That begs the question: for Dave Dombrowski and the Phils, what do they prioritize next? What are the biggest remaining needs?
Building up the middle
Building up the middle still matters most. Trea Turner and Bryson Stott are the likely middle-infield duo heading into 2026, but catcher and center field carry real questions.
J.T. Realmuto – who donned the red pinstripes for seven seasons – is the most likely answer behind the plate. The 34-year-old is reportedly seeking a two-year deal and will be worth the investment based on his familiarity with the Phillies’ staff.
An annual value in the $16–18 million range seems realistic, which would amount to roughly a $5 million increase on the payroll from last season between him and Schwarber.
A reunion with Realmuto is the likeliest outcome, but a pivot would create an interesting scenario. Whether it’s former Rangers catcher Jonah Heim in free agency or a trade target, there isn’t another available catcher who impacts the Phils the way Realmuto does.
“We want J.T. back,” Phillies skipper Rob Thomson told MLB Network Radio on Thursday.
Realmuto is clearly the next major priority.
Center field is a different question. While Dombrowski has expressed confidence in Justin Crawford’s ability to handle the position, the organization still has Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas as options. That depth gives them flexibility.
If and when the Phillies move on from Nick Castellanos, and if they prefer Crawford and Marsh in the corners, that would open the door for bringing back Harrison Bader – who would serve multiple purposes: a right-handed bat who plays Gold Glove-caliber defense. His market is one of the tougher ones to read this offseason.
Harrison Bader – Credit: Bill Streicher (Imagn Images)
The 31-year-old is coming off a career year in 2025, slashing .277/.347/.449 and posting an .824 OPS with the Phillies after the trade.
Right-handed hitting outfielders are tough to come by this winter, which points toward a buy-high scenario with Bader. Since his official rookie season in 2018, he has finished with an OPS under .700 in four of his eight seasons and has topped 110 games just four times in that span — excluding 2020.
It would be understandable if the Phillies hesitate to commit more than two years based on his track record and the number of in-house options they have.
Protecting Bryce
For much of the early offseason, Bryce Harper’s lineup protection has been a central talking point. Right-handed hitting was made a clear priority for the Phillies from the jump.
So after adding Schwarber’s left-handed power, where could they turn for a right-handed, middle-of-the-order bat?
Alec Bohm at third base is a steady option, but his profile may not be exactly what they need as he enters his final year of arbitration. In 2025, the 28-year-old hit just 11 homers in 120 games.
Alec Bohm – Credit: Bill Streicher (Imagn Images)
His .331 on-base percentage, paired with a .287 batting average, created a lopsided line. His run-producing numbers dipped as well: 59 RBIs after back-to-back 97-RBI seasons.
Kazuma Okamoto – who carries an .856 career OPS in NPB – and Eugenio Suárez – who slugged 49 homers this past season – are two third-base free agent options who would slot cleanly into the middle of the lineup. Switch-hitting Jorge Polanco is another name who would bring similar value at either second or third.
Signing a third baseman and trading Bohm could also be a direct path to adding a reliever — a recently reported priority.
The rotation
It might be a stretch to label the rotation a “priority,” but there are enough variables to keep it on the radar: whether the Phillies re-sign Ranger Suárez, Zack Wheeler’s availability early in the year, Taijuan Walker’s future and Andrew Painter’s progression after a down 2025.
The volume of starting pitchers available who profile as back-end options sets up a possible wait-and-see approach.
This would resemble a tactic the Phils took two offseasons ago. In 2024, the club signed Spencer Turnbull to a one-year, $2 million deal in mid-February. At that point, he owned a 4.55 ERA through 60 career starts. He was effective for the Phillies before an injury, posting a 2.65 ERA as a swingman between the rotation and bullpen.
A similar type of deal — at a higher salary — could make sense for Walker Buehler or veteran lefties Jordan Montgomery or Martín Pérez.
For a team coming off a 96-win season and a second straight division title, bringing Schwarber back is the first step toward putting another championship contender on the field. Their corresponding moves will dictate how high that ceiling goes.
Since making his major league debut in 2015, Schwarber has belted 340 home runs, second most in all of baseball behind only Aaron Judge (368 homers).
