Dodgers make 2 surprising option decisions to kickstart offseason that could affect top prospect

Now that the final out of the World Series and the parade through downtown LA have come and gone, it's time for the Dodgers to get down to business trying to turn this team into a certifiable dynasty. There are a couple of big dates coming up — the qualifying offer deadline is on Monday at 2 PM, and GM Meetings in San Antonio will commence on Tuesday — but the Dodgers have already made a couple of key decisions for the 2025 roster.

On Saturday, they picked up options on Miguel Rojas and Austin Barnes and locked up LA's bench for next season along with Chris Taylor (who has a club option at the end of next season) and Andy Pages.

Both decisions have their pros and cons. Rojas had a career-best year in 2024 at age 35, and Barnes had his best year since 2017. An argument could be made, however, that the Dodgers could've found better backup guys on the free agent market, or even within the organization.

Barnes' extra year in particular could complicate matters for Dodgers' No. 1 prospect Dalton Rushing, whose arrival in the majors sometime next season seems inevitable, provided he actually has a space to play.

Dodgers pick up club options on Miguel Rojas and Austin Barnes, which raises questions about No. 1 prospect Dalton Rushing's future

Rushing mostly came up through the minors as a catcher and occasional first baseman, but made the move to left field right before being promoted to Triple-A, where he assumed that position full-time. As a potential member of the postseason taxi squad, he was also present at Dodger Stadium workouts this year as a catcher.

Although left field is still a question mark in 2025, it feels more likely than not that the Dodgers will re-sign Teoscar Hernández to a multi-year deal, which will shut the door there. The Dodgers could (and probably will) still bring Rushing up mid-season in 2025 to get his sea legs as a bench player, and Barnes will become a free agent after next season, but a long-term backup catcher role (seeing as Will Smith is under contract until 2034) doesn't seem in the cards for the organization's top prospect.

If the Dodgers do re-sign Hernández, using Rushing as a powerful trade piece seems like a given. With the bench now seemingly full, they'll already have to game the roster a bit to give Rushing his debut in 2025.