The window for Major League Baseball teams to sign free agents opens Monday at 2 p.m. PT.
Several Los Angeles Dodgers free agents are among the top names in the pool, including starting pitcher Tarik Skubal, who is considered the top player available in this year’s free agency class.
Dodgers Free Agency Watch: Tarik Skubal
But the Dodgers also have major decisions to make regarding key contributors to the 2024 and 2025 World Series championship teams, including a beloved veteran utility man and manager Dave Roberts‘ most trusted “fireman” reliever.
Here’s a complete list of the current Dodgers free agents:
| Player | Pos. | Age | Service | Status | 2026 Salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarik Skubal | LHP (SP) | 29 | 6+ | Free agent | $32M | Two-time AL Cy Young winner acquired midseason from Detroit. Posted a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts with LA and a 2.45 ERA in two postseason starts. Widely viewed as the top free agent on the market. |
| Alex Vesia | LHP (RP) | 30 | 6+ | Free agent | $3.65M | Dodgers picked up his club option for 2026. Had a 2.64 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 72 appearances; a bullpen fixture since 2021. |
| Kris Bubic | LHP (SP) | 29 | 6+ | Free agent | $6.15M | 2025 All-Star acquired from Kansas City before the trade deadline. Pitched well in relief for LA and is expected to seek a starting role. |
| Eric Lauer | LHP (SP) | 31 | 6+ | Free agent | $4.4M | Acquired from Toronto midseason and went 7-2 with a 4.50 ERA before a late-season elbow injury. |
| Evan Phillips | RHP (RP) | 32 | 6+ | Free agent | $6.5M | Returned from Tommy John surgery with a 3.46 ERA in 26 regular-season innings and three scoreless postseason innings. |
| Blake Treinen | RHP (RP) | 38 | 12+ | Free agent | $13.5M | Had a 3.64 ERA in 29.2 innings before a shoulder injury ended his season. Could retire. |
| Brusdar Graterol | RHP (RP) | 28 | 6+ | Free agent | $2.8M | Has not pitched for the Dodgers since the 2024 World Series because of shoulder and back injuries. |
| Kiké Hernández | UT (INF/OF) | 35 | 12+ | Free agent | $4.5M | Key contributor to the 2024 and 2025 World Series titles. Missed most of 2026 with elbow and oblique injuries. |
| Miguel Rojas | INF | 37 | 12+ | Retired | $5.5M | Retired after Game 4 of the NLCS, ending a 13-year career. Expected to stay with the organization in a player development role. |
Players need six full years of MLB service to become free agents. None of the Dodgers’ free agents were eligible for a qualifying offer.
Which Dodgers free agents are most likely to return?
The 2026 MLB free agency period is expected to be one of the more unusual ones in recent years, with a potential lockout looming as team owners push for a salary cap to tamp down spending by large-market teams like the Dodgers, New York Mets and New York Yankees.
With the collective bargaining agreement expiring in December, that leaves a little more than a month for MLB free agents to cash in on the old rules before either a work stoppage or new salary restrictions.
That sensitive timing has many baseball insiders predicting a fast-moving free agency period with many signings coming in the early hours and days of the window opening.
Tarik Skubal is due for a big payday
Skubal will of course be the top priority for the Dodgers, as well as the main priority for a number of contending teams. We’ve covered his potential free agency, as well as contract expectations, in previous stories.
We’ll keep it brief: The Dodgers will likely go hard to bring him back long-term after investing heavily and shipping some top prospects to earn his services for the back half of the 2026 season. While the team failed to win its third consecutive World Series title, it coveted Skubal for months, if not longer, and its unceremonious exit in the National League Championship Series may have lit a fire under Andrew Friedman and Mark Walter to get a deal done in hopes of returning to the mountaintop.
Skubal will likely get somewhere between $45 million and $60 million per year, but the length of the contract will be the main determining factor.
Dodgers Dynasty prediction: Skubal returns with a historic payday
Dodgers might need Alex Vesia back
The Dodgers are on the verge of losing their most trusted high-leverage bullpen arm in Alex Vesia. The 30-year-old made only $3.65 million on his last deal, and heads into free agency as one of the most highly targeted relief pitchers available.
He’s been a bullpen fixture over the last five seasons, a fan favorite, and Roberts’ top bullpen option when the team needs to get out of a jam.
