. Sure, the Twins say they don't want to trade him, but what if they're blown away by an offer? The Dodgers have the resources to blow Minnesota away. Buxton has injury concerns, but the Dodgers can mitigate that risk. Even if Buxton never suits up in the regular season, the Dodgers would almost certainly make the playoffs. As long as he's healthy for October, the Dodgers would be so tough to beat.
Buxton could either hit in front of the Dodgers' superstars and wreak havoc on the base paths, or hit behind them and be one of the game's best run producers. This is a guy who hit 35 home runs and stole 24 bases (without being caught a single time) this past season, all while playing outstanding defense in center field. If the Twins are at all receptive to offers for Buxton, the Dodgers would seemingly have as good a chance as any team to land him.
Dodgers can sign Kyle Tucker
Perhaps the most likely move the Dodgers can make on this list would also be one of the scariest. Kyle Tucker, one of the best 10 or 15 players in the game, is available for the taking, and he happens to be an outfielder. Again, the Dodgers could use an outfielder. Can you imagine Tucker hitting behind Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman? I mean, how would you pitch to this team?
The second half to his platform season was rough, but injuries played a role. Assuming Tucker can stay healthy, can you imagine what he can do, especially if he isn't the centerpiece? He'd get pitches to hit, and would do so much damage.
Tucker entered this offseason expected to receive a contract upwards of $300 million, but the longer time goes by without a deal being agreed to, the more likely it is that his price will dip. It's probably unlikely the Dodgers would commit to another massive long-term deal, but what if Tucker were open to a short-term high-AAV arrangement? The Dodgers would be the team to beat in that scenario, and would be much tougher to beat in October if Tucker were added to the mix.
Dodgers can trade for Tarik Skubal
As scary as it'd be to see the Dodgers land Tucker, MLB fans hope that'll happen if the alternative is a trade for Tarik Skubal, the best pitcher in baseball. There's no telling as to whether the Detroit Tigers are actually open to trading the back-to-back Cy Young winner, but the fact that they haven't publicly shut down talks to this point keeps the option open for the Dodgers to blow them away with an offer. Again, the Dodgers have the assets to acquire Skubal, and do so without even thinking twice.
While there's obviously some concern that they'd trade for him only to watch him leave as a free agent in the 2026 offseason, I raise you two questions. First, does it really matter if he's one-and-done in Los Angeles if he delivers another World Series ring to the team? I know I wouldn't care. Second, does anyone really believe the Dodgers would trade for Skubal only to let him walk?
Perhaps Skubal won't enjoy his time in Los Angeles, but beyond that, why wouldn't the Dodgers be the highest bidder to re-sign him? There's no reason to believe the Dodgers would trade what it'd take to acquire him only to let him walk without trying to keep him around the next offseason.
The scariest thing about this possibility, other than the realistic possibility that it goes down, is that the Dodgers don't even need him. They have arguably the best rotation in the game without him. Watching the Dodgers trade for him, of all people, forming the best rotation in MLB history in the process, would be the most soul-crushing move Los Angeles could possibly make for the rest of the league.
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