3 players who are entering their final days as a member of the Dodgers

Although a foundation had already been laid by Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, the Dodgers came out of this past offseason having basically solidified most of their roster for the next 3-to-10 years. They signed Shohei Ohtani for 10, extended Will Smith for 10, and they'll have Freeman through 2027 and Betts through 2032. Tyler Glasnow joined the rotation through 2027 (the Dodgers have a club option for 2028), and Yoshinobu Yamamoto through 2035.

All of this is to say that the Dodgers have very few players who will be free agents at the end of the year. Teoscar Hernández is one of them, but the Dodgers should extend him if they know what's good for them.

Of the others, who will be out the door? There are definitely a few who are seeing the very end of their time in Dodger blue swiftly approaching.

3 players who are entering their final days as a member of the Dodgers

Joe Kelly

Kelly took his second trip to the IL on Aug. 31 with shoulder inflammation, after already missing two and a half months from May to July with shoulder strain. Between stints, he pitched 14 1/3 innings for a 5.65 ERA and blew one save in one opportunity. He was even worse than he'd been before he went down the first time, with 13 1/3 innings, a 4.73 ERA, and a blown save.

Even if he hadn't gone onto the IL again, his time with the Dodgers seemed to be limited. He signed a one-year, $8 million deal in the offseason to return after he was traded to LA along with Lance Lynn ahead of the trade deadline last year. In 2023, he gave the Dodgers just 10 1/3 innings, but pitched well through them, and although his previous three-year stint in LA from 2019 to 2021 was sometimes spotty, he was a Dodgers fan favorite because of his viral antics with Carlos Correa in a game against the Astros in 2020.

But the issue Kelly has had this season is an issue he's sort of always had — his command. This season, he's working with a 4.55 BB/9. That's really bad, but it's not even a career-worst for him; he had a 6.30 BB/9 with the Dodgers in 2020. Between injuries and just downright bad performance, it's unlikely that we'll see Kelly in Dodger blue again in 2025.

Walker Buehler

Buehler represents a conundrum for the Dodgers' impending offseason. To keep or not to keep their two-time Cy Young candidate, even though he's looked completely cooked this season? Back in 2021, Buehler looked like a pitcher the Dodgers should extend and never give up, after he made 33 starts, the most in baseball, for a 2.47 ERA and 171 ERA+, which also led the majors.

But then he got hurt, missed almost two full calendar years, and returned looking like he'd lost himself entirely. In his first start against the Marlins this season, he only lasted four innings and gave up three runs before the Dodgers pulled him, and he had a 6.08 ERA before he went back onto the IL with a hip issue. It kept him out for another two months, and he still doesn't look quite right.

His most recent start against the Angels was better, and he said he "feels like himself" again. But will it be enough to even get him a rotation spot in the postseason, let alone for the Dodgers to re-sign him in the offseason? The rotation next year is stacked without Buehler, and Jack Flaherty is definitely competing for a contract with his hometown team, even though he'll probably hear good offers from others.

Buehler's future with the team that drafted him will be entirely contingent on how he performs through the last month of the season and the postseason but, for our money, we say the Dodgers let him go.

Kiké Hernández

Like Kelly, Hernández re-signed with LA for one year after being traded back to the Dodgers ahead of the 2023 deadline. Hernández seemed thrilled about returning to the team he won the 2020 World Series with, and chose to return to LA in free agency despite entertaining offers from other teams.

He's been a decent enough utility man for the Dodgers this season, but significant dips in performance have jeopardized his roster spot multiple times throughout the year. With defensive versatility and being known as a fun clubhouse presence on his side, he's survived roster crunch after roster crunch this season. However, it's hard to see the Dodgers keeping him after his $4 million for the year has fully been paid out.

He's stayed healthy all year, which has also been a point in his favor, and has played every position on the field except catcher and right field (he's pitched 3 1/3 innings during blowouts). However, he's also batting .217 with a .623 OPS, and the Dodgers should explore the free agent market for better utility options. We all love Kiké, and he'll always be dear to Dodgers fans because of his banana suit antics, but now's the time to part ways.