In the past four seasons alone, Schwarber has mashed 131 home runs (an average of 43.7 per season), including a new career best of 56 big flies in 2025, when he finished runner-up to Shohei Ohtani as National League MVP.
With Schwarber returning to Philadelphia, it may increase the chances of Pete Alonso re-signing with the Mets, as it takes another potential power option off the board.
The Mets are losing their closer to Los Angeles, with Edwin Diaz agreeing to sign a three-year deal with the Dodgers worth $69 million, per multiple reports.
New York's offer to Diaz was for three years and $66 million, with some deferrals, with the team expressing to Diaz that there was wiggle room to go higher.
After signing Devin Williams to a three-year deal earlier this offseason, the Mets remained interested in retaining Diaz, with reports indicating that they were hoping to keep the length of a potential deal to three years.
With Diaz gone, the Mets could conceivably turn to Robert Suarez or Pete Fairbanks as a late-inning option to pair with Williams.
Diaz, who is entering his age-32 season in 2026, had stated numerous times that he wanted to return.
"Yeah, of course," he said after the season. "I love this organization. They treat me really, really good. My family, everything. If I decide to opt out I would love to come back."
Diaz is coming off a phenomenal season where he showed no real signs of slowing down, posting a 1.63 ERA (2.28 FIP) and 0.87 WHIP with 98 strikeouts in 66.1 innings.
The stuff (while the fastball velo was a bit down from its peak) remained filthy.
Diaz ranked in the 99th percentile this past season when it came to xERA, xBA, whiff percentage, and strikeout percentage. He was in the 89th percentile or better in fastball velocity, barrel percentage, and extension. His ground ball rate, chase percentage, and the average exit velocity against him all graded out well above average.
Batters hit .133 with a .200 slugging percentage against Diaz's fastball in 2025, while hitting .179 with a .269 slugging percentage against his slider.
During his six-year Mets career, Diaz posted a 2.93 ERA (2.56 FIP) and 1.04 WHIP while striking out 538 batters in 328.1 innings -- a rate of 14.7 strikeouts per nine.
In addition to what Diaz brought on the mound in New York (and he had been incredibly reliable, making 54 or more appearances each of the last four seasons), there were the intangibles.
Diaz had not only embraced New York, but had proven that he could thrive here.
Now he's on the back-to-back World Series winners.
ORLANDO — Randy Winn had not even fully gotten off the podium in a dark conference room at the Signia By Hilton Hotel when Michael Holmes ran up with a fist bump. The look on the face of the Giants’ director of amateur scouting said it all.
“He’s very excited about that,” Winn said, smiling.
Winn just finished his first year as the organization’s VP of player development, and on Tuesday night, he and the Giants got a huge, well, win.
They moved way up in the MLB Draft lottery and will pick fourth next summer. By record, they should have had the 15th pick, and they entered the night with the 12th-best odds of picking first overall in MLB’s calculations, which punish some teams for repeatedly being in the lottery.
But as other teams got named, Winn realized that something cool was happening. He couldn’t fully focus on that, though.
“My phone was buzzing from former teammates of mine heckling me while I was up there,” Winn said. “I could name a few. It was actually a few of my Tampa teammates sending me text messages saying ‘don’t screw it up’ and some other very nice things. ‘You look terrible up there.’ Those sort of things. Who needs enemies when you have friends like that.”
The reception was surely much different when he returned to the organization’s suite at the hotel here.
This will be the Giants’ first time picking inside the top five since 2018, when they chose Joey Bart second overall. It’s just the fifth time, period, that they’ll pick inside the top five. Three of those previous picks turned into Will Clark, Matt Williams and Buster Posey.
Winn said it was an “exciting time” for the player development staff, and this could be a huge boost to a farm system that is on the rise. They also are poised to sign the top international position player prospect for a second straight year, with Venezuelan shortstop Luis Hernandez likely to sign with the organization in the middle of January. Throw Hernandez in with a top-four pick and last year’s top addition, Josuar Gonzalez, and the Giants will have a needed injection of young talent.
