Dodgers Roster: Who is Returning, Retiring, or Becoming a Free Agent
The Dodgers should be gearing up to take on the Phillies in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. Instead, the offseason has started much sooner than anyone expected.
As has been the case in each of the last few winters, the chance for seismic change roster-wise is on the horizon for these Dodgers. With key names heading into free agency, and at least one or two players expected to retire, the 2023 ballclub could have a considerably different look.
Let’s cut the build up and get into the names.
UNDER CONTRACT FOR 2023
- Mookie Betts (12 yr, $365 M (2021-2032))
- Freddie Freeman (6 yr, $162 (2022-2027))
- Chris Taylor (4 yr, $60 M (2022-2025) plus 2026 option)
- Austin Barnes (2 yr, $7 M (2023-2024) plus 2025 option)
- Max Muncy (1 yr, $13.5 M plus 2024 option)
- Blake Treinen (1 yr with 2024 option)
- Daniel Hudson (1 yr, $6.5 M with 2024 option)
- Trevor Bauer*
* Bauer has been suspended by Major League Baseball for the 2023 season. He is appealing the suspension.
UNDER TEAM CONTROL
- Cody Bellinger
- Julio Urias
- Will Smith
- Gavin Lux
- Trayce Thompson
- Miguel Vargas
- Walker Buehler (will miss most or all of 2023 with injury)
- Evan Phillips
- Alex Vesia
- Yency Almonte
- Brusdar Graterol
- Caleb Ferguson
- Dustin May
- Tony Gonsolin
- Victor Gonzalez
- James Outman
- Edwin Rios
- Ryan Pepiot
- Michael Grove
- Andre Jackson
- Justin Bruihl
- Phil Bickford
Everyone but Cody Bellinger is pretty much guaranteed to be returning to the team in 2023. The 2019 NL MVP just concluded his third consecutive down season and could see a raise from his $17 million arbitration contract this season. Unless the outfielder is open to a team friendly multi-year deal (think 2 year, $12 M with incentives), chances are high that he is not tendered a contract this winter.
Edwin Rios and Caleb Ferguson are potential trade candidates.
UPCOMING FREE AGENTS
Here are some notable Dodgers players who are set to hit free agency this offseason ? pic.twitter.com/JzMTsZQCRu
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 16, 2022
- Clayton Kershaw
- Trea Turner
- Justin Turner ($16 M 2023 team option)
- Craig Kimbrel
- Tommy Kahnle
- Tyler Anderson
- Andrew Heaney
- Chris Martin
- David Price
- Jimmy Nelson (2023 team option)
- Joey Gallo
- Kevin Pillar
- Hanser Alberto (2023 team option)
- Danny Duffy (2023 team option)
Of this list, the most likely to return are Justin Turner, Tommy Kahnle, Tyler Anderson, Chris Martin, and Jimmy Nelson. Clayton Kershaw is also fairly high on that return list, but his family and proximity to their home in Texas will certainly play a role this offseason. Kevin Pillar and Hanser Alberto could return on minor league deals with invites to spring training as the team looks to keep its 40-man roster flexible.
Trea Turner will be seeking a top-dollar contract for 8-10 years. Insiders believe the star shortstop could fetch a deal in the $300M+ range.
David Price has a 99% percent chance of retiring. Danny Duffy is probably closer to 50/50 on retirement after injuries have derailed his career.
Final Thoughts
Andrew Friedman and the front office will be faced with several difficult questions over the next few months. The most pressing question really will be what will the pulse of the 2023 club feel like? Will the team continue to run with the same roster that yields the same results every October? Is it time for the team to have a more vocal leader that’s willing to put their passion on their sleeve?
Plus, there are serious payroll implications to consider for a club that was second in baseball when it comes to final payroll.
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Hopefully Roberts will be gone!!!!! Enough is enough with that bozo.. Elmar J Fudd will do a better job coaching!!
Roberts needs to go. Price, Pilar, Gallo, Kimbrel, Alberto can all depart. Keep Trey Turner and Trade bellringer, Rios and Ferguson, bring back J.T. AS BENCH COACH.
You want offense, sign Judge and Arenado as well as Trea. Considering what’s coming off the books and what can be taken off the books, why not?
I think thinking ahead instead of seeing what is right in front of you caused all the problems. Sometimes it’s better to go with your gut than what the numbers say. Great coaches are willing to stick their necks out sometimes. If it’s all about analytics what is the point of even paying a manager?
Sign Aaron Judge, Jacob Degrom, Xander Bogaerts, Edwin Diaz, and more relief pitchers. Not to mention firing Dave Fraudberts.
Hah, that’s funny. Anybody else you want to add?
Dude, I’m serious. A lot of money will be coming off of the books.
After the joy of winning 111 games this season, you really got the feeling that this club could beat anybody. Then October comes and we choke like usual in the playoffs. It really hurts, but the big question is what happens to the roster for 2023? Like the article says, these guys on the current 2022 Roster CAN NOT GET IT DONE. I will always be a Dodger fan, but it is going to be terribly difficult to get up for this team next year. They will probably get into the playoffs, but we all know to well what this group does in October. I live on the east coast and have the MLB.TV package whereby I devote the entire baseball season watching all of the Dodgers games until after 1am here in Florida. My spouse and I went to see all the Dodgers games in Miami this season. Great seats in Marlins Park in the 4th row behind the Dodgers (visitors) dugout and spent several hundred dollars doing so. LA comes to Tampa in 2023. Tampa is a shorter drive from our home and much easier to get to. I realize I am angry and disappointed they choked another year away and certainly dont see myself wanting to goto either the Miami or Tampa games next year here in Florida. For what? To watch them break regular season records and lose in the playoffs? No thank you unless we do something about the team. I supported Bellinger the last couple of weeks in the regular season and mistakenly believed he could contribute in the post season. Justin Turner needs to retire. But I am most disgusted by Will Smith. Batting cleanup in the post season let me ask you how many times he came up to bat with the bases loaded, and could not deliver a hit. Our cleanup hitter in games 3 & 4 was AWOL. If I were the manager I would not have slumping Smith batting cleanup.
