3 expensive offseason mistakes Dodgers must avoid in attempt to restart dynasty

The Los Angeles Dodgers aren't going to take their dismissal from the playoffs in the NLCS at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers as the end of their dynasty. Instead, Andrew Friedman is going to retool and stock up on talent, though hopefully his moves are a little more prudent than the splashes some of the insiders would have him make.

Even on the free-agent market, there are traps lying everywhere. We figure that the Dodgers will spend big, but if they're not wise about who they're throwing money at (looking at you, Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz), they could end up getting tied up in some expensive mistakes.

These three free agents would end up costing a ton and filling the Dodgers with regret

Missing out on Tarik Skubal and pivoting to Michael King

The most logical solution for Los Angeles is to reunite with Tarik Skubal this offseason. The ace left-hander was worth everything the club gave up to acquire him, posting a 2.61 ERA for the Dodgers down the stretch and a 2.45 mark in the playoffs. The bidding is going to get heated, though, and perhaps Skubal squirts away.

The next-best starting pitcher on the market is San Diego Padres hurler Michael King. He likely made himself a lot of money with a postseason performance that included a dramatic two-inning save in Game 3 of the NLDS after taking the ball as a starter in Game 2.

King has been considered a high-end starter for some time now, but the perception and the reality are two slightly different things. Throughout his career, he's only been a full-time starting pitcher and has stayed for two seasons, 2024 and 2026. On top of that, his 2026 season showed some signs of decline. The 31-year-old recorded a 3.21 ERA, but posted a 4.13 FIP, 4.33 xFIP, and 4.40 xERA. He also saw his strikeout rate decline from 27.7% in 2024 to 24.7% in 2025 to 21% in 2026.

Stealing from the Padres would be nice, but adding another arm with durability questions to a rotation that includes Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow would be misguided, especially when he's looking at a contract over $100 million and is beginning to show signs of decline.

Paying big money to another closer

Every September the Dodgers find themselves scrambling to find reliable high-leverage relievers. On paper, they shouldn't have this problem after giving $72 million to Tanner Scott and $69 million to Edwin Diaz, the latter of whom was an injured and inconsistent mess. On top of that, they've carried high salaries for the likes of Blake Treinen and others over the last couple of years.

The temptation is to simply add yet another high-end closer to the mix and hope that this one sticks, but that would be a mistake. For one, only one reliever on the market fits that bill, and it's David Bednar of the New York Yankees.

However, Bednar doesn't have quite the pedigree that Diaz has. Sure, he's a two-time All-Star coming off a year in which he notched 35 saves with a 2.47 ERA, but it was only two years ago that he recorded a 5.77 ERA during a miserable 2024 campaign, and just last year his performance was so bad that he was briefly demoted to Triple-A. Even this year, he got off to a cold start, posting a 4.50 ERA through May 31. Relievers are volatile and often don't make for great long-term investments.

Trade Teoscar Hernandez and sign Randy Arozarena

Trade rumors have dogged Teoscar Hernandez for some time. The slugging outfielder has been mostly fine, but he's failed to live up to the magic his first season in LA brought, which was the driving force behind his big contract. Throw in a strikeout-filled playoff performance when he hit .200/.219/.300, and it's easy to see Friedman viewing him as a piece to move on from and upgrade.

Free-agent left fielder Randy Arozarena could be someone who catches his eye. The 31-year-old has six straight 20-20 seasons on his resume, including 26 homers and 26 steals with a .281/.381/.484 line in 2026. There are just a couple of problems, though. For one, Arozarena is a poor defender in left. For another, his 2026 season seems like an outlier after he hit .219/.332/.388 in 2024 and .238/.334/.426 in 2025.

The focus should be on clearing the way for top prospect Josue De Paula. The youngster needs some work on his defense, but he showed us his bat is ready now. Hernandez is in the final year of his contract, so he's the perfect stopgap/safety net. If the Dodgers were to move on from him in favor of Arozarena, they'd just be spending $80-$100 million on a player to stand in De Paula's way, and might already be worse. It just doesn't make sense.

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