For the second year in a row, the Los Angeles Dodgers are World Series Champions, but that doesn't mean all is right in Chavez Ravine.
No, while Roki Sasaki was able to moonlight as a fast-throwing closer for much of October, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto took care of business at the end of Game 7 to secure another parade through downtown, the Dodgers' end-of-game relief options aren't looking too great heading into 2026, with Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen penciled in as arguably Dave Roberts' top-2 options.
But should they be? In the opinion of ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, the answer to that question should be a resounding no, as Los Angeles has made it a priority to improve their relief options in a major way.
“The Dodgers have one massive need heading into the offseason — they need a closer. More broadly, they need trusted arms late in games, particularly right-handed ones. Brusdar Graterol (coming off shoulder surgery), Blake Treinen (37 and coming off a rough year), Edgardo Henriquez, and Will Klein (hard throwers with command issues) are the incumbents there, and they all have questions. So look for the Dodgers to be really aggressive in that space, either through free agency or via trade, or both,” Gonzalez wrote for ESPN.
“But what will attract the most attention in the early part of this offseason will be the Dodgers' ties to Skubal and Tucker. They'll be engaged on both of those players, simply because they can, but it will probably be on the periphery.”
With free agency still a work in progress as teams and players work through their final decisions on options, it's unclear who the Dodgers will be aiming for and what kind of contracts they will be willing to dish out or trade for this winter. Fortunately, with the entirety of MLB knowing what the reigning and defending Champs are looking for, it's clear someone will be eager to make a deal and join up for a shot at the first three-peat since 2000.