The Giants entered the lottery with a one percent chance of getting the top pick. For a moment, Winn started to dream, but the Chicago White Sox ended up winning the lottery.
“I didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself but I did know that based on how things worked, if we weren’t called by 15 that we would be inside the top six. Once we weren’t six and then once we weren’t five, I was like, well, maybe,” he said. “Drafting is hard, but we’re definitely excited to be picking so early in the draft. It’s been a while since I believe we’ve drafted this high. We’ve got some time and we’ve got some work to do ahead of us.”
The Red Sox acquired Grissom in the Dec. 2023 trade that sent left-hander Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves. At the time, the move made sense as Sale couldn’t overcome his injury woes. Although Grissom never lived up to his billing as a top prospect in Atlanta, there was hope that a change of scenery could help him develop into a solid middle infielder in Boston.
Instead, Sale revitalized his career with the Braves and won his first career Cy Young award, finishing his first season in Atlanta with an MLB-best 2.38 ERA in 29 starts. Grissom never found a path to consistent playing time with the Red Sox as he hit .190 with no homers and a .465 OPS over 31 big-league appearances, all in 2024.
Grissom spent the entire 2025 campaign at Triple-A Worcester. The 24-year-old slashed a respectable .270/.342/.441 with 13 homers and 48 RBI over 96 games for the WooSox, but he remained stuck behind Kristian Campbell, David Hamilton, Romy Gonzalez, Marcelo Mayer, Nick Sogard, Trevor Story, and Ceddanne Rafaela on the middle-infield depth chart.
As for Jackson, the 21-year-old was selected in the eighth round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Arizona State. He notched 18 homers with a 1.032 OPS over 60 games for the Sun Devils, then played in 10 games for the Angels’ Low-A affiliate.
The Chicago White Sox will own the top pick in the 2026 MLB Draft after winning the draft lottery on Tuesday.
The White Sox finished the 2025 MLB season with the second-worst record in baseball, going 60-102 a year after setting an MLB record for most losses in a single season.
After the 2025 season the White Sox were ineligible to participate in the draft lottery because they had won a slot in the 2024 draft, but this time around they had the best odds of capturing the top pick, with a more than 27% chance of earning that selection.
That is exactly what happened during the MLB Draft Lottery at the winter meetings on Tuesday, meaning that the White Sox will have the chance to add an explosive player to their farm system.
The Tampa Bay Rays vaulted up to the second slot in the draft order, with the Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates rounding out the top-five.
The Kansas City Royals will pick six, meaning that three of the top-six picks are owned by American League Central clubs.
According to Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline, the 2026 draft class is loaded with college positional players, headlined by UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron, and Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress.
High school shortstops Grady Emerson and Jacob Lombard are also at the top of the projected draft list, along with LSU outfielder Derek Curiel.
The 2026 MLB Draft will take place July 12-13, 2026 in Philadelphia as part of the league’s All-Star weekend.
The average annual value of $23 million is a new record for MLB relievers, Passan added.
Diaz, 31, has been one of the game’s best closers since making his first All-Star appearance in 2018. The three-time Reliever of the Year (2018, 2022, 2025) has 253 career saves, which is tied for fourth among active players.
Bullpen was the Dodgers’ biggest weakness in 2025, but the issue was solved during the postseason — largely thanks to rookie Roki Sasaki. The Japanese sensation could move back to the starting rotation in 2026 with Diaz now able to handle closing duties.
As for the Mets, the team signed reliever Devin Williams away from the New York Yankees last week. The right-hander is now expected to fill Diaz’s role as the Mets’ closer in 2026.
The designated hitter is returning to the Phillies on a five-year, $150 million deal, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The 32-year-old slugger is coming off a season that ranks among the best in franchise history. He hit .240 with a league-leading 56 home runs and 132 RBIs in 2025, posting a .928 OPS. Since joining the Phillies in 2022, Schwarber has launched 187 homers, the most in the National League during that stretch.
President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski called re-signing Schwarber “a priority” at the club’s end-of-season press conference, noting, “We’d love to bring Kyle Schwarber back … He’s a huge part of what we do.”
