It’s been an offseason of few acquisitions thus far for the Dodgers.
So much so that, on the first day of MLB’s annual winter meetings at the Signia by Hilton Orlando on Monday, the most intriguing rumor surrounding the team had to do with a potential subtraction from their big-league roster.
According to multiple reports, Teoscar Hernández has come up in the Dodgers’ trade talks with other teams this winter. USA Today went as far as saying the club was “shopping” the two-time All-Star, who is entering the second season of the three-year, $66-million deal he signed last offseason.
However, both manager Dave Roberts and general manager Brandon Gomes downplayed that notion while addressing reporters on Monday.
Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernández hits a sacrifice fly to score Dodgers’ Will Smith during the Game 7 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Nov. 1. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
“Teo certainly fits [our roster still],” Roberts said. “He’s helped us win two championships. He’s one of my favorites.”
“That doesn’t feel likely,” Gomes added of the possibility of trading Hernández. “Obviously, you can never say never on those types of things. I know that’s come up [in reports]. But that’s not something we anticipate at all.”
The idea of the Dodgers trading Hernández has felt like a long shot from the start. Though the 33-year-old slugger suffered an inconsistent and injury-plagued regular season in 2025 — both at the plate, where he had 25 home runs but hit only .247, and especially defensively, where he had several notable lapses after moving to right field — the 10-year veteran has made crucial contributions in each of the Dodgers’ two World Series runs the last couple years, and has served in a mentor role to young players in the clubhouse; none more so than Andy Pages.
Granted, moving Hernández could help the Dodgers get younger, which has been a goal for the front office this offseason as they try to navigate their aging and expensive roster. And his salary could be repurposed if the team were to make a splashier free-agent signing.
Read more: Shaikin: ‘I try to put it in the trash.’ How Teoscar Hernández’s mindset delivered October magic
But for now, the Dodgers continue to express belief in their current core, with Roberts noting Monday that “we’re very confident with where the roster is right now” and that “there’s really no big splash we feel needs to be made.”
Plus, moving Hernández would also only further exacerbate the team’s pre-existing need for outfield help, as the club continues to evaluate both the free agent market (where players such as Cody Bellinger or Harrison Bader figure to be better, and more affordable, fits than a likely $400-million signing of top free-agent option Kyle Tucker) and trade possibilities (such as Brendan Donovan or Lars Nootbaar of the St. Louis Cardinals, Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu of the Boston Red Sox or — in a less likely scenario — Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians).
Read more: A quiet Dodgers offseason has yet to heat up. Will winter meetings help them find a move?
Roberts did leave the door open to potentially moving Hernández back to left field, where he spent the majority of 2024 for the Dodgers before shifting over to his more natural right field position last year.
Still, in Roberts’ eyes, Hernández’s defense was “at least average” in right after an August series in Colorado when he made a couple particularly glaring mistakes on fly balls. His career-long defensive metrics have also been stronger in right field than left.
“I do think that with the versatility [of our roster] and how we potentially shape this roster, there’s some options,” Roberts said. “But right now, he’s our right fielder.”
Dodgers continue to assess bullpen options
Padres relief pitcher Robert Suárez celebrates after San Diego defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 27. (Gregory Bull / Associated Press)
One area the Dodgers do still seem more eager to make an addition this offseason is in the bullpen, even as they voice confidence in improved performances from the returning members of last year’s disappointing group.
“Getting a high-leverage reliever,” Roberts said, “is never a bad thing.”
The Dodgers have attempted to sign some big-name, back-end relievers already this winter, from Raisel Iglesias (who ultimately returned to the Atlanta Braves on a one-year, $16-million deal, despite the Dodgers reportedly making a similar offer to the veteran right-hander) to Devin Williams (who went to the New York Mets on a three-year, $5- million deal, despite the Dodgers’ interest in him dating back to last offseason).
While the Dodgers’ preference is still to sign a free-agent reliever to a shorter-term contract — especially after watching Tanner Scott struggle in the first season of the four-year deal he signed with the team last winter — there are signs the club could be more aggressive on that front.
Read more: Dodgers seek another back-end reliever. But will they be willing to do another long-term deal?
The team had strong interest in Williams, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, even as his bidding reached the level of multi-year offers.
