LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers wasted no time this week setting their sights on a potential World Series three-peat for next season.

Now, they embark on the winter-long process of building a roster capable of doing it.

For the most part, the core of the 2026 Dodgers shouldn't change much. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith will still lead the offense. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow will anchor the rotation.

However, with plenty of money coming off the books, several notable contributors to this year's team now free agents, and plenty of opportunities lying ahead of them this offseason, the Dodgers have work to do and decisions to make as they attempt to defend their title again next year.

"Our attention span has been about two and a half minutes to think about the offseason throughout the month of October," president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said after the team's World Series parade on Monday. "So we have a lot of work to do."

As that work begins, here are four big questions facing the Dodgers this offseason:

Can they keep on spending?

The Dodgers set MLB payroll records this year with $347 million in year-end salary and $415 million in competitive balance tax payroll.

Their projections for 2026 as of right now, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts: $251 million in salary and $313 million in CBT payroll.

Big numbers, to be sure, but theoretically providing room to maneuver this winter as well.

The question, of course, is whether even the deep-pocketed Dodgers can keep spending at the level they did this past season. Already, their 2026 CBT number will keep them in the highest tax bracket for luxury-tax purposes next year. Any new money they add this offseason will come with a 110% surcharge.

Friedman wasn't ready to commit to any specific spending levels after Monday's parade, saying the front office was still in the process of "really getting a sense of our roster, which obviously we know, but to really dig in and appreciate what areas we want to really target and making sure we have the requisite depth."

What is clear, however, is that if there is a big-name player the team wants to pursue this winter, they could do so without raising payroll from their already historic heights of last year. They have a lot of previously committed money, but plenty of wiggle room relative to their 2025 payroll, too.

Will familiar faces return?

One of the big decisions the Dodgers will have to make this offseason is how much of last year's team they want to bring back.

The clock is already ticking on their $10 million team option for third baseman Max Muncy, which either has to be picked up or declined by Thursday (though, given that relatively affordable amount, it'd be a surprise if they didn't bring him back).

Then there will be the matter of Kiké Hernández and Miguel Rojas, free agents who have voiced their hopes of returning next year. Neither player flashed in the regular season. Rojas posted an exactly league-average OPS+ of 100, but saw his batting average decline from .283 in 2024 to .262 this past year. Hernández hit just .203 while battling an elbow injury, his lowest mark since 2016.

However, both veterans were integral to the team's playoff run. Hernández started every game of the postseason and drove in seven runs. Rojas was inserted into the lineup in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series and made one season-saving play after the next, including combining with Hernández for a game-ending double-play in Game 6 and hitting the tying home run in the ninth inning of Game 7.

Age will be a consideration with each of them. Muncy is 35. Hernández is 34. And Rojas will be 37 by opening day next year (which is likely to be the last season of his career). They've all missed time with injuries in recent campaigns.

But they were all hugely important veteran leaders as well, helping form a resilient culture that many on the team cited in the wake of their Game 7 triumph, and would like to see preserved as much as possible entering next year.

Will there be a big outfield addition?

The most obvious area of need for next year's Dodgers will be in the outfield.

Andy Pages will be back, trying to build upon his 27-homer campaign in 2025. Teoscar Hernández will enter the second of his three-year contract, trying to rebound from his injury-plagued struggles this past summer.

But the third spot remains wide open, with Michael Conforto hitting free agency after his dismal performance on a one-year, $17 million deal this past year, and Alex Call having been used in more of a depth role after his arrival of this year's trade deadline.

Internally, the Dodgers don't have an immediate plug-and-play option, as top prospects Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, Eduardo Quintero and Mike Sirota remain a ways away from the majors.

Thus, don't be surprised to see the Dodgers linked with big names on either the free-agent or trade market this winter, starting with top free-agent prize Kyle Tucker.

Since the summer, industry speculation has swirled about the Dodgers' expected pursuit of Tucker this offseason. The four-time All-Star did not finish 2025 well while nursing a couple injuries, but he remains one of the premier left-handed bats in the sport, and could command upward of $400 million-$500 million on a long-term deal — a hefty price tag, but certainly not one beyond the Dodgers' capabilities.

Free agency will include other notable outfield options. Cody Bellinger is hitting the open market, though a reunion with the Dodgers has always seemed like a long shot. Harrison Bader and Trent Grisham could provide more glove-first alternatives, and have been linked with the Dodgers in the past.

Then there are potential trade candidates, from left fielder Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians to utilityman Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals, also players the Dodgers have inquired about in the past.

The Dodgers could construct their 2026 roster in other ways, thanks to the versatility Tommy Edman provides in center field. But another outfield addition remains their most logical priority this winter. And there will be no shortage of possibilities.

What to do with the pitching?

The Dodgers enter the winter with somewhat of a pitching backlog.

Next year's starting rotation figures to include Ohtani, Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan.

But the team's depth goes far beyond that. Justin Wrobleski and Ben Casparius are still natural starters, though they both found a home in the bullpen down the stretch this season. Gavin Stone, River Ryan and Kyle Hurt will all be returning from injuries.

Given how hard the team had to push its starters this October, preserving depth in case of injuries will be important. But the young arms further down the depth chart could be intriguing trade chips as well.

The bullpen is another question. The team has plenty of depth there too, returning the likes of Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda, Jack Dreyer and Blake Treinen, and hopeful of getting Evan Phillips, Brock Stewart and Brusdar Graterol back from injury.

But Tanner Scott's 2025 struggles mean the closer role remains unsettled — making that another area the Dodgers could explore an upgrade.

Several established closers will be available as free agents, including Edwin Díaz, Robert Suarez and Devin Williams (someone the Dodgers pursued last winter). Pete Fairbanks (who the Dodgers had interest in at last year's deadline) could also be an option, either as a free agent if the Tampa Bay Rays don't pick up his option for next year or a trade candidate if they do.

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