The Los Angeles Dodgers entered rare air this season after winning the World Series, collecting their second championship in the last five seasons. Their decisive defeat of the New York Yankees on the sport's biggest stage was proof that the Dodgers as currently constructed have a leg up on the rest of the MLB.
Even as the most successful team 9of this decade, the Dodgers certainly aren't ready to rest on their laurels. General manager Brandon Gomes is already focused on free agency and building another World Series-caliber team in 2025, and he confirmed as much on MLB Network's Front Office Insights.
“Our goal every single year is to win a championship,” Gomes said. “Obviously, we've had amazing support from our ownership group year in and year out to do that. They've always been there to take big swings when we've felt like we needed to and this year is gonna be no different. We're ready to go out and the goal is now to go out and pout together another championship-caliber team.”
The Dodgers have a lot of free agents from the World Series team that they will be focused on bringing back, most notably Teoscar Hernandez. Gomes said that the team has been in talks with Hernandez and that they want to bring him back because of his impact both on the field and in the clubhouse.
Dodgers trying to retain talent in free agency
The Dodgers have a busy free agency period in front of them where they will have to try to bring back a lot of the talent that helped them win the World Series in 2024. The most important player who could be leaving is outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who had one of the best seasons of his career in his first season in Dodger blue.
Hernandez was a monster at the plate, setting a career high with 33 home runs and reaching the All-Star Game for the second time in his career. He swung Game 3 of the World Series against the Yankees with his arm, as he gunned down Giancarlo Stanton at home plate to save a run for his team. Bringing him back to solidify one of the corner outfield spots is crucial.
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The Dodgers also have some valuable pitchers that they will be focused on keeping in town. Starting pitchers Jack Flaherty, Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler are all due for new deals. Kershaw missed the playoffs due to an injury, but Buehler and Flaherty both had big moments during the team's championship run.
Reliever Blake Treinen is also hitting free agency, and the Dodgers will be doing their best to retain him after an excellent close to the season. Treinen was one of the best bullpen arms in baseball down the stretch of the regular season and through the playoffs and was credited with two wins during the World Series.
The Dodgers will likely have one of the best teams in baseball next year even if some of these big names don't return, but they have a chance to be a true juggernaut if they are back.
