The Dodgers’ first Major League free-agent deal of the offseason is not a flashy one, but it’s nevertheless a solid one to round out the roster. Rojas was a good option off the bench during the regular season, hitting .262 with a .715 OPS and playing strong defense at second base, third base and shortstop. He was also a leader in the clubhouse, at the core of the team’s culture during this championship window.
During the Dodgers’ back-to-back championship seasons, team culture has been a point of emphasis. While assembling as much talent as possible is the top priority, striking the right balance to preserve the existing chemistry of the group is another consideration for the team in the offseason.
With that in mind, of the Dodgers who became free agents this offseason, only two stand out as likely candidates to rejoin the team: utility man Kiké Hernández and reliever Evan Phillips. But because both are dealing with injuries that should cause them to miss some time at the beginning of the season — and because L.A. has limited space on the 40-man roster — it would seem unlikely that either would re-sign before closer to the start of Spring Training.
Hernández announced in November that he had surgery on his left elbow, which had troubled him for most of the season. He did not initially share the procedure or a timetable for a return, but he later said on Adam Ottavino’s Baseball & Coffee show that he underwent an extensor repair that will likely keep him out for “a month or two” of the regular season.
Throughout his 12 seasons in the Majors, Hernández has not consistently been an impact player in the regular season, but he becomes a force in the postseason. The Dodgers’ all-time leader in postseason appearances, Hernández has a career .825 OPS in the playoffs, compared with .708 in the regular season.
During the 2025 campaign, in which Hernández spent nearly two months on the injured list due to his elbow and played through discomfort at times before and after the stint, the 34-year-old hit just .203 with a .621 OPS in 93 games.
Hernández’s postseason track record speaks for itself, but other teams may not be as willing as the Dodgers are to look beyond his regular-season performance. That could very well mean that he remains on the market at the beginning of Spring Training, when the Dodgers could re-sign him and place him on the 60-day IL, if he is indeed likely to miss the first two months.
Phillips is a similar case, as the 31-year-old right-hander is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery in June. He began a throwing program right on schedule in early November, but he will likely miss at least the first half of the 2026 season.
Heading into what would have been his final year of arbitration, Phillips was non-tendered by the Dodgers — but the team is interested in bringing him back on a new deal. Since being claimed off waivers from the Rays in 2021, Phillips has been one of L.A.’s top options to close out games, posting a 2.22 ERA with 45 saves in 201 appearances as a Dodger.
Unlike Hernández, there may be more interest from other teams when it comes to signing Phillips. Given his body of work and recovery timetable, as well as the state of the relief market, he could be a candidate for a two-year contract. While the Dodgers could try to wait until the 60-day IL opens to re-sign Phillips, it’s possible that they would need to act sooner.
While Phillips was limited to only seven appearances for the Dodgers in 2025, he remained a valuable figure for the bullpen from the sidelines. That’s a common thread between him, Hernández and Rojas: They find ways to add value both on and off the field.
