The Los Angeles Dodgers head into the 2026 season with the ambition of achieving something extremely rare in modern baseball: a World Series three-peat. After winning back-to-back titles, the Los Angeles team is once again a contender, but its path to another ring is full of question marks.
The starting rotation, a strength under pressure
One of the main pillars of the team remains its starting pitching. Pitchers such as Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were instrumental in the most recent title.
Snell only made 11 starts in 2025 due to shoulder inflammation, but still posted a 2.35 ERA and 72 strikeouts before the playoffs. Yamamoto, meanwhile, had a solid season with a 12-8 record, 2.49 ERA and 201 strikeouts.
However, injuries have been a constant. Tyler Glasnow was barely able to open 18 games due to shoulder problems, while legend Clayton Kershaw has already stepped aside from the mound at the age of 37.
The burden also falls on Shohei Ohtani, who returned to pitching cautiously in 2025. The Japanese registered a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts, but with a limited number of pitches per outing.
A bullpen that raised doubts
The bullpen was one of the team’s weakest points in 2023. The Dodgers’ relievers finished with a collective ERA of 4.27 and blew 27 save opportunities.
During the playoffs, the lack of consistency forced the starters to pitch more innings than expected, even in the Division Series against the Phillies.
To solve the problem, management made a big bet by signing star closer Edwin Diaz. The Puerto Rican arrives after a campaign with a 1.63 ERA and 28 saves, figures that place him among the best relievers in MLB.
A star-studded line-up… but an increasingly veteran one
On offense, the team still has top-level players such as Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, but age is starting to become a factor.
Betts, 32, had a season below his standards with an average of .258 and an OPS of .732. Freeman, 35, maintained solid production (.295, 24 home runs and 90 RBIs), although without the dominant numbers of previous years.
Offensive hopes rest on Ohtani and the arrival of outfielder Kyle Tucker, a player who combines power and speed and could balance the lineup.
The pressure of a historic payroll
The Dodgers’ financial dominance also generates pressure. In 2025, the franchise topped $417 million in luxury tax payroll, generating a record tax bill of $169 million.
That massive spending reignited the debate in Major League Baseball about competitive balance. Big-budget teams like the New York Mets and New York Yankees have shown in the past that spending big bucks doesn’t always guarantee championships.
In an increasingly competitive league, with rivals such as the Atlanta Braves, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Yankees lurking, the challenge for the Dodgers will not only be to win games.
It will be to demonstrate that even with a star-studded roster and a huge payroll, they can still maintain the consistency needed to build a dynasty.
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