The Los Angeles Dodgers have long had their eyes on the 2023-24 offseason, and it will be among their most important in recent history.
Not because Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw and a plethora of others will become unrestricted free agents. But because it will be the winter of Shohei Ohtani, a player that the Dodgers have long coveted and ensured that they had the payroll flexibility to absorb the $500+ million contract that he will command.
The Dodgers' activity last offseason – rather their inactivity – was all with Ohtani in mind. He is the player that the team wants. It's unclear how much his torn UCL will impact that pursuit, but he's arguably the best hitter in the game, and he will return to pitching in 2025 once he undergoes a procedure. So the expectation is that president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, manager Dave Roberts, and the whole organization will continue its all-out pursuit of Ohtani.
But there will be much more to the Dodgers' offseason than just Ohtani. Here's a wishlist for the organization and how the team will – or should – go about the winter.
Dodgers Rumors: Ohtani and other 2023-24 offseason wishlist items
Shohei Ohtani
The Dodgers' offseason starts – and ends – with Ohtani. If they don't get him, that would put a major damper on the team's winter.
But the good news for the Dodgers, of course, is that they are already loaded with premium talent. Ohtani would simply put them over the top, and make them a prominent contender in the National League for many seasons to come.
And there are not many teams better positioned to absorb a contract of the magnitude of Ohtani's. The Dodgers have a few long-term contracts on the books – Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Chris Taylor – and many players who are pre-arbitration or still arbitration-eligible. Meaning that Friedman and the front office have flexibility in negotiations with Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo of CAA Baseball.
Working in the Dodgers' favor, in addition to their payroll flexibility, is that they are consistently contending. And Ohtani has made it clear that he wants to be in the postseason. He wants to win a World Series. And there are not many better opportunities to do that than in Los Angeles with the Dodgers.
Fortifying the rotation
Ohtani was supposed to be part of the solution to fortify the rotation. But with the star two-way player dealing with a torn UCL, and it almost a certainty that he won't pitch in 2024, the Dodgers will have to get creative in addressing that need.
The obvious solution was Julio Urias, the organization's homegrown left-handed star. But Urias was recently arrested and charged on suspicion of felony domestic violence, his second domestic violence arrest in the past four years, his future in baseball is unclear.
Of course, the Dodgers could bring back Clayton Kershaw on another one-year pact. They will also have a plethora of options to choose from that include free agents Aaron Nola, Blake Snell, Lucas Giolito, Jordan Montgomery, Sonny Gray, Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty, among others.
The likelihood is that the Dodgers will add at least one of the names on that list, with it being possible that they could pursue either Giolito or Flaherty, both of whom grew up in the LA area.
Filling out the rest of the roster
The Dodgers' pending free agents, in addition to Kershaw and Urias, include Enrique Hernandez, J.D. Martinez, David Peralta, Shelby Miller, Jimmy Nelson, Jason Heyward, Matt Andriese and Robbie Erlin. There are players who have club options for the 2024 season – Lance Lynn, Alex Reyes, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen, Joe Kelly, Max Muncy – who all face uncertain futures.
Which means that the Dodgers' roster could look a LOT different in 2024. And that Friedman and the front office have its work cut out for them this offseason.
It wouldn't be surprising to see the Dodgers bring back a few players on that list, with Martinez and Lynn being obvious candidates. Martinez, 36, has hit 25 home runs and 78 RBI in 92 games this season, though has dealt with an assortment of nagging injuries this season.
Lynn, meanwhile, has looked like a different pitcher since being acquired in a midseason trade with the Chicago White Sox. It's likely that they will decline his $18 million club option and attempt to re-sign him to a reworked deal.
Something worth remembering when it comes to Lynn: he was one of, if not the top target of the Dodgers on the pitching side at the trade deadline.