2 players Dodgers should keep, 2 they should trade before 2026 season

The Los Angeles Dodgers feel far from a finished product at this point in the winter. While the club made a big splash signing Edwin Diaz, there is still some tinkering that needs to be done to balance the roster.

It's long been thought that the Dodgers will be active in the trade market this winter, though so far we've yet to see that come to pass, with the exception of a few exchanges to fill out the minor league depth. That doesn't mean some impact trades aren't coming, though. Los Angeles has some players who might be of more value to other teams, while others have been floated in trade rumors but ultimately make more sense to keep.

The club needs to make the right choices here, and there are clearly two players whom they should hold onto despite the rumors and two others they need to trade in order to capitalize on their value.

2 players the Dodgers absolutely must keep despite trade rumors

Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez

Rumors swirled that the Dodgers were shopping Teoscar Hernandez right as the Winter Meetings were about to get underway. It's now been a few weeks since those festivities came to a close, and Hernandez is still a Dodger. That's a good thing.

Hernandez isn't a perfect player, but the Dodgers brought him in and then retained him last winter because of his power. Despite a somewhat subpar year overall, Hernandez mostly delivered on that with 25 homers, a .454 SLG, and a .207 ISO. A 72nd percentile barrel rate and a 65th percentile hard hit rate in 2025 show that he can still do damage.

It's important to note that Hernandez battled injuries throughout 2025, which also could have contributed to his downturn. With the benefit of good health, he could return to his spectacular 2024 form. Furthermore, the Dodgers already have a need in the outfield, so dealing Hernandez would be weaving an even more complicated web for Andrew Friedman to solve.

Utility man Hyeseong Kim

Hyeseong Kim didn't have the rookie season everyone hoped for, but he's proven to be his own biggest critic. Still, there were some positives to take away, like the .280 batting average and the solid angles he managed when he made contact. There's also a good amount of defensive versatility, with Kim picking up reps in center field in addition to his infield duties.

Furthermore, he didn't get much of a chance to show what he could do. The soon-to-be 27-year-old only logged 170 big league plate appearances, which wasn't much time to get acclimated to big league pitching and also to adjust to a completely different culture.

Kim likely isn't a star, but he does have some talents that the Dodgers covet, namely his versatility. More importantly, trading him now would be selling low, and it makes more sense to give him ample opportunity to show what he can do before deciding to shop him. Second base is also a bit of a shaky situation for LA, and having Kim in the fold gives them a potential option at the keystone.

2 players the Dodgers absolutely must trade this winter

Catcher Dalton Rushing

You could try to make the same case for Dalton Rushing as what was laid out above regarding Kim. The rookie backstop was subject to inconsistent playing time in the bigs, making it difficult to find a rhythm. While that's true, his performance when given the opportunity was particularly egregious with a .582 OPS on the year.

More importantly, there isn't an easy pathway for Rushing to get regular playing time. The Dodgers could try to turn him into a unique sort of Swiss army knife, similar to what the New York Yankees have done with Ben Rice, but that would add a lot of additional responsibilities to the plate of a player who is already struggling. Beyond that, there's no room for Rushing now or in the foreseeable future, given that Will Smith is signed through 2033.

That makes a trade likely, and though there's a decent shot that Rushing can reach his immense potential, it likely won't be with the Dodgers. At a certain point, this is about asset management and moving on from a young talent before he spoils on the vine.

Infielder Alex Freeland

Alex Freeland finds himself in a similar situation to Rushing. The Dodgers' No. 4 prospect endured a rough debut that saw him slash .190/.292/.310 with a 36.1% strikeout rate. While he might not be as blocked as Rushing, the presence of Miguel Rojas, Tommy Edman, and Hyeseong Kim might make at-bats hard to come by for him in 2026.

The biggest issue is that the Dodgers might not trust him to perform. He's a switch-hitter whom the Dodgers only want to bat left-handed, and his glove seems like the best aspect of his game, thanks to some questionable contact skills.

If Los Angeles truly doesn't have faith in the 24-year-old, it makes sense to move him while he still has that top prospect shine. After all, his poor big league performance can easily be explained away by the small sample of 97 plate appearances he received. That could allow the Dodgers to sweet-talk someone into giving them an asset that better fits their needs and timeline, taking advantage of his value before they're proven right in their doubts about him.