Dodgers Ultimatum: De Paula Must Fix Defense for 2027

The Los Angeles Dodgers wrapped up a 100-win season that still ended in heartbreak — swept out of the NLCS by the Brewers in four games — and they’re heading into the offseason with one unfinished piece of business front and center: Josué De Paula needs to become a defensively competent outfielder, or he won’t be on the 26-man roster come 2027.

GM Brandon Gomes didn’t dance around it at the end-of-season press conference. The 21-year-old’s bat already has the organization buzzing. The glove, not so much.

What Gomes Said — and What It Actually Means

At the October 22 press conference, Gomes acknowledged De Paula’s offensive ceiling while making the offseason mandate crystal clear. «We’ve all seen what he’s capable of in the box, which is incredibly exciting,» the GM said, before stating that the goal this winter is for De Paula to develop into an above-average defender.

The context gives that statement real weight. When Shohei Ohtani returned from the injured list midseason, the Dodgers sent De Paula back to the minors. The team wasn’t comfortable playing him in the outfield regularly, and with the DH spot locked up, there was simply no room. That decision — more than any defensive metric — captures exactly what De Paula has to fix before spring training 2027.

Baseball president Andrew Friedman echoed Gomes with a broader point about roster depth: the Dodgers have three outfield prospects among their top four — De Paula, Eduardo Quintero and Mike Sirota — all blocked by veterans. The organization isn’t short on options. De Paula has to earn his spot with more than just his bat.

A Big-League Bat, a Defense That Isn’t There Yet

In just 11 games during September, De Paula showed the kind of plate discipline that fits the Dodgers’ philosophy to a tee. Across 42 plate appearances, he drew 11 walks against only 5 strikeouts, hit .323 and posted a 1.081 OPS — hard to ignore even in a small sample. His xwOBA of .437 confirms the production wasn’t a fluke; the underlying contact quality backs it up.

He was also the first Dodger to jump straight from Double-A to the majors since 2014 — which tells you how eager the organization was to see what he could do at the highest level.

At Double-A Tulsa, De Paula had hit .303/.401/.547 with 27 home runs and 104 RBI in 124 games, earning the Dodgers’ Minor League Player of the Year award. But that same season he committed 8 errors in the outfield, and his defensive evaluations remained below average across the board.

That’s the tension in a nutshell: the bat is MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect-level. The glove is still a work in progress. And on a Dodgers roster already stacked with elite hitters, what opens doors isn’t hitting more — it’s doing things others can’t.

An Offseason That Gets Complicated Before It Even Starts

There’s one obstacle no amount of practice reps can solve in advance: the collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLBPA expires December 1, 2026. A potential lockout would cut off official contact between the Dodgers’ coaching staff and 40-man roster players — De Paula included — right when the planned defensive work should be ramping up.

A lockout isn’t a done deal yet, and until that date the team can work with the prospect freely. But if recent CBA negotiations are any guide, the window between the end of the season and the start of spring training can shrink fast. For a player whose entire 2027 outlook hinges on improving in the field before March roster cuts, every week matters.

The Dodgers have the resources, the development staff and MLB’s No. 1 farm system according to Pipeline — they’re built to solve problems like this. But De Paula’s equation for 2027 isn’t solved yet. Show up to spring training with a convincing glove, and there’s a spot on this roster. Show up without it, and Oklahoma City will be waiting.