The end of the World Series on Wednesday night — the Dodgers won the championship, in case you missed it — meant the official dawning of the offseason. First up is free agency, which began at 6 a.m. PT on Thursday.
A total of eight Dodgers are free agents, now officially — Teoscar Hernández, Walker Buehler, Jack Flaherty, Kiké Hernández, Blake Treinen, Joe Kelly, Daniel Hudson, and Kevin Kiermaier.
Hudson and Kiermaier have already announced their retirements after major league careers of 15 and 12 seasons, respectively.
Teoscar Hernández is the headliner here, and likely the only Dodgers free agent who will receive the qualifying offer of one year, $21.05 million by 2 p.m. PT next Monday, which would net draft pick compensation after the fourth round should sign elsewhere.
Hernández did not receive the multi-year contract offers he wanted last offseason, and signed a one-year, $23.5 million contract with the Dodgers in January, opting to play for a winning team. The All-Star and Home Run Derby champion was instrumental to that winning effort, hitting .272/.339/.501 with a 134 wRC+ and led all National League outfielders with 33 home runs and 99 RBI, the former a career best.
Hernández will also likely earn a $1 million bonus once Silver Slugger Awards are announced on November 12, and could earn more on bonuses depending on where he finishes in National League MVP voting.
Dodgers free agents
| Player | Pos | 2025 age |
|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos | 2025 age |
| Teoscar Hernández | OF | 32 |
| Jack Flaherty | SP | 29 |
| Walker Buehler | SP | 30 |
| Kiké Hernández | IF/OF | 33 |
| Blake Treinen | RP | 37 |
| Joe Kelly | RP | 37 |
| Daniel Hudson | RP | 38 |
| Kevin Kiermaier | CF | 35 |
Flaherty had a season worthy of a qualifying offer as well, with a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts with 194 strikeouts, but because he was traded during the season — from the Tigers to the Dodgers on July 30 — he is ineligible for the qualifying offer.
Buehler had a rough go of things during the regular season, coming back from his second Tommy John surgery, posting a 5.38 ERA and 4.68 xERA in 16 starts. But he ended his postseason on the highest note possible, pitching 13 scoreless innings in a row, including a win in his Game 3 start in the World Series on Monday, followed by the save in the Game 5 championship clincher on Wednesday.
Kiké Hernández struggled in the first half of the season but improved after the All-Star break with a 112 wRC+, thanks in part to a midseason trip to the eye doctor and playing with glasses for the first time in his career. During the postseason, Hernández earned more playing time, starting the Dodgers last 13 games at three different positions, and hit .294/.357/.451 with a 129 wRC+ in October.
Treinen missed nearly all of the previous two seasons with shoulder issues, including surgery after the 2022 season. This year he missed time after breaking ribs on a comebacker during spring training, and with left hip discomfort in August. But when on the mound, Treinen looked a lot like his former self, with a 1.93 ERA and 2.38 xERA in his 50 games.
During the postseason Treinen was a workhorse, leading the bullpen with 12⅓ innings in his nine appearances with a 2.19 ERA, and his 18 October strikeouts were the most by any Dodgers pitcher. Five of his nine appearances lasted longer than an inning, including 2⅓ scoreless frames in the clinching Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday. He saved one game during the regular season, and recorded three saves in October.
Kelly missed nearly half the season with shoulder issues on two injured-list stints, a malady that also prevented him from pitching during the playoffs. Kelly had a 4.78 ERA and 5.07 xERA in his 35 games, with 35 strikeouts and 16 walks in his 32 innings.
We’ll dig deeper into the full Dodgers roster heading into the offseason, likely this weekend. But with these players now free agents, there are 39 players on the 40-man roster.
For now, that number includes three players with 2025 options. Clayton Kershaw, who already said he will return to the Dodgers, has a player option, while there are club options on shortstop Miguel Rojas and catcher Austin Barnes. Those option decisions will happen by Monday.
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