The World Series is already underway, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are stuck watching it from the outside looking in, and their offseason is about to get incredibly complicated. With an impending lockout looming, nine players from their 2026 squad are hitting free agency, and the biggest name among them is without a doubt left-hander Tarik Skubal. The burning question on everyone’s mind is whether the Dodgers can even think about bringing him back, and what kind of insane price tag they’ll have to shell out if they do.
The Skubal Mess: What Was the Plan?
Look, Sonja Chen of MLB.com is asking the same questions we are. The Dodgers shipped off two Top 100 prospects , the MLB-ready starter River Ryan and outfielder Zyhir Hope , plus right-hander Brady Smith, all for what turned out to be just three months of Skubal’s services. Three months! Other teams were ready to spend big for a talent like his, and you know it’s going to be the same exact story when he hits the open market for the first time. They clearly hoped he was the piece for a three-peat, and now that didn’t happen, and he could just walk. Maddie Lee from the Los Angeles Times notes that despite the failure to win it all, both Skubal and Blake Snell are still convinced their championship window is wide open. Skubal himself didn’t mince words, saying, “I don’t feel that at all. It’s hard to win the World Series, and this group has done it the last two seasons. Obviously, not this year, but … I think that this group is incredibly talented. And the preparation and the work ethic that this group has , I don’t buy into that narrative.” Snell backed him up, adding, “We’re only getting better.” But for a team that shelled out so much to get him, this free agency situation is a gut punch.
Ohtani’s Stunning “F” Grade and What It Means
Speaking of gut punches, Jack Harris of the California Post dropped an absolute bomb with his end-of-season report card, slapping Shohei Ohtani with an “F” grade. An “F”! For a guy who was clearly the second-best player in the National League this year, smashing 30 home runs and rocking a sub-2.00 ERA in 14 starts on the mound. Even in what they’re calling a “down year” for him, Ohtani still finished fifth in the majors in FanGraphs’ WAR. He is, without a doubt, still MLB’s biggest star and the most dangerous weapon the Dodgers have. So why the F? It all comes down to a turbulent second half and a postseason run that completely derailed what should have been another MVP-caliber season. That grade isn’t about his talent, it’s about the crushing weight of expectations and the way his season finished up being, as the report card calls it, a “failure.”
A Heartfelt Goodbye From Rojas
Amidst all the questions about the future, there was also an emotional farewell. Miguel Rojas is officially done with Major League Baseball, and he took the time to truly appreciate his teammates after their NLCS Game 4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Cary Osborne of Dodger Insider reported Rojas’s eyes were still pink from his speech when he later said, “They changed my life. I truly and honestly say that from the bottom of my heart. The last couple ye…” You just know that speech hit hard, adding another layer of raw emotion to an already tough exit from the postseason.
As the World Series plays out without them, the Dodgers are facing a massive offseason with an impending lockout, a roster full of question marks, and a championship window they desperately believe is still wide open. The stakes couldn’t be higher for what comes next in Los Angeles.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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