SAN ANTONIO — The Los Angeles DodgersWHO won the World Series Just a week ago, they wasted no time in terrifying all of their peers Wednesday afternoon at baseball’s annual general managers meeting.

The Dodgers revealed they planned to move six times Golden Glove Game-winner Mookie Betts returns to the infield, general manager Brandon Gomes said, of course creating an opening in right field.

So what good players are currently available to fill Betts’ spot?

Well, there’s a certain right fielder on the free agent market worth around $700 million, which certainly fits the bill.

If the Dodgers call, you think Juan Soto will he hang up on them just because they’re on the west coast?

A Soto-Dodgers wedding could be as unlikely as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump toasting each other, especially since the Dodgers just proved they can do it. win a World Series without Sotobut it’s a reminder of how deep and talented these Dodgers are these days.

Who else could just shrug and say that presumptive MVP Shohei Ohtani just had surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder, making it unlikely he’ll be ready to pitch in time for the March 18 season opener against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo – and it’s not clear. exactly when he will be fully recovered.

“The prognosis is really good,” Gomes said. “We’re going to take this time to make sure he’s obviously going to follow through with his rehabilitation. But overall, the good news is that it’s his left shoulder for non-throwing and his back shoulder for swinging. So it’s a good combination on that front.

“We’ll see how he goes through this phase, and take it step by step because it’s complicated with someone who also hits. We’re just going to make sure we check all the boxes to make sure he’s in the right position health-wise. …

“But we expect him to be ready for spring training.”

THE DODGERS WIN THE WORLD SERIES: Celebrate with this commemorative coffee table book!

Still, with or without pitcher Ohtani, this is a team that plans to enter April with a six-man rotation consisting of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Clayton Kershaw or Bobby Miller, and, yes, maybe even 23. 12-year-old Japanese star Roki Sasaki, who just declined an offer from the Chiba Lotte Mariners, and is heavily favored to sign with the Dodgers if he gets posted. Still, even with their depth, the Dodgers have interest in bringing back free agent starter Walker Buehler, Gomes said, and maybe even others.

“We started the season with 12 (starters) last year,” Gomes said, “and it wasn’t enough. We’ll definitely explore the pitcher market.

And now, with the news that Betts is returning to the infield, most likely at second base where he was expected to be last season, general managers are wondering if the Dodgers will strongly pursue free agent shortstop Willy Adames, re-sign the All-Star outfielder. Teoscar Hernandez, pursue Soto, trade infielder Gavin Lux, or possibly go with an outfield of Tommy Edman, Andy Pages and James Outman or Chris Taylor.

“The beauty of Mookie,” Gomes said, “is he’s the most selfless superstar we’ve ever been around. And that permeates the entire team.

Gomes made it clear that bringing back Hernandez was one of the Dodgers’ biggest priorities. He hit 33 homers and drove in 99 runs after signing a one-year, $23.5 million deal last winter with the Dodgers, who gave him a $21.05 million qualifying offer. dollars this week.

“Teo played a major role in what we accomplished this year on the field,” Gomes said. “You could see very clearly a huge impact in the clubhouse with younger guys and his energy. So we will have conversations with Teo and his group as soon as possible.”

So many options and so many headaches for everyone else in Western New Zealand hoping to stop the Dodgers’ runaway freight train. The Dodgers reached the postseason 12 straight years, winning 11 division titles, four National League pennants and two World Series titles.

And think about it, next year could be the best Dodgers team during their dynasty.

“I mean, I say it every year, I expect the Dodgers to be better,” Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said, “because they’ve been almost every I can’t do anything about it. That’s the way it is. I will always maintain my position that playing against them, that they are the best team in the National League – whether on paper or officially – and that. if we can compete with them, (that) puts us in a better position in the long term’.

It’s no wonder San Diego Padres general manager AJ Preller turned off his television and didn’t watch a single postseason game in October after putting the Dodgers on the ropes, but lost to them in the NL division series. If the Padres had just passed them, they might still be trying to get the confetti out of their hair after winning their first World Series championship.

“We felt like we had a team that could have won the World Series,” Preller said. “You always think about that possibility, but ultimately it didn’t happen, and now we have to improve.” Ultimately, the NL West is truly a strong division.

“We played in the NLCS in ’22. The D-backs made the World Series in ’23. And the Dodgers won the World Series in ’24. The names and faces may change a little on these lists, but that’s still a challenge in the NL West.

It’s no different in the AL East, where everyone still cares about the New York Yankees — who haven’t had a losing season since 1992 and just won the AL pennant.

“I think you always have an eye on the big team,” said Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations. “In the American League, it was always the Yankees, year after year. I think it’s the same with the Dodgers.

And now, four months before Opening Day, the Dodgers are clearly the team to beat once again in 2025.

When you can win the World Series by employing 40 different pitchers and have 15 pitchers on the injured list, imagine how powerful you can be when you get the group together?

“From a talent standpoint, with the amount of injuries we’ve had,” Gomes said, “just having these guys come back will be a huge boost to the talent level of the starting pitchers. As we play this thing, we’ll see how to best complement the offense.

“But we hope we’ll be here again, competing for a championship next year and be a better team than we were this year.”

Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @BNightengale

This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Dodgers Free Agent Rumors: What Mookie Betts Returning to the Field Means