4 overlooked Dodgers minor leaguers who could contribute in 2027

The Milwaukee Brewers ended the Los Angeles Dodgers three-peat dream with an NLCS sweep last week, and that still stings. But let's keep it in perspective. The Dodgers became the first team to win back-to-back World Series titles since the 1998-2000 Yankees, and they still won 100 games this year while Tommy Edman, Edwin Díaz, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Will Smith and Mookie Betts all spent time on the injured list.

That's the part of the Dodgers' formula that gets overlooked. The big contracts are built for October, and Andrew Friedman's front office knows exactly which prospects to cash in at the deadline. But you only get to October if the depth can carry you through the summer. Nobody captures that better than Kiké Hernández, a $4.5 million role player who missed a big chunk of the summer and was still the guy who took Chris Sale deep when the NLDS was on the line.

Now Hernández is a free agent, Miguel Rojas just retired, Alex Vesia and Evan Phillips are heading to the open market, and Dalton Rushing's slightly torn UCL makes the catching picture murkier. Josue De Paula finally got the call fans had been begging for and hit .323 with a .500 on-base percentage in 11 games, but with Shohei Ohtani at DH and the outfield locked up, finding him everyday at-bats is going to take some creativity. Mike Sirota, Eduardo Quintero and Christian Zazueta are coming, too, but the more immediate help might come from a little further down the list.

4 Dodgers prospects who can keep the 2027 depth machine running

Jacob Kmatz, RHP

Jacob Kmatz was a freshman All-American at Oregon State and pitched alongside Travis Bazzana before the Tampa Bay Rays took him in the fifth round in 2024. The Dodgers grabbed him this past August in the deal that brought back Hunter Feduccia, and between the two organizations he posted a 2.76 ERA with 99 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 71⅔ innings. A strike-thrower who started in college gives the Dodgers a bulk-innings option for those inevitable stretches when two starters land on the IL at once.

Jackson Ferris, LHP

Jackson Ferris came over from the Chicago Cubs alongside Zyhir Hope in the Michael Busch trade and was once a top-10 prospect in this system. A rough Triple-A season, with 43 walks in his first 73 innings, dropped him to No. 17. But he found something late, striking out 28 batters in 19 September innings, and Baseball America sees him as a relief option in 2027. With Vesia leaving after a 20-hold season, a lefty who can miss bats in shorter stints fills a clear need.

Zach Ehrhard, OF

Zach Ehrhard turned down the Boston Red Sox as a 13th-rounder out of high school, went to Oklahoma State and became a fourth-round pick, then came to Los Angeles with James Tibbs III in the Dustin May trade. This season he hit .291/.400/.472 with 20 homers and 27 steals, started at all three outfield spots in Oklahoma City and crushed lefties. That's the Kiké and Chris Taylor job description: move around, handle left-handed pitching and run.

Alex Freeland, INF

Alex Freeland got a taste this year, platooning with Rojas at second, but he spent the stretch run back in Oklahoma City. The switch-hitter out of UCF has played second, short and third and once stole 31 bases in a minor league season. Most importantly, he still has minor league options. In a clubhouse full of stars on guaranteed deals, a utility man the front office can shuttle between Oklahoma City and Los Angeles without losing him is a huge asset.

The Dodgers will spend this winter, because they always do. But the organizations that keep showing up in October are the ones that can survive the summer days without their stars, and these are four of the options Los Angeles can deploy when it happens.

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