4 offseason decisions the Dodgers already need to be thinking about

Sign Amed Rosario or Kiké Hernández to an Extension?

What a trade deadline for the Dodgers! Everyone initially thought it was a letdown, and it's instead revitalized the team even more than fans could've imagined. As if this writing, the Dodgers are 14-1 since the deadline and have gotten 10 doubles, four home runs and 22 RBI from two of their acquisitions in Kiké Hernández and Amed Rosario.

Both are flexible defenders. Both are valuable bottom-of-the-order bats. One should definitely be kept for versatility purposes. Hernandez might be the better option because he's more of a depth/roving player, whereas Rosario's first big payday is coming up and he might be looking to get that starting shortstop money.

But if the opportunity is there to sign both, the Dodgers absolutely need to keep one of them, especially with Chris Taylor still largely being unable to offer his 2018-2021 levels of production. Hernández and Rosario are perfect complementary players and would absolutely get enough desired playing time because Roberts always finds a way to maximize the talent among his position player group.

Pick up Lance Lynn's $18 Million Option?

Yup, more deadline dividends! Lance Lynn's latest outing featured seven scoreless innings against the Brewers in a 1-0 win to extend the Dodgers' win streak to 11. Since arriving in LA, Lynn is 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA, 3.94 FIP and 0.88 WHIP in four starts. That's after he was statistically the worst starter in MLB with the White Sox, logging a 6.47 ERA, 5.20 FIP and 1.46 WHIP in 21 starts (he led the AL in home runs allowed).

Now that's he's revitalized playing for a contender and the Dodgers are staring down the barrel of more starting rotation problems come the offseason, might they just save themselves another transaction and just pick up Lynn's $18 million team option? That's essentially the qualifying offer and a fine annual salary for an above-average pitcher.

Let's say the Dodgers bring in Ohtani and keep one of Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urías, both of whom will be free agents. Bobby Miller is staying in the rotation, so that's three top starters. But who's after that? Dustin May simply can't come back as a starter after all that's interrupted the early part of his career. Michael Grove isn't a viable option. Tony Gonsolin is falling out of favor, and fast. Can they risk rolling the dice with two underwhelming options behind those three, which would likely feature another prospect added into the mix?

Keeping Lynn buys the Dodgers time and keeps their rotation in tremendous shape on paper, leaving flexibility to introduce younger arms or a flyer for the No. 5 spot. The veteran can help bridge the gap to 2025 when ... Corbin Burnes and Max Fried hit free agency.

Part With Two of Austin Barnes, Tony Gonsolin, Miguel Rojas and Yency Almonte?

The Dodgers have performed admirably in spite of a number of players failing to pull their own weight. Miguel Vargas got demoted. Trayce Thompson got traded. Victor González and Alex Vesia have been optioned. Noah Syndergaard was shown the door. But a number of struggling names have remained.

Three that come to mind are Austin Barnes (the hero on Thursday!), Miguel Rojas and Tony Gonsolin. And if the Dodgers want to improve year over year, two of those three absolutely need to go, without question.

Barnes' defense has slipped and he's hitting .136 with a .392 OPS and 8 (EIGHT) OPS+. The Dodgers can very easily improve the backup catcher position by snapping their fingers. Rojas, whle his defense has been good, is a black hole on offense, too. He's hitting .220 with a .571 OPS and 55 OPS+. Gonsolin, for as good as he's been in previous years, has failed to take the next step and has quickly turned into a liability in the rotation even though his 4.24 ERA, 4.78 FIP and 1.14 WHIP don't exactly suggest that. He's largely injury prone and can't be trusted in high-leverage outings. He shouldn't be a roster casualty like the other two, but the Dodgers should at least work to find a trade partner and move forward with somebody else who can offer a bit of a better long-term roadmap, because Gonsolin will be entering his age-30 season without having made more than 25 starts in a single campaign.

Barnes is making $3.5 million in 2024. Rojas is making $6.75. Gonsolin will earn $3.4 million. Freeing up anywhere between $7-$10 million will go a long way for the Dodgers in an offseason they already prepared to be financially flexible for.

A couple extra bucks can get them somebody who can out-produce that trio, without a doubt.