That could offer some insight into the club’s pursuit of another current relief target: Former San Diego Padres closer Robert Suárez.
The Dodgers have expressed interest in Suárez, as the Athletic first reported. And, with the hard-throwing right-hander set to turn 35 next March, he has only been projected to sign a two- or three-year contract. Time will tell if that’s out of the Dodgers’ comfort zone.
If the team strikes out at the top of the market — Edwin Díaz still looms as the biggest free-agent closer, but is expected to be out of the Dodgers’ preferred price range — there could be other alternatives.
Read more: World Series hero Miguel Rojas agrees to return to Dodgers on one-year deal
Pete Fairbanks, the former Tampa Bay Rays closer whom the Dodgers inquired about at last year’s deadline, remains a potential option, although the team has not yet targeted him aggressively. The Dodgers have also expressed interest in re-signing Evan Phillips, despite not tendering him a contract as he recovers from a Tommy John surgery.
Familiar face Michael Kopech could also be a fallback alternative after spending the last year and a half in Los Angeles, though he was unable to pitch in this past postseason because of injuries.
Faith in Tanner Scott, Mookie Betts rebounds
Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott throws from the mound and surrenders a lead against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 31 at Dodger Stadium. (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)
One constant message the Dodgers have reiterated when discussing their bullpen this offseason has been their continued faith in Scott, despite his 4.74 ERA and woeful 23 of 33 mark in save opportunities last year.
Both Roberts and Gomes noted on Monday that Scott was potentially hampered by injuries last year.
“I think there were just some things he kept under wraps about his body,” Roberts said of the 31-year-old left-hander, who missed a month in the second half of the season with forearm inflammation. “Some stuff that he just, honestly, he never felt right all year.”
“I think when he went down with the elbow injury, my sense is Tanner is a tough guy and wants the ball, but that was bothering him for a while,” Gomes added, while also noting that “there was a lot of batted ball luck and things that would be very hard to repeat again” that contributed to his disappointing debut season.
Read more: ‘Better late than never.’ How Mookie Betts salvaged the worst season of his career
“We’ve seen it happen with elite relievers before,” Gomes continued. “So I’m very confident that Tanner is gonna come back and have a great season for us and be a big part of our success.”
Another player the Dodgers are banking on improvements from is Mookie Betts, who was a Gold Glove finalist defensively after switching to shortstop last season but suffered a career-worst campaign at the plate (.258 average, .732 OPS and only 20 home runs in 150 games).
“He had a tough, tough offensive year,” Roberts said. “He did. He’s human, but it’s easy to bet on a bounce-back year for Mookie on the offensive side for sure.”
A big reason why: Betts figures to be able to spend more time this offseason working on his swing and rebuilding the strength he lost following a bout with a serious stomach virus at the start of last season. Last winter, Betts spent the majority of his offseason work preparing for his full-time move to shortstop — a position Roberts confirmed he will play again in 2026.
“I’m sure in some way, he now knows that he is a double-plus shortstop,” Gomes said. “He will put in the work to maintain that. He now probably just has a little more bandwidth to balance it all out.”
Etc.
Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman forces out Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at second base during Game 4 of the World Series on Oct. 29. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
— Gomes said utilityman Tommy Edman’s recent ankle surgery was a debridement procedure to address the injury that nagged him during the second half of last season. Edman’s recovery will likely leave him limited at the start of spring training, but the team does not “expect it to affect a meaningful part of the season,” Gomes added. Edman is also expected to be able to play both the infield and outfield next season, after his injury limited him to mostly infield duties last year.
— Brusdar Graterol is expected to be “full go” next spring, Gomes said, after the reliever missed all of last year recovering from a shoulder surgery. Fellow reliever Brock Stewart “will be a little delayed” after missing the end of last year with his own shoulder surgery, Gomes said, “but we don’t think it’s going to be anything [that lingers] too deep into the season at all.”
— Shohei Ohtani is expected to be making full-length pitching starts from the beginning of next season, but Roberts noted the club could be strategic in giving him extra days off between his pitching outings: “I do feel that giving him six, seven, eight days off to kind of allow him to continue to stay rested and build up, I think that’s in our process. But again, we have a long way to go [before making final decisions].”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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