The Dodgers’ season is over, short of the goal of repeating as World Series champions. They walked the playoff tightrope as well as any team could have, claiming a winner-take-all wild-card game against the Cardinals on a ninth-inning walk-off homer, then winning the last two games of a best-of-five NLDS against the rival Giants.
And they even won a potential elimination game in the NLCS, Game 5, to extend their series with the Braves to a sixth game, but they fell short in that one, unable to solve Atlanta postseason heroes Eddie Rosario and Tyler Matzek.
Anything short of a title, even with the injuries they had to deal with in October, was a disappointment. Those are the expectations with the franchise now.
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So, what’s next? The Dodgers have built an organization that has no real “window” of contention. It’s a giant door that feels permanently wedged open, with the talent in the minors and the win-now, win-tomorrow-too mindset of the front office.
But that doesn’t mean this will be a calm offseason. Quite the contrary. The Dodgers’ to-do list is long and full of notable names.
Let’s take a look.
Corey Seager, SS
The issue: Free agent
Yep, a biggie right off the bat. It’s hard to imagine Seager, who was drafted by the Dodgers No. 18 overall in the 2012 draft out of a North Carolina high school, playing for anyone other than the only club he’s ever known. But the fact that he and the Dodgers never figured out an extension casts a lot of doubts on their future together. The class of free-agent shortstops is deep and full of quality players, and Seager — who turns 28 next April — will be at or near the top of lists for many teams.
Clayton Kershaw, SP
The issue: Free agent
Speaking of “can’t imagine this guy playing for anyone else” … Kershaw just might lead that list, for all of baseball (maybe with the Molina/Wainwright tandem in St. Louis). Kershaw, who turns 34 next spring, showed in 2021 that even though he might not be a true staff ace anymore, he’s still an effective starter who misses bats — his 10.7 K/9 rate was the third-best of his career, and his 3.00 FIP was his lowest since 2016 (and he finished second in the Cy Young vote in 2017). But finding a year/price point could be a challenge. His days of 200-inning seasons seem long gone. Will the Dodgers still pay a premium because of his Dodgers legacy?
Trea Turner, 2B/SS
The issue: Free agent after 2022
He’s under club control for one more year, then is eligible to hit the free-agent market after the 2022 season. If the Dodgers fail to bring Seager back, Turner slides over to his preferred position, and L.A. is set at shortstop for one year. But what then? Could they really let Seager walk after 2021 and then let Turner do the same thing after 2022? If they decide that Turner is their guy — he’s actually about 10 months older than Seager — then it might be wise to sign him to some sort of extension this offseason.
Max Scherzer, SP
The issue: Free agent
Yep, another big name. Do the Dodgers bring back this future Hall of Famer on a shorter-term, high-AAV deal? They won’t be the only franchise that makes an offer to Scherzer, who is 37 but turned in another outstanding season that will almost certainly produce the eighth top-five Cy Young finish when the results are announced in November.
Trevor Bauer, SP
The issue: Legal troubles
Here’s betting he never suits up for the Dodgers again.
The rotation
The issue: Who will be there?
Walker Buehler and Julio Urias will be there, for 2022 and beyond. But Kershaw and Scherzer are both free agents, and Bauer’s time in L.A. seems done. Tony Gonsolin will likely have a spot. Dustin May still has a bright future, but he had Tommy John surgery in May, and getting anything from him before the second half of the 2022 season is optimistic (and probably reckless). There’s almost zero chance the Dodgers sit still with the rotation this offseason, especially seeing how quickly a few injuries/issues to starting pitchers can turn an expected strength into a weakness in October.
Kenley Jansen, RP
The issue: Free agent
And yet another star who started with the Dodgers’ organization — Jansen signed as an amateur free agent in 2004 — who is about to hit the market. For real, if home-grown guys Jansen, Kershaw and Seager all leave, that will be a seismic shift. The Dodgers already brought him back one time, on a five-year, $80 million deal in January 2017. He had his struggles in 2018-20 — meaning he was only good, not great — but he was outstanding in 2021, going 38-for-43 in save opportunities, with a 2.22 ERA and 11.2 K/9. In seven postseason innings this month, he allowed zero runs and only three hits while striking out 14. He turned 34 at the end of September and won’t get any offers matching his previous contract terms, but lots of teams will be interested in bringing on a late-inning bullpen guy with Jansen’s type of postseason experience and success.
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Chris Taylor, UTIL
The issue: Free agent
Dodgers fans — and the front office, obviously — know what Taylor has meant to the team since he came over in an almost-unnoticed-at-the-time trade with the Mariners in 2016. He’s started at least 10 games for Los Angeles at shortstop, second base, third base, left field, right field and center field. He’s got power and speed as an offensive force — he had three homers and three stolen bases in the NLCS alone. And, yeah, he has a flair for the dramatic, for stepping up and delivering in the biggest moments (like the wild-card walk-off home run).
Corey Knebel, RP
The issue: Free agent
After injuries wrecked the end of his time with the Brewers, Knebel revived his career with the Dodgers, who showed what they thought of him by giving him the first inning of Game 5 of the NLDS and Game 1 of the NLCS. Can he be an All-Star closer again, like he was in 2017 when he saved 39 games for the Brewers, with a 1.78 ERA and 14.9 K/9? Maybe not, but you can bet there are lots of teams who would love to offer the soon-to-be-30-year-old a contract for a couple of years to help solidify the back of their bullpen.