The Los Angeles Dodgers are leaving 2025 as champions, just as they did in 2024 and 2020, establishing a dynasty years in the making.
Since the Andrew Friedman braintrust took over, the Dodgers have tapped back into efficient resource use and become a perennial playoff team.
However, they have continued to build and turned heartbreaking playoff runs into World Series-winning campaigns, and the organization shows no sign of slowing down.
Heading into 2026, the Dodgers are aiming for a three-peat, something not achieved in over two decades, though they will need some things to join the rarified air.
Here are five resolutions that could help swing another World Series for Los Angeles.
5. Keep The Starting Rotation Healthy
Other than Yoshinbou Yamamoto, the Dodgers’ starting rotation failed to stay healthy during the season. Shohei Ohtani was still nursing an injury at the start of the year, and he did not start pitching until the middle of the season.
Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki all missed months at a time with arm injuries, though they all managed to get healthy at the right time, playing in the stretch run.
As long as they manage to do that again, all will be fine, though ideally, the starters can help shoulder a bigger load in the regular season, as Yamamoto returned from an exhausting playoff run.
4. Find a Way For The Bullpen to Bounce Back
The Dodgers had one of, if not the worst, bullpens in the playoff field, and somehow they pulled off a World Series win despite the staff’s struggles.
Asking starters to go deep into games in high-leverage moments cannot be a reliable strategy, no matter how good the rotation is, and the bullpen will need to carry its own weight this time around.
The addition of Edwin Diaz will help tremendously, but the Dodgers have to get more from Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott, two of the higher-paid relievers on the team.
3. Get Some Youth Into The Lineup
The Dodgers are one of the older teams in baseball, boasting multiple veterans all over the field, all of whom have helped win titles.
However, they will need rest and managing to keep them healthy, and a decline in performance could strike at any time once a player is in his mid-to-late 30s.
Players such as Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernandez, and Enrique Hernandez are all in the same range, along with several others. The Dodgers need to add younger players, either through trades or by utilizing their organizational depth, or they could risk falling victim to Father Time’s wrath.
2. Establish Roki Sasaki As a Starter
Sasaki was a lights-out reliever for the Dodgers in the postseason. It was reassuring that he could perform on such a big stage, and he could always fall back into a bullpen role if needed, but the Dodgers signed him to be a starting pitcher.
He showed life in his fastball and improved command as a reliever, though this season will be a big test to see if he can maintain that as a starter who throws 70-100 pitches over a meaningful sample.
The Dodgers are losing Clayton Kershaw, who retired after last season, and Sasaki needs to step into the hole left by the legend in the rotation. However, he does not have to be an ace right away; just show he is a capable starter, while flashing his potential in heavy-duty usage.
1. Get Mookie Betts Hitting Once Again
Finally, what the Dodgers could really use is Mookie Betts, a top-of-the-lineup threat at the plate, who could help ease the burden on Shohei Ohtani.
Betts was not that version of himself this past season, putting up a 104 wRC+, suitable for a run creation rate just around league average.
It was his worst offensive season, according to the metric, since 2017. However, he still put up 3.4 fWAR thanks to his excellent fielding, which he worked hard on last offseason to ensure he could fulfill the duties of a shortstop.
This season, he won’t need to focus as much on his fielding, and hopefully, that will unlock his hitting again, which is essential for the lineup to reach its full potential.
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