Shohei Ohtani's two-way status headlines the Dodgers' 2027 offseason outlook

What happened

The Los Angeles Dodgers finished the 2026 season at 100-62 and fell short of a three-peat, but the franchise enters the offseason carrying $1.52 billion in total future financial commitments and a roster that Darragh McDonald at MLB Trade Rumors describes as "still loaded with talent for another run in 2027." The most pressing question hanging over that roster is the health and role of Shohei Ohtani, whose second half of 2026 was defined by injury and a significant drop in offensive production. Per McDonald's reporting, Ohtani's last appearance on the mound was July 3.

The broader offseason picture involves a pitching staff McDonald identifies as the area of greatest uncertainty, a cluster of impending free agents at key positions, and a handful of arbitration-eligible players the club may choose not to tender contracts to.

Why it matters

A franchise built around Ohtani's two-way production absorbs a different kind of risk when that production is cut in half. The Dodgers still won 100 games — a testament to the depth of the roster — but the pitching staff, per McDonald's reporting, is where the real reconstruction work begins this winter.

On the free-agent front, the names departing are not minor. Tarik Skubal, Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Kris Bubic, Eric Lauer, Brusdar Graterol, and Enrique Hernández are all listed as free agents in McDonald's piece. Treinen and Phillips represent meaningful bullpen departures, and Skubal would represent a significant rotation addition if the club pursued him — though the report does not indicate the club's intentions toward any of them.

On the arbitration side, McDonald flags Jake Cousins, Alex Call, and Gavin Stone as non-tender candidates, with projected salaries of $1MM, $1.9MM, and $1.2MM respectively per MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. Those are not large figures in isolation, but non-tender decisions are as much about roster shape as dollar amounts.

The numbers

The guaranteed-contract ledger is worth sitting with for a moment. The Dodgers carry $362.25MM in 2027 financial commitments alone, of which $142.2MM is deferred. Their total future commitments stand at $1.52 billion. The deferred-money architecture runs through nearly every major deal on the books: Ohtani's $490MM contract through 2033 defers $68MM annually; Yoshinobu Yamamoto's $248MM deal through 2035 includes conditional opt-outs after 2029 and 2031; Mookie Betts's $205MM contract through 2032 carries $65MM of remaining salary deferred and $35MM of signing bonus still owed.

Kyle Tucker is locked in at $185MM through 2029, with $10MM of signing bonus still owed and $10MM of salary deferred annually, and the final two years structured as player options. Blake Snell's $78MM deal through 2029 defers $13.2MM annually and includes a conditional 2030 club option. Will Smith is guaranteed $70.45MM through 2033 with $5MM deferred annually. Tyler Glasnow sits at $51.5625MM through 2028, with the final year as a club/player option. Edwin Díaz's $46MM deal through 2028 defers $4.5MM annually and includes a conditional 2029 club option. Tanner Scott is owed $40MM through 2028, with $10MM of signing bonus still owed and $5.25MM deferred annually, plus a conditional 2029 club option.

Further down the ledger: Tommy Edman at $39.75MM through 2029 (including a buyout of a 2030 club option, $6.25MM deferred annually); Freddie Freeman at $27MM through 2027 ($12MM deferred); Teoscar Hernández at $21MM through 2027 (including a $6.5MM buyout on a 2028 club option, $8MM deferred, and a conditional 2029 club option); Max Muncy at $13.75MM through 2027 (including a buyout of a 2028 club option); and Hyeseong Kim at $5.25MM through 2027 (including a buyout of a 2028 club option).

The arbitration-eligible group, per Swartz's projections: Brock Stewart at $1.8MM, Jake Cousins at $1MM, Alex Call at $1.9MM, Emmet Sheehan at $2.1MM, Gavin Stone at $1.2MM, and Andy Pages at $4.9MM.

Where the club stands

The Dodgers finished 100-62 (.617), first in the NL West, and enter the offseason on a three-game winning streak. The 100-win season came despite Ohtani's diminished second half — which is either a comfort or a warning depending on how you read roster depth. Dodgers president Andrew Friedman has characterized the club's spending posture heading into the 2027 offseason as "business as usual," though McDonald's report does not elaborate on what that framing means in practice for specific targets.

What we don't know yet

### Is Ohtani pitching in 2027?

Per the Dodgers, Ohtani is not expected to need surgery on his knee or biceps and is targeting a full two-way return for 2027 Spring Training, as Friedman indicated. A separate report notes that the exact timeline and role remain unclear. McDonald's piece notes only that Ohtani's last mound appearance was July 3 and that his offensive results were well below his usual level of production. What the club expects and what the schedule will actually allow are two different questions, and neither has a firm answer yet.

Separately, Dalton Rushing — the Dodgers' catching prospect — underwent surgery to repair a partially torn UCL in his right elbow, per multiple reports from this past week. That development adds another layer of uncertainty to the depth chart behind Will Smith, though no timetable for Rushing's return has been reported.

The free-agent decisions are entirely open. McDonald lists the departing players but does not indicate which, if any, the Dodgers intend to re-sign. The non-tender deadline will clarify the Cousins, Call, and Stone situations. Stone's $1.2MM projection is modest enough that a non-tender would be more about roster flexibility than cost savings — but again, McDonald flags the possibility without resolving it.

What to watch

The Ohtani two-way timeline is the story that will define this offseason for Los Angeles. A full return to pitching changes the calculus on rotation spending considerably; a delayed or partial return changes it in the other direction. Friedman's "business as usual" framing suggests the club is not planning to pull back, but the shape of the spending will depend heavily on what Ohtani can realistically contribute on the mound.

The bullpen is the other thread to pull. Treinen, Phillips, and Vesia departing as free agents leaves meaningful innings to replace, and whether the club re-signs any of them or looks elsewhere is the kind of question that tends to get answered in November and December.

The non-tender deadline will arrive before most of the free-agent market moves, and the Cousins, Call, and Stone decisions will offer an early read on how the front office is thinking about roster construction at the margins. With $362.25MM already committed in 2027 alone, the margins are where the interesting decisions live.