Back-to-back rings give the Los Angeles Dodgers a rare shot at a modern three-peat. The rotation is stacked, so their big swing this winter should be a single middle-order bat that lengthens the lineup behind Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, as suggested on the Baseball Tonight podcast.
The market actually lines perfectly up for it. MLB.com
Kyle Schwarber should be near the top of Andrew Friedman’s board. The Phillies extended him a qualifying offer, but he’s widely expected to test free agency after another 40-plus homer season. For L.A., he’s a plug-and-play lefty masher at DH/corner who doesn’t require a decade-long commitment. Draft-pick penalties apply if he declines the QO and signs, but the fit is clean for a win-now roster.
Kyle Tucker is the starrier (and pricier) play. He also received a qualifying offer and is positioned for a mega-deal. Historically, the Dodgers have shied from 10-to-12-year corner-outfield contracts unless value falls to them. If his market stalls, L.A. Can pounce with a high-AAV, shorter-term structure—otherwise, they can allocate those years elsewhere.
There’s also the prime-age import. Munetaka Murakami is officially posted with a 45-day window. At 25, the Yakult slugger lets the Dodgers buy middle-order power at third base without touching the farm—an elegant hedge if they want DH/outfield flexibility intact. Interest around the league is heavy, but L.A. Profiles as a natural bidder if the dollars beat the pick cost tied to QO bats.
The Dodgers like to keep optionality, then strike when terms match the window.
If Tucker’s years balloon, pivot to Schwarber for concentrated power; if Schwarber’s market overheats, lean into Murakami’s prime and shift Max Muncy into a roving role. The roster is already championship-caliber—this is about securing one more October answer without clogging 2027-28 payroll lanes.
The Dodgers don’t need the biggest name; they need the right bat for a three-peat chase. Schwarber checks the most boxes today, Tucker is the apex if the years cooperate, and Murakami is the stealth upgrade that doesn’t cost prospects. Any one of them makes L.A. Scarier in a Game 6 bullpen chess match.
