SAN ANTONIO — Before most Dodgers front office had even arrived in San Antonio on Monday for Major League Baseball’s annual general managers’ meetings, some pressure was already being put on Andrew Friedman and Co.

Less than a week after winning the World SeriesSeveral members of the Dodgers have expressed their desire for the team to keep its core intact for next year and retain as many impact pieces as possible from this season’s roster for a title defense in 2025.

At a fan event in a Raising Cane Restaurant at the Alhambra Monday morning, Kiké Hernández ” pounded that drum, declaring his desire to stay with the Dodgers as he enters free agency after an eventful regular season but a monstrous performance in October.

“I really, really hope to be back next year so we can go back,” Hernández told a gathering of more than 500 fans, the queue receiving loud applause. “So make sure you talk to Friedman and those guys, and let them know.”

Director Dave Roberts hinted the same thing not-so-subtly during an interview on Mookie Betts’ “On Base” podcast, when asked what was on her vacation wish list for the team .

“I want to bring back a guy we had in the bullpen this year,” he said with a smirk, referring to his fellow free agent. Blake Treinenwho became the Dodgers’ most reliable reliever in the postseason.

“I would love for Santa to bring me another bullpen arm who is a high-leverage free agent,” he said, apparently referring to the Dodgers’ other veteran reliever this offseason, Joe Kelly.

“And I want to bring in a guy who hit some big home runs for us in the playoffs… and is from a Latin American country,” he added with a laugh, a description that applied to both to Kiké Hernández and his other free agent outfielder. Teoscar Hernández.

Already this week, the Dodgers front office has begun implementing some of those plans. The team has selected its 2025 club options for veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas and backup catcher Austin Barnes. Long-time pitcher Clayton Kershaw declined his player option for 2025, but has every intention of returning to Los Angeles with a new contract. Teoscar Hernández said he would “do everything in my power to come back” as well.

However, much remains to be done.

On Monday, the Dodgers declined to extend a one-year, $21 million qualifying offer to the pitcher. Walker Bühlerleaving the door open for other teams to try to sign him in free agency.

Another starting pitcher, Southland native and key trade deadline acquisition Jack Flahertyis also on the open market, where he could get deals beyond what the Dodgers are willing to spend.

The Dodgers will almost certainly have to make other external additions as well.

Their rotation still needs reinforcements – in a year where the free agent market is dominated by two former Cy Young Award winners, Blake Snell (a former Dodgers free agent target) and Corbin Burnes (whom the Dodgers had interest in exchange for the last time). off-season), and could include 23-year-old Japanese star Roki Sasaki if he is assigned by his Nippon Professional Baseball league club.

The roster will also need to be strengthened, either by adding an outfielder (the Dodgers have the money and competitive track record to land this year’s biggest free agent, Juan Soto) or a full-time shortstop (Willy Adames, another longtime Dodgers front office target, is the biggest name in this position group on this winter’s market).

Still, Dodgers players felt like the 2024 roster had proven greater than the sum of its parts in the postseason, managing to overcome a litany of pitching injuries by creating a clubhouse culture that Kiké Hernández compared it to the franchise’s 2020 World Series team.

“I mean, it took all of us in the locker room to do what we accomplished, and that doesn’t happen without unity,” Hernández said. “That’s the thing that stood out the most about our October race was how close we were. It brings back memories of 2020. This is why we did well in 2020.

“But in 2020, we were all locked in a hotel for a month. And this year, to be able to be that together for a whole month, when everyone goes home after the games, we can only hope we can bring the whole group back and run it again next year.

In many ways, the Dodgers’ approach to both Hernández’s will serve as a signal of how strongly that hope permeates the front office.

Teoscar Hernández should be in line for a big payday after his 33-homer campaign, likely to lead to a robust market that could test how far the Dodgers are willing to go to keep him.

Kiké Hernández offers a different proposition, with the club having to weigh his regular season struggles (he hit just .229 and had an OPS below league average) with his postseason exploits, when he hit .294 and hit – as Roberts noted. – two key home runs in the National League Division and Championship Series.

Both players became liaisons on a team that, even though it lacked a primary leader, came together by getting contributions from the entire roster.

And both could help replicate that culture again in 2025, hoping to get the chance to stay in Los Angeles and defend their World Series title.

“We won the World Series a few days ago, but I truly believe this team will be even better next year,” Hernández said. “I know there will be a lot of moving pieces. But you know, a guy can only hope.