The Los Angeles Dodgers won a franchise-best 106 games and extended their streak of National League West titles to seven, but the end of the season brought about more disappointment.
However, after falling short in the World Series in back-to-back years, the Dodgers were eliminated by the Washington Nationals in the NL Division Series. It represented their earliest postseason exit since they fell to the New York Mets in five games of the 2015 NLDS.
So the Dodgers head into another offseason in which they face more questions and mounting pressure to end the franchise’s championship drought. With L.A. presumed to have remained under the $206 million luxury tax threshold in 2019, they are in position to flex their financial muscle.
The free agent class is headlined by the likes of Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, and the Dodgers’ own Hyun-Jin Ryu. It could grow to include Stephen Strasburg if the World Series MVP opts out of his contract.
Listed below is a full breakdown of where the 40-man roster currently stands in the early days of the offseason.
Under contract/team control (26)
The Dodgers have five players signed to a Major League contract for a second consecutive offseason, with the group this time consisting of Joe Kelly, Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, A.J. Pollock and Justin Turner.
Kelly and Pollock were newcomers to the organization prior to this season, Kershaw signed a three-year extension last winter, Maeda has four years remaining on his deal, and Turner is entering the final season of his contract.
Yaisel Sierra, who isn’t part of the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, also remains signed to a contract through the 2021 season.
Meanwhile, 20 additional players who have yet to log three years of Major League service time and aren’t eligible for salary arbitration, are under team control as well.
That group is comprised of Walker Buehler, JT Chargois, Caleb Ferguson, Dylan Floro, Kyle Garlick, Tony Gonsolin, Victor Gonzalez, Adam Kolarek, Dustin May, Casey Sadler, Dennis Santana, Josh Sborz, Keibert Ruiz, Julio Urias, Matt Beaty, Gavin Lux, Kristopher Negrón, Edwin Rios, Will Smith and Tyler White.
Players with options (2)
The Dodgers hold a $13 million club option on Jedd Gyorko that will likely be declined. Instead, the team figures to pay the $1 million buyout, and could potentially discuss agreeing to terms on a new contract.
Kenley Jansen has a player option for the remaining two years of his contract, which he is expected to opt into. That doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as Jansen declining the option would’ve left $38 million on the table.
Arbitration eligible (12)
The Dodgers have 12 players who are eligible for salary arbitration: Scott Alexander, Pedro Baez, Austin Barnes, Cody Bellinger, Yimi Garcia, Kiké Hernandez, Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Corey Seager, Ross Stripling, Chris Taylor and Alex Verdugo.
Most notably, it’s Bellinger’s first time going through the process, and it could be a lucrative experience as he put together an MVP-caliber campaign.
Free agents (4)
While the Dodgers technically had four players officially become free agents the morning after the World Series concluded, one of those is David Freese — who had already announced his retirement.
Thus, Rich Hill, Russell Martin and Ryu each were with the Dodgers but currently are no longer under contract.
