Dodgers players want these 2 free agents back, but it might be time for LA to upgrade

Kiké Hernández and Miguel Rojas are both known for being glue guys in the Dodgers' clubhouse, and both showed up in the postseason at exactly the right time. Hernández made the play that ended Game 6 to keep the Dodgers alive for one more night, and then Rojas hit the tying homer in Game 7 in the top of the ninth.

Hernández has developed a reputation as a postseason beast, and even though his bat was mostly silenced this year he came up on one side of the ball when the Dodgers needed him most. Rojas, who hadn't hit a home run in a month and a half, shocked everyone with what he did in Game 7.

Both are now free agents, but some of their Dodgers teammates have already pushed for the team to re-sign them. According to Rojas, Shohei Ohtani told him, "You're playing with me for 10 more years" after the Game 7 homer.

Will Smith said of both Hernández and Rojas: "Those are two guys who are leaders on the team, what you see off the field, what you see in the clubhouse ... I'm sure we're going to be trying to get them back."

No doubt both are going to come cheaply enough on one-year deals, and no doubt they'll keep any offers from other teams tabled unless the Dodgers tell them directly that they won't be re-signing them. All signs point to them coming back, just like they have the past few years — but maybe they shouldn't this time.

Kiké Hernández, Miguel Rojas' Dodgers teammates want them back in 2026, but LA could do better

Hernández's and Rojas' regular season roles shrunk a lot in 2025, and even though Hernández was in every postseason starting lineup, he was just as ineffective as the rest of the Dodgers' offense apart from a single solo homer in Game 5. Both managed to come through when it mattered, but should the Dodgers really re-sign them to maybe be good in the playoffs while taking up bench spots that could be occupied by better players in the regular season?

Sentimentality means a lot to the Dodgers' front office, and Hernández and Rojas mean a lot to Dodgers fans. Still, they represent some of the biggest upgrade opportunities among Dodgers hitters.

No doubt the front office's focus will largely be on the bullpen and top free agent Kyle Tucker, so it's possible we might not hear about any movement on Hernández or Rojas' free agencies until closer to spring training. If we had to guess right now, we'd say that the Dodgers probably will bring them back — Rojas for one last hurrah before retirement — but a lot can happen before February.