OFFSEASON Meanwhile, Down on the Farm

https://x.com/BaseballAmerica/status/1990572028253123003

I'm sure that trying to predict the Dodgers lineup four years from now is an exercise in futility. Just for shits and giggles, I'll play...

Catcher - Will Smith seems like a sure bet given the WS he just had, and especially since he's only two years in on a ten year contract.

1B - Rushing, really? Look, I like Rushing and think we'll see more of his bat come alive in '26. But something tells me Dodgers will cash-in that potential in a year or two to a team needing a catcher. He just doesn't seem like a prototypical first baseman to me. Freeman, Goldschmidt, Alonso, Rizzo, Pujols... these guys are all 6-3, 6-4. Even Vlad Jr and Harper are 6-2. Rushing is 5-11. Not saying that there haven't been shorter guys with success at first... Christian Walker comes to mind. I just don't see a high likelihood that he sticks there. Freeman's contract is up after the '27 season, and right now he's talking like he wants to keep playing. Maybe he gets resigned on a one-year deal and then again in '29? We'll see...

2B - Edman? I suppose that's possible, considering he's signed through '29.

SS - Mookie. Likely. I don't see him going back to the OF at this point. Only other possibility is if he loses a step, he gets moved back to 2B.

3B - Of my three favorite Dodger prospects, only one of them made this list - more on that ahead. Unfortunately, SS Emil Morales, who's one of the three, is not on it. He's a big dude at SS and the thinking is that he'll eventually move to 3B. I'd rather see him there than Alex Freeland in '29 - he just has the bigger bat. Freeland will likely be a third baseman on some MLB roster, but I don't think it will be in LA.

OF (left to right) - De Paula, Quintero, and Pages. De Paula is the team's #1 prospect, so that makes sense. Quintero is my top pick, so it's good to see him potentially anchoring the outfield. Pages in right is a definite possibility, assuming he gets smarter at the plate and on the base paths. It's interesting though that with all the outfield prospects in the system, these are the three. It's certainly possible, but how about Hope, Sirota (with Quintero and Morales, the third that I have high hopes for), George, Tibbs, Ko, etc? I know they're not all going to make it, but any of those guys could be up with the Dodgers too.

DH - Shohei obviously.

Starting pitchers. The group in the BA list are plausible, but this omits Stone, Ryan, Ferris and others. Pitchers are probably the most difficult to predict, with their seemingly high propensity for arm troubles and the chance that they're never the same afterwards. I'll just leave it at that.

Closer - Henriquez. Interesting... does he have the mental makeup?

 

no kim?
racist

 

Exactly. In four years, Kim is more likely than Edman.

 

Cool article with some video highlighting the prospects Dodgers got in trades this year: https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-prospects-who-were-acquired-in-trades

It's always good to see when the front office can move a player that no longer fits in the team's plans for potential talent down the road. There were three such moves made this year that returned five prospects now in the Dodgers top 30.

Mike Sirota, outfielder (#5) for Gavin Lux. Dodgers also received the Reds Competitive Balance Pick, which they converted into outfielder Charles Davalan who has slotted in as prospect #15 (the author of the article missed this one). If Sirota can stay healthy, he's going to be a star.

James Tibbs III (#8) and Zach Ehrhard (#27), both outfielders, for Dustin May. Addition by addition, twice, plus addition by subtraction (hope the door didn't hit you on your way out, Dusty). Doesn't get better than that.

Adam Serwinowski, pitcher (#13) for Hunter Feduccia. Dodgers top 30 isn't exactly teeming with pitchers, so Serwinowski was a big get. Side note - glad that Hunter gets his shot as it wasn't there with LAD, but I wonder if things would have worked out worse for the team if they hadn't traded him and instead of acquiring Rortvedt, who was instrumental down the stretch, they tried to get by using Fedducia.

Not in '25, but you can add Hope (#2) and Ferris (#6) for Busch as prospects received via trades.

 

Dodgers top 7 prospects are now in the MLB top 100, with SS Emil Morales recently making the list at #100. Players from LA's system now occupy spots 13, 20, 34, 45, 64, 98, and 100. If you think about 100 spots divided by 30 MLB teams, each organization should on average have 3.3 prospects on the list. It's pretty telling that the Dodgers have more than double that.

 

What is the Dodgers’ long-term plan for Alex Freeland?
by Aaron Coloma | Dodgers Nation — 20 December 2025



The Los Angeles Dodgers used No. 4 prospect Alex Freeland in an extremely limited fashion in 2025, keeping him in the majors for just over a month from late July to early September.

Freeland, a utility infielder, spent most of his time playing during Max Muncy’s spell on the injured list, but with the Dodgers picking up Muncy’s club option for an additional season in LA earlier in the offseason, he is once again blocked at the major league level.

The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya spoke about Freeland’s status within the organization, as well as what the 24-year-old would need to do to break into the Dodgers’ starting lineup.

“I think much of it depends on where Alex Freeland shows his ceiling to be,” Ardaya wrote. “He’s a switch-hitter, but the Dodgers appeared to only trust him as a left-handed hitter against big league pitching in his first stint in the big leagues. Freeland’s minor league numbers backed that up, with an .840 OPS hitting left-handed and a .676 OPS hitting right-handed. He’s seen as a good defender at second and third base, but not as an everyday shortstop at this point. His chance at regular playing time this season largely depends on whether an injury opens up a spot, as the roster is currently constructed.

