The Los Angeles Dodgers signed a former Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays catcher this week to address a need that was far from an issue last season, until it became one.

Dalton Rushing missed most of August and September with a partial tear in his UCL, and All-Star catcher Will Smith missed most of the summer with neck inflammation. Offensively, their replacements were nowhere near the talents that they bring to diamond, and with Smith's case in the postseason, he was a shell of himself in the batter's box.

In other news, a former Dodgers pitcher announced his retirement from the game of baseball at 40 years old. He played 11 total seasons in MLB and was a key part of LA's 2022 postseason run.

Finally, there appears to be some unfortunate news regarding two-time Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal and his chances of returning to the Dodgers in 2027. According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, the impending potential salary changes in MLB could play a major part in why Skubal ultimately ends up in a different uniform come next year.

"The looming expiration of the collective bargaining agreement and the ensuing financial uncertainty will likely deter the Dodgers from agreeing to any lucrative long-term deals this offseason," Woo wrote.

There is an additional layer as well, according to Woo, and that is the Dodgers will likely offer a shorter contract to Skubal than some of the other longer, lucrative deals he will be receiving. As has been the case all offseason long, those deals are expected to be record-breaking.

"According to several team sources, the Dodgers’ interest in a return hinges on Skubal accepting a shorter offer than he’ll likely receive from other bidders," Woo wrote. "The Athletic projected Skubal to land a nine-year, $405 million deal, which would top Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s mark of 12 years, $325 million as the highest-paid pitcher in MLB. The Dodgers will stray from that type of contract."

Here’s all the latest Dodgers news and stories (click the headline for the full article):

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