THE Los Angeles Dodgers have spent a large amount of money securing players like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Will Smith and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the next five, six or seven years. Even though it helped them win a World Series, now comes the hard part: repeating. They’re also going to be one of the most aggressive teams in free agency, looking to add another big superstar or two this offseason, while also bringing back players like Teoscar Hernandez.

With so much money going to some of the best players in the game, there simply won’t be as much money for the rest of the roster. The Dodgers will fill their roster with budget options, prospects and trade acquisitions.

With that in mind, it’s time to look at the next three Dodgers free agents who won’t be back with the team in 2025.

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These three players are all on this list for different reasons. The best player on this list will be very different from this player.

Jordan Lyles will not be back with the Dodgers next season because he was far from competitive all season and he hasn’t been in quite some time. Lyles played with the Kansas City Royals in 2023 and 2024, where he was absolutely horrible. The Royals eventually released him and he ended up signing with the Dodgers on a minor league deal.

While with the Dodgers, Lyles was a poor minor league pitcher, posting a 6.46 ERA in four starts and 15.1 innings with Los Angeles’ Triple-A team. He just wasn’t good. Not as a major league branch and not as a minor league branch. The Dodgers landed him on a minor league deal to take a flyer on the veteran. Their rotation was destroyed by injuries throughout the season, so perhaps if Lyles had performed well, he could have had an outside chance at making a big league appearance with the Dodgers.

It’s a boring selection, but an obvious one. Jordan Lyles made five appearances in the Dodgers minor league system and he will not be brought back in 2025.

Okay, the second player on this list will be a legit major league arm. The one who spent five years in a Dodgers uniform and pitched nearly 150 innings with the team. That’s veteran reliever Joe Kelly, who is expected to hit free agency at the end of the Dodgers’ season.

Kelly, 36, spent 2019, 2020, 2021, half of 2023 and 2024 with the Dodgers, being a solid piece for them in three of those five seasons. Unfortunately, the 2024 season was one of his worst full years in a Dodgers uniform. He posted an ERA near 5.00 and a WHIP near 1.50. He has walked 4.5 batters per nine innings in 32 major league innings in 2024.

Kelly hasn’t had a solid, complete season since 2021 with the Dodgers. His consistency and reliability just aren’t there anymore and the Dodgers won’t continue to give him chances if he doesn’t repay their investment in him.

Ultimately, the Dodgers will look to build a bullpen filled with stars, whether through free agency or a few offseason trades. This likely won’t include veteran right-hander, Joe Kelly, on the Dodgers’ 2025 roster.

The final player on this list who won’t be back in 2025 is trade deadline acquisition turned playoff ace, Jack Flaherty.

Now you might be wondering why Flaherty would be on this list. He was good with the Dodgers. He seems to be very popular within the clubhouse. They’re the Los Angeles Dodgers, so they’d have the money to bring him back.

So let me explain why I don’t think he’s a Dodger in 2025.

Ohtani, Yamamoto, Glasnow, Kershaw, Gavin Stone, Nick Frasso, Landon Knack, Justin Wrobleski and Bobby Miller are all on the 40-man roster with the potential to force their way into the starting rotation next year. That doesn’t include Emmet Sheehan or River Ryan who both had Tommy John surgery this season.

Now, I understand that not all of these pitchers will work out, but the Dodgers have the chance to acquire a pitcher a little cheaper in free agency or at the trade deadline if they end up desperate again. With so many high-end free agents this offseason, I just can’t imagine the Dodgers using $20-25 million per year to bring Flaherty back to Los Angeles.

Maybe I’m wrong, but unless something changes, I imagine Flaherty will land in another uniform with the highest bidder this offseason.