The Los Angeles Dodgers had a tumultuous 2026 season, and not just because their dreams of a three-peat fell short in the National League Championship Series.
Owner Mark Walter, facing a federal probe into his businesses, sold the Los Angeles Lakers, and while a lot remains unresolved, many fans have been wondering how those issues might impact the team.
Some insiders, including Jeff Passan of ESPN, have said there’s a real possibility that Walter’s other businesses could result in changes to the team or organization.
On Wednesday, though, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman sought to put those fears to rest.
What did Mark Walter say about the end of the Dodgers’ 2026 season?
Friedman, asked about Walter, said from the team’s perspective, “it’s been business as usual for us.”
In fact, Walter has been engaged with team executives in preparing for the next season, Friedman said.
“We talked to Mark after we lost and he was obviously really disappointed but so much of his focus was on, ‘OK, what can we do? What are our plans? What are our thoughts for the offseason?’ Our brains weren’t quite there yet, but so much of his focus was on how we put ourselves in the best position to win in ’27,” he explained.
Given Walter’s interest, it sounds like Dodgers fans can expect an active offseason from the team.
What changes will the Dodgers make in the offseason?
Given that Friedman confirmed in that same press conference that fans can expect “status quo” when it. comes to the team’s coaching staff and front office, it seems the roster is most likely to see some changes.
One of the more visible departures is that of veteran infielder Miguel Rojas, who retired after the season.
Nine other players are hitting free agency this offseason, including ace Tarik Skubal and fan favorite Kiké Hernández.
The Dodgers will also likely pursue new talent, including Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato, who hit 39 homers and 106 RBIs while slashing .306/.383/.609 this season.
Friedman declined to address Sato specifically when asked, but he didn’t deny the idea, either.
“It’s hard for us to talk about specific players but we are big fans of the NPB,” he said. “It’s something we follow closely and watch, there’s a couple of very talented players that are going to come to MLB and we’re going to talk about it.”
