There is no better place for bobblehead enthusiasts than Los Angeles for the next few months as the Dodgers will give out figurines during more than 25 percent of their home games this season. But according to ticket demand, no bobblehead is more coveted across MLB this season than the Freddie Freeman World Series grand slam pose bobble being given away at Dodger Stadium on Friday night.
According to a study by TickPick, the Dodgers carry 16 of the top 25 buy-in prices for their bobbleheads this season.
Friday night’s Freeman bobblehead giveaway to the first 40,000 fans (Dodger Stadium seats 56,000, so there is some competition in play) had the highest preseason buy-in average of $145 per ticket. On Friday, the cheapest seat available through the Dodgers’ website was $189 — $40 more than than the cheapest ticket available for Saturday’s game. And while some attending the matchup against the Chicago Cubs will be more than happy displaying Freeman at home on a shelf, there will be plenty of Freeman bobblehead recipients taking photos and immediately posting a for sale sign on their prizes. Multiple presale listings on eBay already sold for more than $190 each by Friday afternoon.
Collectible savvy Dodgers fans took advantage of the resale market for the Ohtani 2024 MVP bobbleheads following the team’s first bobblehead giveaway night on April 2. The average buy-in for a ticket to the Dodgers’ 6-5 win over the Braves that night cost $105. Ohtani bobbleheads from the game quickly landed on eBay with 25 sales of at least $500, including one of the limited silver bat variations that sold for $900.
The line for Shohei Ohtani’s bobblehead FOUR HOURS before first pitch 😳 pic.twitter.com/KFlPccewNn
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) April 2, 2025
But that still fell short of the frenzy that took hold for the bobblehead that featured Ohtani and his dog Decoy last season. There were massive lines outside the stadium as fans attempted to ensure they got one and the day after the game, there were 1,750 eBay searches for “Shohei Ohtani bobblehead” per hour. A rare golden variation of that one sold for as much as $1,200.
Excitement level for Shohei and Decoy. 📈 pic.twitter.com/54viWyFYBY
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 29, 2024
Those looking to make a quick buck trying to sell every 2025 Dodgers bobblehead probably won’t land a return on their ticket investment. But the Dodgers will give fans by far the most opportunities to secure a free bobblehead of any MLB team this season. The Dodgers will give away bobbleheads for 21 of its 82 home games this season. That’s up from 18 last season and more than double what the team provided in 2021 with 10. Four of the 21 Dodger bobblehead giveaways are of Ohtani, the most of any player in baseball. Other Dodger bobblehead subjects include Mookie Betts, Kobe Bryant and Ice Cube.
The Dodgers’ Ice Cube bobblehead being given away on June 21.
There will be 175 games with bobblehead giveaways among every MLB team in 2025. Here’s a list of the number of bobblehead night giveaways by team:
- Dodgers: 21
- Mets: 12
- Astros: 9
- Blue Jays, Mariners, White Sox: 8
- Nationals, Orioles, Rangers: 7
- Angels, Braves, Padres, Reds, Royals: 6
- Cardinals, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Yankees: 5
- Giants, Rays, Tigers: 4
- Brewers, Guardians, Pirates, Athletics: 3
- Phillies, Red Sox, Rockies, Twins: 2
As for the top projected buy-in costs for bobbleheads, here’s a look at the 10 most expensive prices across the league as of the start of the season:
- Freeman grand slam, April 11, Cubs at Dodgers: $145
- Ohtani 50/50, May 15, Athletics at Dodgers, $127
- Ohtani 50/50, Aug. 27, Reds at Dodgers, $106
- Ohtani MVP, April 2, Braves at Dodgers, $105
- Brent Rooker, June 8, Orioles at Athletics, $97
- Barry Bonds, July 12, Dodgers at Giants, $97
- Lawrence Butler, July 10, Blue Jays at Athletics, $95
- Kobe Bryant, Aug. 8, Blue Jays at Dodgers, $94
- Ohtani, Sept. 10, Rockies at Dodgers, $91
- Roki Sasaki, Aug. 4, Cardinals at Dodgers, $91
The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.
(Photos: Los Angeles Dodgers)