Multiple teams with cash to spend who are in need of bullpen help will come calling.
But Vesia is more important to the Dodgers than to any other team, and all signs point to Vesia preferring a reunion.
He will likely earn a much-deserved raise for 2027, and the Dodgers might be the best option for him.
Dodgers Dynasty prediction: Vesia returns with a team-friendly discount
Kiké Hernández will have to wait
Kiké Hernández is familiar with this song and dance.
Over the past two offseasons, Hernández relaxed at home, recovering and staying ready for the call, which came after the new league year officially started and the Dodgers were able to move injured players onto the IL and open space for the veteran utility man.
Expect that to happen again, although the potential lockout makes things a bit hairy.
Hernández has appeared in more postseason games than any other Los Angeles Dodger. He’s a fan favorite, a favorite of Dave Roberts, and a key contributor to the Dodgers’ renowned clubhouse culture.
With Miguel Rojas retiring, it’s an obvious opportunity for Kiké to step into the versatile veteran role: a dependable defender who can also be deployed for situational hitting.
Kiké Hernández is Dodgers baseball. We’d be less surprised if Hernández simply retired rather than join another team.
Dodgers Dynasty prediction: Hernández returns before 2027 opener
It’s a toss-up for these players
Evan Phillips
Evan Phillips returned to the Dodgers after Tommy John surgery and was one of the team’s better relievers down the stretch. He was arguably the team’s top bullpen arm during the 2024 World Series, and was the team’s de facto closer in 2023.
The 32-year-old could find a decent increase on his $6.5 million deal on the open market, or he could be sitting at home for several months while high-priority free agents gobble up all the available cash.
Phillips could be an obvious return candidate for the Dodgers on a team-friendly deal if a bigger payday isn’t out there for him.
Dodgers Dynasty prediction: Phillips returns after the market dries up.
Kris Bubic
Bubic’s potential return may hinge on one thing: does he believe he’s still a starter?
An All-Star in 2025, Kris Bubic was acquired by the Dodgers as a bullpen reinforcement. He played that role relatively well and made the postseason roster, but was shelled in his only two appearances.
Bubic might have some suitors on the open market, but a true contender probably doesn’t view him as a long-term starter.
The Dodgers might be interested in using him as a spot starter or long reliever, if the money is right. If Skubal is brought back, the team may also explore offloading one of its other heralded starters, like Tyler Glasnow, to get some financial relief. That could potentially open the door to a Bubic return.
But the Dodgers are not going to break the bank on a pseudo-starter who is probably better suited for a bullpen role. They have that in spades with Justin Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan, Ben Casparius, Landon Knack, Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone and, potentially, Roki Sasaki. The list is long.
Dodgers Dynasty prediction: Bubic departs for the promise of a starting job
These Dodgers likely won’t return
Blake Treinen
Blake Treinen has made more headlines for his political stunts than for his on-field performance since his brilliant 2024 campaign. Treinen enters free agency at 38 years old on the back of two poor seasons.
He either comes back to the Dodgers on a minimum deal, gets a bit more money elsewhere, or retires.
Dodgers Dynasty prediction: Treinen remains unsigned until mid-season
Brusdar Graterol
Brusdar Graterol, a.k.a. “Bazooka,” hasn’t pitched since the 2024 World Series and has been unable to stay healthy since 2023. But when he’s on, he’s on.
Graterol might be the hardest free agent to predict. He’s still only 28, but his market might be dead. So he could return to the Dodgers in some form, either later in the year or on a minor league deal.
Some team that is years away from competing might throw him some more money, though.
Dodgers Dynasty prediction: Graterol returns to Dodgers on a minor league deal
Eric Lauer
Eric Lauer was this year’s winner of the Brent Honeywell Award: He was brought to L.A. to soak up innings, fill in as a spot starter and save his teammates from unnecessary mileage.
He did that job admirably before being shut down with left elbow inflammation.
If he’s willing to return for cheap as a bullpen piece, he could return to L.A.; if not, the team will thank him for his service and wish him well.
Dodgers Dynasty prediction: Lauer signs elsewhere
With MLB free agency beginning Monday, we’ll have some of these answers in the coming days. But some will go unanswered for the foreseeable future.
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