Manager Rob Thomson echoed the sentiment, praising Schwarber’s leadership and professionalism: “He brings a lot — his calmness, his experience, how he talks to younger players when they’re scuffling. He’s a huge piece in that clubhouse.”
Beyond the numbers, Schwarber has become the heartbeat of the Phillies’ lineup. His power and steady presence have helped define the club’s four consecutive postseason runs.
He’s also left an imprint off the field — his “Neighborhood Heroes” foundation continues to support first responders and military families across the Philadelphia region.
Originally signed to a four-year, $79 million contract before the 2022 season, Schwarber will remain the team’s primary designated hitter as the Phillies look to extend their playoff window into 2026 and beyond.
ORLANDO — Before a teamwide slump led to a trade deadline sale, the Giants were quietly looking at potentially adding help at second base. Months later, they announced that incumbent Casey Schmitt underwent left wrist surgery, but president of baseball operations Buster Posey doesn’t sound like he feels adding at that position is still necessary.
The Giants anticipate Schmitt being only about a week to 10 days behind at the start of camp, and they also have plenty of faith in Christian Koss. Tyler Fitzgerald, who entered last season as the starter, also still is on the 40-man roster.
“We feel really good about the strides that Casey made last year, and I think Koss, too, had some big moments for us and for me is a guy that’s just kind of an all-around baseball player and can impact the game in multiple ways,” Posey said. “We’re very optimistic with both of those guys having a solid year under their belt and we know that there’s room for growth. I’ll just leave it at that.”
There are multiple potential options on the trade market, including St. Louis’ Brendan Donovan and Tampa Bay’s Brandon Lowe. But the Giants also have more pressing needs, particularly in their rotation and at the back end of their bullpen. They also could use more help in the outfield.
Schmitt entered last season in a utility role off the bench and even learned first base as a way to get on the field. He finished the year with 12 homers and a wRC+ of 98, putting him roughly at league-average as a hitter. At the end of the season, Schmitt said he planned to drop some weight this offseason to allow him to cover more ground at second base.
General manager Zack Minasian described the injury as a form of carpal tunnel that needed to be operated on, but there are no long-term concerns.
“We don’t think he’ll be slowed during spring training at all. He should be fine,” Minasian said on Tuesday’s “Giants Talk” podcast. “I thought Casey made a lot of positive strides last year: At-bat quality, learning a new position, there’s still some upside there, and I’m excited to see what he can do going forward.”
The Marco Move
One player who won’t be involved in that outfield competition is Marco Luciano. The former top prospect was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates last week, with the Giants getting nothing in return for a 24-year-old who once looked like a future star in San Francisco, or at least the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade.
Internally, the Giants have in recent months revisited Luciano’s development path to see what they might have done differently. The main takeaway is not surprising: They know they should have moved him off of shortstop years ago, allowing him to play an easier position and focus on his development at the plate.
“I don’t think it went how anyone would have hoped it would have gone,” Minasian said. “I think you replay some of what position he should have been at and things of that nature. For me, personally, I saw Luci as a 15-year-old in the Dominican, and as much as we talk about the position, there’s still a tremendous amount of bat upside there.
“It’s tough to walk away from someone with that type of ability. It just hadn’t shown up to this point and we’re limited in our roster spots and unfortunately it was the route we had to go.”
For all of the attention that was paid to his defensive struggles, Luciano also had an OPS below .600 in his big-league appearances. In Triple-A last year, he hit 23 homers but struck out 170 times and posted a .749 OPS in a hitter-friendly league.
Minasian said the timing of the move was “just to create roster space.” If the Giants do not sign someone or complete a trade by Wednesday, they’ll have an open roster spot heading into the Rule 5 Draft.
Congrats, Chis!
Giants VP of media relations Matt Chisholm received the Robert O. Fishel Award during a reception on Monday night in Orlando. The award honors excellence in public relations, and Chisholm became the second Giants employee to win it, joining his former boss, Staci Slaughter.
Chisholm, a Northern California native who graduated from Sonoma State, first joined the Giants as an intern in 2004. He worked for the Colorado Rockies for three seasons before returning to his hometown team. Last season was his 18th overall with the organization.
