Dodgers Free Agent Notes: Bellinger Open to Reunion, Robert Suárez Interest, Max Muncy Possible Extension

LOS ANGELES, CA—The 2026 Major League Baseball offseason is in full swing, and despite the annual Winter Meetings less than a week away, the Hot Stove has been relatively cold since the conclusion of the World Series.

While we’ve seen some big dominoes fall, such as top free agent closer Devin Williams signing with the New York Mets earlier this week, most of the top free agents remain unsigned heading into the holidays.

However, the rumor mill is as hot as ever with multiple key updates surrounding the defending back-to-back champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Cody Bellinger Open to Reunion with Dodgers

One of the more pressing matters that the Dodgers front office must address this winter is the hole in their outfield.

After the failed one-year flyer contract with veteran left-handed hitting Michael Conforto and Kiké Hernández, now a free agent, the Dodgers have a hole in their outfield.

While the team still has internal options such as trade-deadline acquisition Alex Call, recently 40-man roster addition Ryan Ward, and even Tommy Edman, who is recovering from offseason right ankle surgery, the team has been connected to a variety of external solutions, whether through trade or free agency.

Among those names is former Dodgers outfielder and 2019 National League Most Valuable Player Award winner Cody Bellinger.

The Dodgers’ interest in a possible reunion with their former homegrown talent was reported last month by MLB insider Jeff Passan of ESPN, stating that in the team’s search for a corner outfielder, Bellinger’s name was involved.

That report was later confirmed by fellow Dodgers beat writers Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic and Jack Harris of the LA Times.

However, in a follow-up article from Ardaya and new Dodgers beat reporter Katie Woo, Bellinger has also been reported to be open to the reunion.

Bellinger, however, is believed to be open to a return to Los Angeles, a source said.

The 30-year-old is coming off a productive season with the New York Yankees, where the lefty hit .272/.334/.480 with a 125 wRC+ and 29 home runs, all while playing above-average defense in the outfield and first base.

While a reunion makes sense, the Dodgers’ willingness to sign Bellinger to a long-term deal, given their prior history with him and the streakiness of his productivity, remains to be seen, with other teams likely to give him the deal he wants.

Robert Suárez on Short List of Late-Inning Relief Help Targets

While the outfield is one area Andrew Friedman and Co. would like to address before the start of the 2026 season, the addition of a late-inning right-handed option for the bullpen is priority No. 1 this winter.

So far this offseason, the bullpen market has been active, with several top arms making moves. Ryan Helsley signed with the Baltimore Orioles on a 2-year, $28 million contract. Raisel Iglesias re-signed with the Atlanta Braves on a 1-year, $16 million deal. Additionally, former NL All-Star closer Devin Williams agreed to a 3-year, $50 million contract with the New York Mets.

All of these arms had some interest from the Dodgers, according to the same report from Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo, with the team floating a 1-year offer for Helsley and being aggressive in the market for Iglesias and Williams early on.

With those arms no longer available and little interest in right-handed free agent Pete Fairbanks, the Dodgers have added former San Diego Padres closer Robert Suárez to their short list of options.

Los Angeles has also shown interest in former San Diego Padres closer Robert Suarez, a source said, seeking to go for a shorter-term deal with a higher average annual value for the two-time All-Star (who has a 2.91 ERA over the last four seasons).

The interest in Suárez makes sense given the Dodgers’ not wanting to give multi-year deals to free agent relief arms, with their lone exception being Tanner Scott last offseason (how’d that turn out).

Suárez, 34, is seeking a short-term, high-AAV deal, which would entice a club like the Dodgers or any team in contention.

Over the past two seasons, Suárez has recorded 76 saves and 11 blown saves in 135 appearances, maintaining a 2.87 ERA. During this period, he has struck out 25.4% of batters while walking only 6.1% and has effectively limited home runs.

Suárez is expected to sign a two- or three-year contract valued at approximately $15-16 million, according to FanGraphs projections.

The idea of adding Suárez to the team could ruffle some feathers after last year’s benches-clearing incident, which was sparked after Suárez plunked Shohei Ohtani in a 3-0 count as retaliation for an up-and-in fastball to Padres superstar Fernando Tatís Jr.

Max Muncy Open for Extension

While not a rumor per se, veteran third baseman Max Muncy shared on a recent episode of Foul Territory that he’d be open to a possible extension later this offseason to keep him in Dodger Blue after the 2026 season.

“I’m sure they’re looking at pieces out there and who they might try to go after, and all that stuff. Once that’s done, maybe we’ll have a discussion, maybe we won’t. I honestly don’t know. I would love to, clearly, but we just have to see how things unfold.”

In recent years, Muncy has experienced significant absences caused by different injuries, such as missing July and most of August last year due to a knee injury, and re-injuring his oblique in September.

Despite this, Muncy has been an important part of the Dodgers’ success over the last decade after joining the team on a minor league deal back in 2017.

In November, the Dodgers exercised Muncy’s 1-year, $10 million club option following his performance of a .243/.376/.470 batting line, including 10 doubles, two triples, 19 home runs, and 67 RBIs over 388 plate appearances in 100 games last season.

However, given his age (36), and extension with Muncy will likely be shor,t such as an additional one or two years on top of his guaranteed contract in 2026.

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