It is an opportune time to evaluate the Dodgers’ situation heading into 2026.
FanGraphs’ 2026 projections provide a useful snapshot of where this roster stands – as of Friday – compared to the rest of the league. (That’s in terms of FanGraphs WAR). So let’s go position by position to evaluate where the Dodgers look solid and where they could try to improve.
Catcher: 9th in MLB (3.8 projected WAR)
Los Angeles has no worries behind the plate, where Will Smith delivers year after year. If there’s any intrigue here, it’s whether Dalton Rushing, who at 25 years old, becomes a solid number two option. Rushing entered 2025 as a top prospect, but struggled greatly in his transition to the majors. There’s also a chance the Dodgers could include him in a trade to address another need and look for a veteran in his place.
First baseman: 5th in MLB (3.2 projected WAR)
Freddie Freeman is as reliable as they come. In four seasons as a member of the Dodgers, he has averaged 153 games played per year. Over the last two seasons, he’s been right around 4.0 WAR. However, Freeman turned 36 in September.
Second baseman: 23rd in MLB (2.0 projected WAR)
This is one of the most uncertain spots on the diamond for the Dodgers. The projection above includes three players receiving significant playing time: Hyeseong Kim, Tommy Edman and Rojas (plus a bit of Alex Freeland). But each of those three options could also spend time at other positions, including Edman in center field, if he can recover from a right ankle injury that affected him in 2025. The Dodgers could also add someone else, although if the team looks to strengthen its lineup, the outfield could be a more logical target.
Third base: 12th in MLB (3.0 projected WAR)
Max Muncy still brings a powerful bat, but he’s also 35 years old and has been hurt for the last two seasons, playing a total of 173 games. That’s why he’s only projected here to make 455 plate appearances. Freeland is the primary backup, and it would be interesting to see what the 24-year-old switch-hitter could do with a bigger opportunity. Freeland struggled in a 29-game debut in 2025 (.601 OPS), but enjoyed a stellar year in Triple-A and is ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 45 prospect (No. 4 in the Dodgers’ system).
Shortstop: 5th in MLB (5.1 projected WAR)
When put into perspective, it’s quite notable that Los Angeles can enter 2026 feeling confident having Mookie Betts as their shortstop. Betts was a top-10 defender at the position according to Statcast’s Outs Above Average in 2025, and although he’s 33 years old, he’s also expected to be more comfortable at the position. In a surprising twist, it is now Betts’ bat that is perhaps the biggest unknown after his offensive numbers dropped considerably last season.
Left field: 18th in MLB (1.8 projected WAR)
Center field: 11th in MLB (2.9 projected WAR)
Right field: 14th in MLB (1.9 projected WAR)
We will analyze these positions together, as there is overlap between the three positions. (In fact, Cuban Andy Pagés is projected to lead the Dodgers in playing time in both left and center field.) While the team’s outfield situation is by no means hopeless — it still ranks in the top half of the league overall — it’s also not hard to see why this has been considered an area of need this offseason. There are questions about Edman’s health and Teóscar Hernández’s defense, and as things currently stand, players like Alex Call and Ryan Ward (who would be a 28-year-old rookie) are projected to receive a significant number of at-bats coming off the bench. A top-tier free agent like Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger, or a notable trade acquisition, would obviously change the equation, and this could be the spot most worth keeping an eye on for the rest of the winter.
Designated hitter: 1st in MLB (5.5 WAR)
The Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani. What more needs to be said?
Starting rotation: 1st in MLB (17.1 WAR)
If you remember the 2025 postseason, this shouldn’t be a surprise. As long as the Dodgers have most of their rotation healthy and functioning at the same time, they are going to dominate a lot of lineups. The main question is how often that will happen. The good news for manager Dave Roberts is that he has options and depth beyond the team’s top four: Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Ohtani. Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan and Gavin Stone are just a few of the youngsters who will be in contention for a rotation spot or available as backup pieces in 2026.
Bullpen: 1ros and MLB (WAR 4.7)
If you remember the 2025 postseason, this seems like a surprise. On the other hand, this was one of the top five regular-season bullpens by fWAR last season, and that was without Diaz closing out games. Projections also see the Dodgers counting on sizable rebounds in 2026 from arms like Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen. If Venezuelan Brusdar Graterol is healthy, it would also help. And once again, there is depth available, including one or more of the starting candidates mentioned above. It would also be foolish to rule out the possibility of more additions as winter progresses.