The ceremony was attended by just about every Giants employee who made the trip to Orlando, including Posey, Minasian, manager Tony Vitello and Bruce Bochy, who worked closely with Chisholm during the title years. Posey gave a speech honoring Chisholm and presented him with a trophy.
The Mets have shown interest in Brewers starter Freddy Peralta as they look to revamp their rotation this offseason.
Milwaukee is said to be open for business on the right-hander if a team is willing to meet their steep asking price, according to Joel Sherman of the NY Post.
Unsurprisingly, interest has been wide, as he is owed just $8 million for this season.
Peralta has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since making the move from more of a relief option to the Brewers' starting rotation during the 2021 season.
He is coming off a spectacular campaign in which he topped numerous career marks.
The right-hander finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting after posting a league-high 17 wins, a 2.70 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 204 strikeouts over 176.2 innings of work.
That marked the third straight season in which he topped 30 starts and the 165-inning mark.
It's unclear exactly what the Brewers may want in exchange for Peralta, but it's fair to believe they would look to add one of New York's highly thought of young starters -- Brandon Sproat or Jonah Tong -- as part of a deal.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Right-hander Drew Anderson and the Tigers agreed to a one-year contract, $7 million. Detroit general manager Scott Harris said Monday.
The deal includes a $10 million team option for 2027.
Anderson, 31, spent spring training with the Tigers in 2024 on a minor league contract and struck out 14 over eight innings while allowing seven runs and nine hits. He had a 3.86 ERA in nine games with Triple-A Toledo, then asked to be released and signed with SSD Landers in South Korea.
He went 23-10 with a 2.91 ERA over parts of two seasons in South Korea, striking out 403 and walking 104 in 287 1/3 innings.
Anderson last pitched in the major leagues with Texas in 2021 and then spent two seasons with Hiroshima in Japan's Central League.
He is 1-3 with a 6.50 ERA in two starts and 17 relief appearances over five big league seasons with Philadelphia (2017-19), the Chicago White Sox (2020) and the Rangers.
Ahead of the MLB Winter Meetings, the chatter was that the Detroit Tigers would be listening to offers for potential Mets target Tarik Skubal, the back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner and a free agent to be after the 2026 season.
On Monday, Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris gave a clear indication that there will indeed be "listening" and "exploring" when it came to the left-hander (and any player in the organization), but that might be as far as it goes.
“I’ve been pretty clear since I’ve been here,” Harris said in Orlando. “I don’t believe in untouchables at any level. So anyone in our organization, at any level. It’s not a commentary on Tarik specifically. Sort of a blanket team-building approach. I think I can’t do my job without listening.
“I can’t do my job without exploring anything that may or may not have legs. Some are maybe very likely moves, and some are going to be extremely unlikely. But you can’t actually fully vet those opportunities unless you are willing to listen. So that’s how we’re doing it.”
Harris, speaking on MLB Network, added later, "My job is to make this organization better. I need to find ways to make this organization better, which means that I need to listen to every opportunity."
On the eve of the meetings, ESPN's Buster Olney reported Detroit would "continue to be engaged" with teams interested in acquiring the ace, and that the asking price would be "enormous."
Enormous because the talent is so immense. Over his last two seasons, he's posted a 2.30 ERA (2.47 FIP) and 0.906 WHIP with 469 strikeouts and 68 walks in 387.1 innings over 62 starts.
If acquired, the Mets would face another hurdle in working on keeping the 29-year-old around for the long term: Skubal is represented by Scott Boras.
When the Tigers attempted to extend Skubal, it was reportedly not just a non-competitive offer, but one that was relatively insulting. Safe to say that while that isn't much of an indication of the starter's asking price, it is something the Mets would certainly be able to avoid.
In the meantime, Skubal is relatively inexpensive, expected to make roughly $18 million for his final season of arbitration.
SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino reported earlier this offseason that the Tigers have expressed interest in Brett Baty in the past.
David Stearns said Monday at the Winter Meetings that rehabbing Mets pitchers Christian Scott and A.J. Minter have been progressing well this offseason.
Scott is wrapping up his recovery from Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for the entirety of last season, and he’s in line to be a full participant by the time spring training comes.
