Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA – The champagne has dried, the parade rolled on, and rings are being forged, ready to be presented for the second year in a row at Dodger Stadium on March 27th, 2026.
As we get closer to the beginning of this year’s season, let’s go over ongoing spring training, the coming future of the collective bargaining agreement for Major League Baseball, and where free agents landed this offseason.
Plans going forward to Spring Training
And as opening day approaches, winter gives way to spring, and a whole new year of baseball begins. There are a few names I’d like for you to keep an eye on, even just a casual ‘hey, who’s that guy?’ might do some good this year!
Roki Sasaki
A name that shouldn’t surprise anyone when it comes to looking out for talent in the Dodgers pitching department. Sasaki, after a turbulent inaugural season with the Dodgers, is almost certainly set up with the same expectations he had coming into the season. Despite injury and a small journey to find himself in the minor leagues, Sasaki proved himself capable of handling not only the pressure of the postseason but also the most scrutinizing spotlight. He found himself the linchpin of the Dodgers’ fleeting bullpen during the postseason, single-handedly saving games and passing the baton when necessary.
Without Sasaki, the Dodgers don’t have enough stability to go on and win the World Series. Now, Sasaki will get that chance to fully integrate himself into the team, especially since he won’t be able to participate in this year’s World Baseball Classic. But Sasaki once again needs to prove himself on an MLB level. If he wants to do that, he has to prove to Dave Roberts and the Dodgers why he should pitch every week. It’ll be a good journey to watch Sasaki earn his spot back on the everyday pitching rotation.
Alex Freeland
A rookie looking to get some reps in, Freeland is set to play his first full season of the MLB at just 23-years-old, and expectations are mounting. Freeland is seen as the possible replacement for Max Muncy at third base, with shortstop locked up by superstar Mookie Betts, or a possible rotation piece with Hyesong Kim at second base. He has a lot to build on despite being a shortstop for most of his minor league stint. In 84 appearances at the plate, he slashed a .190 average and a .601 OPS. Not too great, near-average numbers at best, but by the looks of things, he wants to improve.
He hit his first MLB home run against the division rival Padres, off of five-time all-star Yu Darvish at that. If Freeland can get comfy, it won’t be long before he becomes yet another threat in the Dodgers’ lineup and puts himself against some of the best in MLB.
On top of Sasaki and Freeland, the Dodgers have begun to develop several other minor league players in Spring training. Minor Leaguers such as Zyhir Hope and James Tibbs III have begun to see playing time in Arizona. In their first two games, the Dodgers defeated the Angels 15-2 and the Padres 5-1, giving their minor league players ample time to begin developing and play against major league talent, especially against the Padres, and their veteran stars to settle back into the game.
Collective Bargaining Rumors and MLB Players Association Upheaval
Major League Baseball is naturally an evolving sport, and its sub-organizations are no exception. The Major League Baseball Players Association faces scandals involving its leadership as conversations about the CBA intensify. Though we remain a full year away from the scheduled end of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for MLB, this hasn’t stopped a massive debate from springing up in the wake of the Dodgers’ continued success since 2017, centered on player salaries.
Whispers among fans and online discourse point to significant discontent with the current agreement, as teams are allowed to sign players for exorbitant salaries; however, if they exceed a certain payroll threshold, they’re forced to pay a salary tax.
As it currently stands, that means whoever can afford to pay pays. The others are left with what resources they deem fit to allocate towards payroll, merchandise, food, and even building situations, as in the case of the Los Angeles Angels slacking on air conditioning, according to one of their pitchers.
This mindset also leads to bidding wars, giving teams with deep pockets, such as the Dodgers or Yankees, a significant advantage over teams like the Pirates or the Tigers when competing for free agent talent. This is a major complaint among fans and has come from the gathered MLB fan council.
However, fans of the big-market teams, such as the aforementioned Dodgers or Yankees, point to the capital of all owners in the MLB and claim that they can also spend; they just choose not to, and are okay with mediocrity and pocketing the revenue. Even according to Jeff Passan, a senior ESPN MLB insider, this perspective and optics battle will heavily affect how the negotiations continue.
Both sides appear poised to conflict over the prospect of a salary cap or a salary floor, and it seems neither side will accept one. The owners would certainly prefer a cap to hold down the Dodgers, but the fans want a floor, while some, like Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts, want to meet in the middle with both.
During an appearance on Good Sports With Kevin Hart & Kenan Thompson, Roberts cited the NBA’s model as something to be modeled in terms of a possible MLB salary cap: “You know what? I’m all right with that. I think the NBA has done a nice job of revenue sharing with the players and the owners. But if you’re going to kind of suppress spending at the top, I think that you got to raise the floor to make those bottom-feeders spend money, too.”
While this has covered a fan perspective, more has been ongoing behind the scenes. This includes major upheaval in the players’ union, the MLB Players Association (MLBPA), which has continued to intensify the coming negotiation situation. The chair of the MLBPA, Tony Clark, resigned following the beginning of a federal probe into alleged financial improprieties. Clark was well respected among players, being a former player himself, and set the tone for the MLBPA to fight against a salary cap. In the few days since Clark’s resignation, the MLBPA has elected a new chair, Bruce Meyer, who has already made it clear that the MLBPA intends to remain true to its claims of protecting player free agency and opposing a salary cap.
At the same time, players themselves seem to be getting into more and more issues. Insurance companies refusing to pay insurance fees for players to participate in the World Baseball Classic is one thing; another is PED suspensions. Jurickson Profar, a member of the Atlanta Braves, has been suspended for a full 162 games for the 2026 season, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
All the while, according to Bleacher Report, as Spring Training begins, the MLBPA has already begun to check in with teams and players regarding owners’ actions and statements as the owners set aside a “war chest.”
We’re still a year away, and the result of the 2026 season will be the deciding factor on whether or not the negotiations will succeed, stall, fall flat, or somewhere in between. The owners appear ready to lock out, but baseball is at its peak, a dawning golden age; would they risk all the revenue? We shall see.
And this brings us to spring training in full swing as preparations for all teams are made and the practices for the World Baseball Classic are ongoing across the world. You can watch all broadcasts of the WBC on FOX and the Spring Training games of your Los Angeles Dodgers on Spectrum Sportsnet LA, as we look forward to another year of Dodger Baseball.