Dodgers Analysis: Where the 40-man roster stands as of November 5th

The 2024/2025 Major League Baseball offseason is finally in full swing, and the General Manager meetings are taking place from November 5th until November 7th in San Antonio, Texas, a great prelude to where the real action begins at the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings, which take place in December.

However, with the deadline for club options, player options, and qualifying offers offically passed, we have a much clearer picture of where the Los Angeles Dodgers’ current 40-man roster stands as we head into the winter, which should give us an idea of potential trade candidates and where they expect the roster to come spring training 2025.

Club Options

The Los Angeles Dodgers have two players eligible for club options this offseason, including veteran catcher Austin Barnes for $3.5 million and shortstop Miguel Rojas for $5 million.

The Dodgers picked up both options, keeping them on the 40-man roster and the 2025 payroll.

Player Option

The Dodgers only had one player eligible for a player option: veteran left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who has a $10 million player option for the 2025 season.

Surprise! Kershaw has reportedly declined his player option and is now a free agent, as shown by the latest X post on the Major League Baseball Players Associates PR account.

Kershaw has already stated he would be back in Dodger Blue for 2025 “somehow,” but this does give the Dodgers more roster flexibility. Kershaw will now undergo surgery on his knee and toe and will possibly re-sign by February, like this past offseason, so he can be transferred to the 60-day injured list and placed off the 40-man.

Qualifying offers

Teoscar Hernández and right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler were the only eligible players on the roster to receive the $21.05 million qualifying offer, and the Dodgers only offered it to Hernández.

Hernández has until November 19th, 2024, to accept or decline the offer. If he accepts, he’d return to Los Angeles in a one-year, $21.05 million deal. If he declines, he’d become an unrestricted free agent, and if he were to sign elsewhere, the Dodgers would receive a draft pick as compensation.

With Buehler not being shown a qualifying offer, he is now a free agent who is free to sign with any Major League Baseball team. Still, rumors are already spiraling that the righty would like to return to the Dodgers.

Under Contract

• Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($27,312,500)
• Shohei Ohtani ($46,081,476)
• Will Smith ($12,241,285)
• Freddie Freeman ($27,000,000)
• Mookie Betts ($30,416,667)
• Tyler Glasnow ($27,312,500)
• Max Muncy ($12,000,000)
• Chris Taylor ($15,000,000)
• Ryan Brasier ($4,500,000)
• Tommy Edman ($8,250,000)
• Miguel Rojas (club option picked up)($5,000,000)
• Austin Barnes (club option picked up)($3,500,000)

*All totals are luxury tax payroll*

Arbitration Eligible

• Gavin Lux ($2,700,000)
• Michael Kopech ($5,200,000)
• Evan Phillips ($6,200,000)
• Brusdar Graterol ($2,700,000)
• Alex Vesia ($1,900,000)
• Dustin May ($2,135,000)
• Tony Gonsolin ($5,400,000)
• Anthony Banda ($1,100,000)
• Connor Brogdon ($800,000)

*All estimates are from Anthony Franco from MLBTR*

Pre-Arbitration

• Brent Honeywell
• Michael Grove
• Bobby Miller
• James Outman
• Emmet Sheehan
• Gavin Stone
• Andy Pages
• Zach Logue
• Kyle Hurt
• Landon Knack
• River Ryan
• Justin Wrobleski
• Hunter Feduccia
• Ben Casparius
• Edgardo Henriquez
• Nick Frasso
• Diego Cartaya

Summary

With the Los Angeles Dodgers picking up both Barnes’s and Miguel Rojas’s player options and veteran left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw declining his $10 million player option, the 40-man roster now has thirty-eight players.

The roster is currently pitcher-heavy, even with Kershaw declining his option. There are twenty-four pitchers compared to just fourteen position players, so expect the Dodgers to try to rework the roster, whether by utilizing the non-tender deadline (November 22nd) or by trade.

The first major step of the offseason is the already-mentioned General Manager meetings, where clubs will start discussing possible trades this winter.

According to FanGraphs, the Los Angeles Dodgers are projected to have a payroll of $277 million in 2025, which would be $36 million over the CBT threshold—and that’s without adding a single free agent.

The Dodgers are still likely to spend this winter as they build a complete roster to contend for the World Series yet again and have already been linked to several prominent free agents such as Willy Adames, Blake Snell, and Max Fried.

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