Nonetheless, I hope and pray some changes are made to the roster or else we may never win another world series for the rest of my life.
Roberts is not going anywhere. Unfortunately. Dodgers do need to make some changes.
Is it time for the team to have a more vocal leader that’s willing to put their passion on their sleeve? YES IT IS TIME FOR THIS.
Too many passive personalities on this team now.
I like Justin Turner a lot but not enough to re-sign him.
Chris Taylor needs to return to his natural position — super sub. He is not an everyday player but is very competent coming off the bench when necessary at many positions. Get an everyday left fielder. One who does not have to be a Hall of Famer, just steady. Let Cody go or if the situation is available, trade him. Someone will take the chance. Get a good center fielder (easier said than done). I would not be surprised to see Barnes traded; not from the Dodgers standpoint but from a team that needs a good full time catcher which Barnes is if given the opportunity. Just my ideas and just a start of what needs to be done.
I hope we let J Tuner walk , he has given all he can for the Dodgers
Absolutely true. He looks overwhelmed when batting
This team doesn’t need shy guys on the ground. This team needs bad guys who want to go crazy for victory. Release the timid cowards. In Friedman’s way, the same situation will be seen next year. JT is done. He is not a leader and has no passion.
Time to shake up the ho-hum roster that routinely choke in the postseason. Mix in some young athletic and hungry talent to complement Mookie, Freddie, and hopefully Trea. Get a No. 4 hole Big Bopper that can put fear in opposing pitcher, which they don’t have. JT’s time has past on, Belli’s traded, and CT needs to work for contact and getting on base. Postseason is about having a few 101+ close out pitchers and a dominant shutdown closer w/ some nasty stuff. Get exciting and athletic players who play the game to win and be the best instead of some who just go through the motions and deposit big checks and spend it on more bling
Trade Bellinger. Trade Taylor. Bring up Oatman.
Get another outfielder that can hit (hopefully above .275). Maybe a solid contact guy instead of another HR or strikeout type. Keep Anderson.
Direct the Front Office to go get a quality starter and not some guy hoping to come back from his 12th Tommy John.
Now for the gallows humor section…
Find out what Will Smith was eating and drinking this October and require that his contract be amended to ban those foods and fluids in the future during the season and playoffs.
We’re stuck with Captain Semiconscious as the manager, so expecting any help there is out. The advantage is that on those days Roberts doesn’t show up at the game, a card board cut out will do just as good if not better.
Get Judge but then make him a third baseman to replace Turner. It should work just as well as the Pedro Guerrero experiment.
Sign Bumgarner as our new pinch hitting, relief pitcher and ATV coach.
If we’re stuck with Bellinger change ihs “walk up music” to “They’re coming to take me away, Ha-Haa” (credits to Napoleon the XIV)!
It’s going to be a much different team next year. I can’t see Bellinger coming back after what he’s done since his MVP year, and even that while he was lights out the first half, faded in the second half. JT? He’s been a great Dodger, I love seeing him play, but I see him as gone, or retire from playing and coming back as a coach. Kershaw, doubtful. Trea Turner, doubtful. Kimbrel, hopefully doubtful, he was really underwhelming.
It’s an axiom in baseball that you do better getting rid of a player a year too soon than a year too late, but I suspect we’ll see a lot of new faces. Doesn’t mean I don’t like them, I mean Kershaw’s a future HOF’er, JT has had a great Dodgers career, but I just don’t see them back.
I’m sick of everyone blaming Roberts for everything. Yeah he’s not perfect, but then no manager is. The problem mostly was the bats going cold. Blame the hitters, blame the long layoff from competition. You can find plenty of blame to pass around but to put it all on Roberts is stupid. I personally think the current playoff format is absurd. The Padres should not have even been in the playoffs. They were lucky to get hot at the right time and even luckier that the Dodgers went cold. No they are not a better team, just had better luck!
Re-sign Trea, tender Bellinger, Let Gallo retire, bring back Kenley Jansen, as the closer, hire Bruce Bochy as Manager, Put Outman or Thompson in left field.
We need to keep Hanser or bring in someone else with energy. 2021 club was falling flat on its face until Tio Albert came because there was no energy guys. Hanser was that guy this season. He may not have the best bat or offense, but keeping the dug out energized is critical and often over looked. Hanser is an affordable choice to do this
1. How can they score as many runs in 2023 as in 2022? Get better offensive performance from left field and center field. Bellinger, Gallo, out. Chris Taylor back to being a utility player. 2. How can they be as successful in run prevention in 2023 as in 2022? Sign Rodon. Retain Tyler Anderson. Try to get a closer. 3. How can they make better decisions in the post season? Replace Dave Roberts.
Bellinger has to go … disgrace for any player to hit under 220…. Anyone that does, does not deserve a major league contract ….