The Los Angeles Dodgers have parted ways with co-hitting coach Aaron Bates after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes reported on Friday. The decision comes despite the organization initially expecting to retain its coaching staff for the 2027 season.

Los Angeles reportedly offered Bates a multiyear deal to remain with the franchise, but negotiations ultimately reached an impasse. The 42-year-old had spent 12 years with the Dodgers, including the past four seasons working alongside Robert Van Scoyoc as co-hitting coach.

The departure is all the more surprising considering president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman indicated last month that the team anticipated maintaining its existing coaching structure. However, Bates' exit amounts to the only reported change to the staff, with Van Scoyoc expected to return next season.

Bates joined Los Angeles in 2014 as a player before beginning his coaching career with the team's rookie-level affiliate in 2015. He subsequently worked with Single-A Great Lakes in 2016 and High-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2017 before becoming an assistant minor-league hitting coordinator in 2018.

Bates joined the major-league coaching staff as an assistant hitting coach in 2019 and was promoted to co-hitting coach before the 2023 campaign. During his time with the big-league team, Bates contributed to three World Series championships in 2020, 2024 and 2025.

His departure comes despite the Dodgers maintaining one of baseball's best offenses. Los Angeles finished the 2026 regular season fourth in runs scored with 801, second in OPS at .762 and second in weighted runs created-plus at 111. The team also compiled a .257 batting average and a .338 on-base percentage.

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However, the offense grappled with an entrenched decline during the second half of the season, with October perpetuating those deficiencies. The Dodgers were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series, posting a .195 batting average in the postseason and going just five-for-43 with runners in scoring position. They also managed only a .185 average during the four-game NLCS defeat.

The timing of Bates' departure also creates a challenge for the club because of the expected MLB lockout beginning Dec. 1. Teams will be restricted from communicating with players during the lockout, meaning Los Angeles must finalize a replacement if it wants the new coach involved in offseason hitting preparations.

The Dodgers have potential internal candidates, including game-planning and communication coach JT Watkins, Triple-A hitting coach Dylan Nasiatka and Double-A hitting coach Blake Gailen. The organization is also reportedly considering adding another hitting coach to its major-league staff.