The Los Angeles Dodgers just broke the baseball world by signing the biggest free agent on the open market in Kyle Tucker. It was a fairly quiet offseason for the reigning back-to-back World Series champions up until they swooped in and signed Tucker after it appeared he was going to land with either the Mets or the Blue Jays. While the addition of Tucker seems like it would close out the off-season for the Dodgers, they could still potentially make some more moves on the free agent market.
Do the Dodgers need to make any additional moves prior to opening day? Probably not. They have little to no weakness across the board on their big league roster and also have one of the better farm systems in baseball. However, the Dodgers have created a culture in which they look to add and improve in any way possible to stay on top of the baseball world.
With that being said, it would be unwise to assume the Dodgers are completely done.
These forgotten free agents could make a lot of sense for the Dodgers
Rather than adding yet another big time free agent like Cody Bellinger or Bo Bichette, it’s more likely that the Dodgers make a few more under the radar signings that the rest of the league looks back at thinking, “why weren’t we in on this player?” Because of the Dodgers ability to turn players’ careers around. Two pitchers that stick out in this scenario are Lucas Giolitio and Jordan Montgomery.
Neither pitcher seems to have any sort of market, so they aren’t going to cost much on what is most likely going to be a one year deal. Pitching depth is something the Dodgers are always in on and the back of the Dodgers starting rotation is a question mark at the moment. Emmet Sheehan and Roki Sasaki are projected to get starts out of the back of the rotation, although Sasaki might be better served in a bullpen role long term and Sheehan is still unproven over a full season.
Blake Snell is the only left-handed pitcher among the many starters the Dodgers have, so a cheap Jordan Montgomery might be intriguing to the Dodgers as a “reclamation project.” The 2023 World Series champion missed all of 2025 due to injury after a really rough 2024 in which he posted a 6.23 ERA across 25 appearances.
Two hitters that stick out in this scenario are Luis Arraez and Harrison Bader. In similar fashion to Lucas Giolito, there is seemingly no market for Arraez despite recent success. Arraez wouldn’t have a defensive home on the Dodgers if they plan on giving Hyeseong Kim full run at second base in 2026. However, the closer we get to spring, the cheaper Arraez gets, when he then makes sense as a depth piece for the lineup.
Harrison Bader is another potential depth piece that would have a more solidified role in LA. The current group of outfielders on the active roster consists of Teoscar Hernandez, Andy Pages, Tommy Edman, Alex Call, and of course now Kyle Tucker. Teoscar Hernandez has floated around as a potential trade candidate which makes a whole lot more sense now that Tucker appears to be slated to take over right field for the Dodgers. Bader makes sense as a late-game defensive replacement and a serviceable replacement for an extended period of time if a starter goes down.
It’s safe to say the Dodgers have not checked out of the offseason yet, but the real question is if they can be expected to make a blockbuster move. It’s not out of the realm of possibility, but for all we know, they could just re-sign Kiké Hernandez, call it a day, and go win their third straight World Series.