What's next for the Dodgers and Yankees

Exactly one week after the conclusion of the World Series, the realities of the offseason are beginning to set in for both the Dodgers and the Yankees.

For the Yankees, this is a harsh reality, as they have missed their best shot at bringing home a championship in quite some time. In Los Angeles, multiple key free-agent decisions loom regarding the players that helped them reach the top of the baseball world.

Dodgers

The Dodgers finally won their first World Series championship since 1988 which all fans can appreciate, as some question the legitimacy of their 2020 championship during the Covid-shortened 60-game season.

As the thrill of victory wears off, team brass must decide on the future of some players who helped them win it all. Walker Buehler, Jack Flaherty, Kiké Hernández, Teoscar Hernández, Joe Kelly, Clayton Kershaw and Blake Treinen are all currently free agents.

Notably, that list includes about half of the Dodgers’ starting five in their rotation.

Buehler recorded a save to close out the World Series, Flaherty pitched to a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts and required multiple assets to acquire from the Tigers at the trade deadline, and Kershaw is a future Hall of Famer who only made seven starts this year but still has something left in the tank.

Kelly and Treinen are also huge pieces in the bullpen. Treinen, specifically, pitched to a sub-two ERA in 50 appearances for the Dodgers. In the postseason, he allowed just three runs in nine innings pitched.

His Championship Win Probability Added graded in at 1.1%

Teoscar Hernández experienced his best full season as a major leaguer in his first year in Los Angeles. He set a career-high in home runs with 33, and took the field nearly every day, playing 154 of 162 regular season games.

He added three long balls and 12 RBIs in the playoffs.

These departures would all be huge losses for the Dodgers. They will work hard to re-sign Flaherty, Kershaw and Hernández at least, but expect them to be very active elsewhere in the free agent market as they look to repeat in 2025.

Rumors have been swirling regarding the Dodgers and superstar outfielder Juan Soto. They will be aggressive in pursuing him, but with millions of dollars already tied up in players such as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, their pockets might not be deep enough to do so.

As their starting pitching consisted of spare parts for much of the playoffs, the most realistic next step for the team would be to allocate their resources toward mid-rotation free agents such as, for example, Luis Severino or Spencer Turnbull.

The Dodgers also ran thin at shortstop for much of the second half. They started the year with Mookie Betts at short, but injuries and defensive issues put a stop to that.

After Betts, we saw a revolving door of bench pieces and stopgaps up the middle such as Miguel Rojas, Tommy Edman, Nick Ahmed, Kiké Hernández, Amed Rosario and Gavin Lux.

None of these guys profiled as long-term solutions, although Edman filled in admirably and will likely play a role on this team next year. Expect the Dodgers to look into signing a player like Paul DeJong without making a major splash just yet.

Yankees

The Yankees enter the offseason in a bit of a strange spot. They experienced tremendous success in 2024 as they reached the World Series, but the year still felt somewhat incomplete. This could be due to the expectations which perenially surround the franchise, or Juan Soto’s impending free agency, but the fact remains that the Yankees had every opportunity to win it all but collectively shot themselves in the foot with shoddy defense and inconsistent hitting.

The team should make it their priority to be a better fundamental baseball team in 2024. Their defense and baserunning statistics were among the bottom marks in the league.

The biggest problem which the Yankees face this winter is the fact that four of their starting position players are free agents. These players are Soto, Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres and Alex Verdugo.

They’ll need to cover two outfield spots and the entire right side of their infield, and they don’t have any true standout in-house replacements outside of possibly Jasson Dominguez.

The best solution would be to resign Soto. This is no small task, as he’s projected to earn a contract worth nearly 700 million dollars. Still, retaining him is priority 1-A.

In left field, the Yankees are likely done with Verdugo. Michael Conforto or Max Kelpler could possibly be low-cost fits in the open market. If they were interested in breaking the bank a bit more in the outfield, especially if Soto is lured elsewhere, they could look to pilfer Hernández from the Dodgers or sign Tyler O’Neill away from the rival Red Sox.

At the keystone, the only standout option in free agency is Ha-Seong Kim. Kim could be an under-the-radar perfect fit, as he would add some much-needed speed and defense to the club. Pairing Kim with the sure-handedness of Anthony Volpe up the middle would be a major addition.

Ben Rice is the only incumbent who realistically could start at first base for the Yankees next year, but he hit just .171 in his first major league action this season. Switch-hitting veteran Carlos Santana could be a reliable add on a short-term deal if Rice hasn’t earned the club’s vote of confidence.

At the very least for the Yankees, the majority of the pitching staff will look similar to how it did in 2024. They’ll lose a couple of arms in the bullpen, but bullpens are ever-changing across the league. A lefty for the bullpen would be a good investment.

The Yankees have their work cut out for them in the free-agent market this winter. They’ll need to re-think their roster construction if they plan on once again capturing the American League pennant.

Dominick Pizzelanti is a second-year dual majoring in broadcast journalism and Spanish. To contact him, email dqp5565@psu.edu.