“Freeland’s still clearly a development success story, especially if his gains at making contact in the strike zone stick once again in 2025. If he can do that more regularly against big league pitching — his contact rate was 72.2 percent in the bigs last year, as opposed to 78.8 percent in the minors — then maybe his offensive profile plays a little bit better.”

Through his 29 games in the majors last year, Freeland posted a .602 OPS with two home runs and a batting average south of the Mendoza line. As Ardaya mentioned, he batted much better from the left side than the right, posting a .643 OPS against righties compared to a .393 OPS against lefties.

If Freeland can sort out his troubles at the major league level and cut down on his 36.1 percent strikeout rate, he has a shot a breaking into the big league club’s lineup, especially with the 36-year-old Muncy’s contract set to expire at the end of 2026.

__

 

I think so much of what to do with Freeland depends on the Dodgers plans with Muncy. Will this be Muncy's last year with the team? If so, then Freeland is the logical heir to the position. He has the potential to replace Muncy's bat, perhaps just needing the ABs to get his numbers up. If not, then they should look to cash in some trade value. I guess Bichette potentially getting signed could also impact that decision, as Freeland is an option at 2B if Edman goes to CF and Kim struggles.

 

How will the Dodgers address their need for another starting outfielder? My opinion is that they should save the financial flexibility that they'd deplete to sign Tucker, and Kwan doesn't move the needle for me, at least not while considering what they'd have to give up for him. I say wait it out using a combination of Edman, Kike, Call, or a signing with less of a commitment, in order to see which prospect can make the move later in the season. Surely one of these players will prove they're ready.

First, there's Ryan Ward. I know he's a defensive liability (I shudder at the thought of him and Teo in the same OF), but maybe his bat can make up for it, just until a more permanent solution is ready. There's got to be a reason they added him to the 40-man, right? https://dodgersway.com/ignored-pros...nts-but-dodgers-risk-facing-familiar-problems

Then you have James Tibbs, whom many believe isn't far from being major-league ready. Also, Zach Ehrhard has a chance. https://dodgersway.com/dodgers-insi...ed-sox-was-a-major-heist?page_source=v_recirc

Mike Sirota has been called the best hitter and best athlete in the Dodgers system by Baseball America. https://dodgersway.com/big-prospect...yet-another-dodger-and-will-enrage-rival-fans

And we haven't even mentioned the Dodgers top three prospects, De Paula, Hope, and Quintero. Personally I think Quintero makes another big move in '26, but the team is understandably really high on De Paula. My guess is that Hope gets traded at some point, but he could certainly be in the mix as well.

Looking forward to seeing how this all plays out.

 

Perfect timing on this SI article, in line with my post from yesterday.

https://www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/onsi...p-prospects-expected-to-reach-the-big-leagues

 

surprise dodgers prospect expected to make debut in 2026…

https://dodgersnation.com/surprise-dodgers-prospect-expected-to-make-mlb-debut-in-2026/2026/01/01/

 

Interesting take, but he was just drafted in 2025 and hasn't thrown a pitch in the minors yet. I get that he was out of college, not HS, but first we have Stone and Ryan returning, and then there are others that could get called up before him. But anything is possible I suppose.

 

and right on cue, dodgersnation getting ripped…

Bruce Kuntz
@Bnicklaus7
1) no they aren’t
2) he hasn’t thrown a single pitch in an official professional game yet
3) the MLB dot com article linked in this story says absolutely nothing about Root making it to the big leagues in 2026 (he won’t), it only says he is set to make his professional debut
The MLB story says he could move fast, which is absolutely true, but that doesn’t mean pro debut and MLB debut in the same season. The Dodgers are not the Angels. Fast would be late 2027 or 2028.
So irresponsible lol

 

Here's a little more color on the Esteury Ruiz trade. There's a chance we never hear the name of the prospect we got again, but on the other hand, there's potential there and we know the Dodgers are pretty good at player development. Furthermore, it sounds like Ruiz was likely to be DFA'd, so this is essentially getting something for nothing.

https://dodgerblue.com/dodgers-acquire-adriano-marrero-from-marlins-for-esteury-ruiz/2025/12/31/

 

@SleeperDodgers
Christian Zazueta might be one of the most underrated pitching prospects in all of baseball.

• In 2025:
• 67.1 IP
• 29.7 K%
• 5.9 BB%
• 2.41 ERA
• 1.02 WHIP
• .211 AVG

In 2025, he was named one of the Dodgers’ Minor League Players of the Year.

 

@francysromeroFR
The Dodgers officially signed German left-hander pitcher Tom Apfelbaum, one of the more intriguing arms in the class. He is 6'4" tall with a fastball sitting 88–90 mph. Some see similarities to Chris Sale.
Pictured with Tom are scouts Nestor Perez Sr. and Franco Frias.

 

Nice!

At first I was thinking that 88-90 was nothing near Chris Sale, until I saw this kid is only 17. I'm sure he can build that up.