That’s certainly encouraging news for the Mets’ pitching depth.
The 25-year-old was the first of New York’s influx of young talent to crack the majors, and he showed some of his high upside before going down to injury.
Scott pitched to a 4.56 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over his first nine big-league outings.
Minter, meanwhile, remains a bit less certain for the beginning of the season.
The veteran left-hander continues recovering from a lat injury that sidelined him for the season in late May, but if he does miss time, it is only expected to be brief.
Minter looked strong in his 13 appearances prior to the injury, and he is expected to play a key role in New York’s bullpen again after picking up his $11 million player option.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts answers questions during a news conference at the MLB winter meetings in Orlando on Monday. (John Raoux / Associated Press)
It’s been an offseason of few acquisitions thus far for the Dodgers.
So much so that, on the first day of MLB’s annual winter meetings at the Signia by Hilton Orlando on Monday, the most intriguing rumor surrounding the team had to do with a potential subtraction from their big-league roster.
According to multiple reports, Teoscar Hernández has come up in the Dodgers’ trade talks with other teams this winter. USA Today went as far as saying the club was “shopping” the two-time All-Star, who is entering the second season of the three-year, $66-million deal he signed last offseason.
Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernández hits a sacrifice fly to score Dodgers' Will Smith during the Game 7 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Nov. 1. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
“Teo certainly fits [our roster still],” Roberts said. “He’s helped us win two championships. He’s one of my favorites.”
“That doesn't feel likely,” Gomes added of the possibility of trading Hernández. “Obviously, you can never say never on those types of things. I know that's come up [in reports]. But that's not something we anticipate at all."
The idea of the Dodgers trading Hernández has felt like a long shot from the start. Though the 33-year-old slugger suffered an inconsistent and injury-plagued regular season in 2025 — both at the plate, where he had 25 home runs but hit only .247, and especially defensively, where he had several notable lapses after moving to right field — the 10-year veteran has made crucial contributions in each of the Dodgers’ two World Series runs the last couple years, and has served in a mentor role to young players in the clubhouse; none more so than Andy Pages.
Granted, moving Hernández could help the Dodgers get younger, which has been a goal for the front office this offseason as they try to navigate their aging and expensive roster. And his salary could be repurposed if the team were to make a splashier free-agent signing.
But for now, the Dodgers continue to express belief in their current core, with Roberts noting Monday that “we're very confident with where the roster is right now” and that “there's really no big splash we feel needs to be made.”
Plus, moving Hernández would also only further exacerbate the team’s pre-existing need for outfield help, as the club continues to evaluate both the free agent market (where players such as Cody Bellinger or Harrison Bader figure to be better, and more affordable, fits than a likely $400-million signing of top free-agent option Kyle Tucker) and trade possibilities (such as Brendan Donovan or Lars Nootbaar of the St. Louis Cardinals, Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu of the Boston Red Sox or — in a less likely scenario — Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians).
Roberts did leave the door open to potentially moving Hernández back to left field, where he spent the majority of 2024 for the Dodgers before shifting over to his more natural right field position last year.
Still, in Roberts’ eyes, Hernández’s defense was “at least average” in right after an August series in Colorado when he made a couple particularly glaring mistakes on fly balls. His career-long defensive metrics have also been stronger in right field than left.
“I do think that with the versatility [of our roster] and how we potentially shape this roster, there's some options,” Roberts said. “But right now, he's our right fielder.”
Dodgers continue to assess bullpen options
Padres relief pitcher Robert Suárez celebrates after San Diego defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 27. (Gregory Bull / Associated Press)
One area the Dodgers do still seem more eager to make an addition this offseason is in the bullpen, even as they voice confidence in improved performances from the returning members of last year’s disappointing group.
“Getting a high-leverage reliever,” Roberts said, “is never a bad thing.”
The Dodgers have attempted to sign some big-name, back-end relievers already this winter, from Raisel Iglesias (who ultimately returned to the Atlanta Braves on a one-year, $16-million deal, despite the Dodgers reportedly making a similar offer to the veteran right-hander) to Devin Williams (who went to the New York Mets on a three-year, $5- million deal, despite the Dodgers’ interest in him dating back to last offseason).
