The Los Angeles Dodgers' 2026 season has come to an end. The Dodgers were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series. After back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025, all LA will be able to do this year in reference to the Fall Classic is watch the World Series from the couch. While this postseason loss likely won't sting too much given how successful the team has been this decade, the Dodgers do have a number of pressing questions to answer during the upcoming offseason.

Without further ado, here are the three biggest questions the Dodgers are facing after losing in the NLCS to the Brewers.

Tarik Skubal reunion?

LA acquired Skubal — who was in a contract year — from the Detroit Tigers before the 2026 MLB trade deadline. Skubal pitched well for the most part with the Dodgers. With a new collective bargaining agreement being discussed, some have suggested that the Dodgers should re-sign Skubal before the early December deadline. Otherwise, they may need to wait until after a potential lockout to negotiate a deal with the star free agent pitcher. Of course, the possibility of a salary cap could end up standing in their way as well.

The Dodgers need to decide if giving Skubal his inevitable massive deal will be worth it given how the financial element of contracts could change once a new CBA is reached. Skubal isn't sure what his MLB future holds, but reports have previously suggested he could re-sign with LA. The situation is uncertain, though.

Who is the catcher of the future?

Will Smith is under contract through 2033. Dalton Rushing is a top prospect with a high ceiling. The Dodgers need to decide who their catcher of the future will be.

Other ball clubs could simply move one of the catchers to first base or designated hitter. The Dodgers, however, have Freddie Freeman at first and Shohei Ohtani at DH. Perhaps Rushing could be moved to a different position, but that seems unlikely.

The reality of the matter is that both Smith and Rushing are too talented to be backup catchers. They both deserve to start at the big league level. Unless LA can figure out a way to have both players start, one has to wonder if trading one of them — likely Rushing over Smith — would make sense.

Los Angeles would surely prefer to not trade either player, but if moving on from Rushing or Smith allows the ball club to upgrade another area of need, then a deal may be the best plan.

Should Shohei Ohtani continue pitching?

This is perhaps the biggest question the Dodgers are facing. Ohtani was in the middle of another tremendous season before dealing with multiple injuries. Ohtani was swinging the bat well and made 14 starts before suffering an injury. He was not the same player after returning in September as only a designated hitter. Ohtani's slump continued into the postseason.

Article Continues Below

The two-way storyline has been captivating for years. Everything Shohei has done is unquestionably impressive. He is 32 years old now, however. Both Ohtani and the Dodgers need to decide what is best for the future. How can they figure out a way to keep Ohtani productive for years to come? After all, he is under contract through 2033.

Either completely removing pitching from the equation or limiting his outings on the mound could be options. One has to wonder if having Ohtani become a reliever may be something to consider. He could pitch every few days for one inning while maintaining reliever off-day work.

Or, and this may be the preferred course of action given the injury concerns, Ohtani could simply give up pitching and focus strictly on hitting.

For now, it remains to be seen what will happen. Indications have suggested that Ohtani could continue as a starting pitcher. While that plan is exciting given how rare it is to see a two-way phenom, the Dodgers cannot afford to have Ohtani suffer another mid-season injury and struggle down the stretch. It certainly played a role in LA falling short of the World Series this year.