The Winter Meetings officially kicked off in Orlando Sunday, ushering in Major League Baseball’s busiest part of the offseason. All 30 teams will orchestrate trades and transactions while trying to lure free agents during a four-day period.  

However, one team may remain surprisingly quiet: The Los Angeles Dodgers. 

According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Dodgers likely will remain uninvolved in big bidding wars despite their large payroll. 

“The Dodgers will be thrown into every single rumor because of their massive payroll, and they do have $80 million coming off the books,” Nightengale wrote. “But the reality is that they won’t be involved in the bidding war for any of the biggest stars.” 

“Oh, they’ll dip their toes in the water for Tucker, Bellinger and Diaz, but they would prefer to grab outfielder Harrison Bader and Suarez. The only way they may consider making an expensive pickup is if they trade Hernandez, who’s owed $26.5 million.” 

This may come as a surprise for baseball fans that one of MLB’s top spenders in search of a three-peat as World Series Champions would not open the checkbook to make it happen, especially with $80 million coming off the books.  

Let's take a look at a few of the players Nightengale mentioned. What implication could adding Kyle Tucker to an already supremely gifted offensive unit have? Bringing his .273 career batting average to pair with Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts could make for an unstoppable batting order.  

However, projections for Tucker’s next contract are starting at a minimum of $300 million. Is Andrew Friedman willing to find a way to spend that kind of money? 

What about a reunion with Cody Bellinger? The 30-year-old just posted his best season in a while as a member of the New York Yankees with 29 home runs, 98 RBI’s and a .272 batting average. Plus, the Dodgers are well acquainted with him and the quality play he provides as a defender. 

Harrison Bader is on the table, another outfielder with great two-way capabilities who will come at a cheaper price tag than Tucker.  

The Dodgers also need a late inning reliever after the bullpen revealed its weaknesses in the postseason. Would the front office be inclined to make calls about Edwin Diaz or another arm of his caliber?  

If Nightengale’s predictions come to be for the Dodgers, it will be an interesting offseason for the reigning champs. 

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