The team had strong interest in Williams, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, even as his bidding reached the level of multi-year offers.
That could offer some insight into the club's pursuit of another current relief target: Former San Diego Padres closer Robert Suárez.
The Dodgers have expressed interest in Suárez, as the Athletic first reported. And, with the hard-throwing right-hander set to turn 35 next March, he has only been projected to sign a two- or three-year contract. Time will tell if that’s out of the Dodgers’ comfort zone.
If the team strikes out at the top of the market — Edwin Díaz still looms as the biggest free-agent closer, but is expected to be out of the Dodgers’ preferred price range — there could be other alternatives.
Pete Fairbanks, the former Tampa Bay Rays closer whom the Dodgers inquired about at last year’s deadline, remains a potential option, although the team has not yet targeted him aggressively. The Dodgers have also expressed interest in re-signing Evan Phillips, despite not tendering him a contract as he recovers from a Tommy John surgery.
Familiar face Michael Kopech could also be a fallback alternative after spending the last year and a half in Los Angeles, though he was unable to pitch in this past postseason because of injuries.
Faith in Tanner Scott, Mookie Betts rebounds
Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott throws from the mound and surrenders a lead against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 31 at Dodger Stadium. (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)
One constant message the Dodgers have reiterated when discussing their bullpen this offseason has been their continued faith in Scott, despite his 4.74 ERA and woeful 23 of 33 mark in save opportunities last year.
Both Roberts and Gomes noted on Monday that Scott was potentially hampered by injuries last year.
“I think there were just some things he kept under wraps about his body,” Roberts said of the 31-year-old left-hander, who missed a month in the second half of the season with forearm inflammation. “Some stuff that he just, honestly, he never felt right all year.”
“I think when he went down with the elbow injury, my sense is Tanner is a tough guy and wants the ball, but that was bothering him for a while,” Gomes added, while also noting that “there was a lot of batted ball luck and things that would be very hard to repeat again” that contributed to his disappointing debut season.
“We’ve seen it happen with elite relievers before,” Gomes continued. “So I’m very confident that Tanner is gonna come back and have a great season for us and be a big part of our success.”
Another player the Dodgers are banking on improvements from is Mookie Betts, who was a Gold Glove finalist defensively after switching to shortstop last season but suffered a career-worst campaign at the plate (.258 average, .732 OPS and only 20 home runs in 150 games).
“He had a tough, tough offensive year,” Roberts said. “He did. He's human, but it's easy to bet on a bounce-back year for Mookie on the offensive side for sure.”
A big reason why: Betts figures to be able to spend more time this offseason working on his swing and rebuilding the strength he lost following a bout with a serious stomach virus at the start of last season. Last winter, Betts spent the majority of his offseason work preparing for his full-time move to shortstop — a position Roberts confirmed he will play again in 2026.
“I'm sure in some way, he now knows that he is a double-plus shortstop,” Gomes said. “He will put in the work to maintain that. He now probably just has a little more bandwidth to balance it all out.”
Etc.
Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman forces out Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at second base during Game 4 of the World Series on Oct. 29. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
— Gomes said utilityman Tommy Edman’s recent ankle surgery was a debridement procedure to address the injury that nagged him during the second half of last season. Edman’s recovery will likely leave him limited at the start of spring training, but the team does not “expect it to affect a meaningful part of the season,” Gomes added. Edman is also expected to be able to play both the infield and outfield next season, after his injury limited him to mostly infield duties last year.
— Brusdar Graterol is expected to be “full go” next spring, Gomes said, after the reliever missed all of last year recovering from a shoulder surgery. Fellow reliever Brock Stewart “will be a little delayed” after missing the end of last year with his own shoulder surgery, Gomes said, “but we don’t think it’s going to be anything [that lingers] too deep into the season at all.”
— Shohei Ohtani is expected to be making full-length pitching starts from the beginning of next season, but Roberts noted the club could be strategic in giving him extra days off between his pitching outings: “I do feel that giving him six, seven, eight days off to kind of allow him to continue to stay rested and build up, I think that's in our process. But again, we have a long way to go [before making final decisions].”
