LAS VEGAS — Standing outside of a packed conference room, half a day into General Managers meetings, Los Angeles Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes said none of his conversations leading up to or since arriving in Las Vegas had painted a clear picture of how the free agent or trade markets would play out over this month.

The Dodgers are going to take a "business as usual" approach to the offseason, prepared to react whenever those markets reveal themselves. But even if Gomes and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman aren't ready to predict how threat of a lockout — expected to go into effect when the current CBA expires on Dec. 1 — will affect their offseason, it will surely color this transaction window.

The Dodgers don't have any gaping holes to fill this winter, but they still need to fortify their roster if they hope to reclaim their spot at the top of the league.

The Dodgers have already hired former Miami Marlins hitting coach Pedro Guerrero to fill the only opening on their coaching staff, and made their first offseason acquisition, claiming infielder Christian Cairo off waivers from the Mets on Monday.

Their most pressing needs are their bullpen and bench, areas that often draw less fanfare. But the Dodgers also have a track record of splashy offseason moves.

Here are takeaways from Gomes' media availability Tuesday:

—Dodgers engaged with Tarik Skubal's camp

As Friedman said they would, the Dodgers have remained in contact with southpaw Tarik Skubal's camp, Gomes confirmed Tuesday. And they expect to have a meeting "at some point," Gomes said.

Skubal is the top free agent available this offseason and is sure to garner interest from all the heavy hitters. The Mets have a meeting scheduled with him next week, according to multiple reports.

The Dodgers' pitch started when they acquired him at the trade deadline this year. But it's unclear just how aggressive they will be in pursuit of a reunion.

"I think a lot of it is continuing to see what this all looks like," Gomes said. "He was awesome getting to know. He fit in great into the clubhouse. Obviously, we know what kind of pitcher he is. So for us, it's understanding what this all looks like, as far as what does our team need? What does the contract look like? Where does he end up? I don't know.

"We know we love the player, we love the human, and you kind of have to let things play out to understand what that looks like, and if it's something that we're gonna ultimately execute."

—Japanese phenom Shoki Oda on the Dodgers' radar

Oda, 18, plans to go straight from high school baseball to the United States, foregoing a stint in Nippon Professional Baseball. He's begun meeting with major-league teams.

"He's super talented, really projectable, fun to watch him throw," Gomes said. "I know our international guys have watched him closely, and you know, I'm not sure how that all shakes out exactly. But we think really highly of him."

Asked if he'd had a visit with the Dodgers, Gomes said with a smile: "Potentially."

—Dodgers looking for Miguel Rojas replacement

Rojas has already begun the transition into his player development role with the Dodgers, working with Dodgers prospects in the Arizona Fall League. But now the Dodgers have to fill the hole his retirement left on the roster.

New-addition Cairo adds depth to the infield group and like Rojas is a right-handed hitter.

"He has really good bat-to-ball (skills), good defensively in a bunch of different spots," Gomes said. "Our scouts have flagged him as somebody that they really liked, and makeup was really strong."

Veteran utility player Kiké Hernández also entered free agency. But in a similar situation last year, the Dodgers brought him back on a one-year deal.

"Kiké's been such a huge part of what we've done in the past, and we'll continue to have those conversations," Gomes said. "But what that looks like right now, I have no idea."

At the beginning of the season, with switch-hitting utility player Tommy Edman on the IL, the Dodgers had two young second basemen competing for the left-handed-hitting side of the platoon. Alex Freeland won the job, and Hyeseong Kim, in his second year of a three-year contract worth $12.5 million, made nearly three quarters of his plate appearances in Triple-A.

"Comet did not have the year that he was expecting offensively, but he has so many skills that fit us well," Gomes said. "Diving in this offseason, to continue to chip away at the potential swing changes, and he worked on some stuff at the end of the year that he felt pretty good about after presenting a plan. He'll continue to work through those things and hopefully he'll take a step forward on the swing mechanics and get him into a really good place offensively."

—Important offseason for Josue De Paula

De Paula not only proved that his offensive skills were major-league ready last season, but also earned a spot on the postseason roster with a mature approach in high-pressure situations.

For him to claim a regular role next year, however, he'll have to continue to progress on defense.

"He is dead set on proving that he's going to be a really good defender," Gomes said. "And he has a good setup in the off season with people around him that he's going to go out and you know really get after it. And we have full confidence that he's going to put the work in to really continue to take those steps forward and be the complete player that we all know he can be."

The lockout will add another wrinkle. Because he's on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers won't be able to communicate with him during the lockout, as he works through his offseason program.

"We're going to make sure that we're set up in a way over this next month to continue to communicate with guys like we we normally do," Gomes said. "And if things shake out in a way that we can't, we'll make sure that those conversations on the front end are had to kind of everybody put everybody on the same page moving forward."

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