The Los Angeles Dodgers have quite the offseason ahead of them.

Tarik Skubal, by far the most sought-after free agent of the current class, most recently played with the Dodgers after he was acquired at the deadline. While bringing him back would be an instant boost to the rotation, this past postseason showed other clear flaws with the team.

One of the most glaring was their offense — or lack thereof — in the postseason.

There is a reason to believe that teams are in a race against the clock to make their moves with the current collective bargaining agreement expiring on Dec. 1, and with an impending lockout, nothing is guaranteed regarding the finances (let alone 162 regular season games) of the 2027 season and beyond.

Dodgers insider David Vassegh recently spoke how regardless of where Skubal goes and how it dictates the rest of the big name free agents, another avenue for LA to bring in talent — and some that will address the offensive side of things — is by way of a trade.

“It feels like the [Tarik] Skubal chip, once that moves, Freddy Peralta and Michael King may move as well. I think those three are the ones that are looking to sign the most before December 1. To me, outside of Skubal, I feel like the Dodgers are looking at trade partners before December 1 with the uncertainty of how a new CBA will look,” Vassegh said on SportsNet LA. 

“Shorter-term deals, ideally maybe a player that only has one year left on his contract, like the Houston Astros’ shortstop Jeremy Pena. There’s been reports that the Astros are listening on offers to Jeremy Pena, who is a free agent after one more year. That would be an ideal type of guy in a trade partner for the Dodgers.”

Does Jeremy Pena Make Sense for the Dodgers?

The 29-year-old Pena saw a slight dip in production compared to a monster 2025 that not only earned him his first All-Star nod, but some MVP votes as well.

This past season, Pena hit .277/.325/.477 with an OPS of .802, adding 22 home runs to tie his career high. The shortstop is also one of the fastest players in baseball, with his sprint speed ranking in the 93rd percentile in MLB last year.

In the would-be move, current shortstop Mookie Betts would be moved to second base, potentially taxing the superstar less as he approaches his age-34 season.

For a Dodgers team that has revealed that it wants to get younger, adding an All-Star infielder to the mix to take a load off of their core, while also injecting more offense into the lineup, seems like the way to go.

Whether or not that means getting Pena, who would still cost a good amount despite being on an expiring deal, is another story.

The Dodgers would likely have to feel that Pena makes sense at the shortstop of the future before shelling out prospects to get him.

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