Sunday, February 15, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

On Friday, the Los Angeles Dodgers began their journey to win three consecutive World Championships. It is almost unheard of in Major League Baseball.

From 1998 to 2000, the New York Yankees dominated baseball, winning three consecutive World Series.

The Dodgers have a talented roster. In 49 years of following the Dodgers, I haven’t seen a more talented Dodger roster. Their starting rotation is full of the National League Cy Young Award candidates. Also, Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan, and Gavin Stone are knocking on the door to join the rotation. The Dodger bullpen is excellent, even if Brusdar Graterol cannot return from right shoulder surgery in November 2024.

On paper, the Dodger lineup reads like an All-Star lineup. The only question mark is second base. Tommy Edman, coming off offseason ankle surgery, should be the Dodgers’ everyday second baseman. If he can’t play on Opening Day, the Dodgers have Hyeseong Kim, Miguel Rojas, and Alex Freeland to play second base.

Why doesn’t Major League Baseball hand over the Commissioner’s Trophy to the Dodgers?

Baseball is hard. Nothing is guaranteed. Every season, at least one player gets injured. Players underperform. Teams can’t keep focus over a 162-game season. Balls bounce the wrong way.

A winning team needs incredible skills and luck. In the 2025 World Series, the Dodgers were luckier than the Toronto Blue Jays, so they won the series. Of course, the Dodgers had the skill to beat the Blue Jays.

Over the last two seasons, the Dodgers have played a lot of baseball. They traveled to Asia to begin each season and played deep into the postseason. This takes a toll on players’ bodies and minds.

While some fans count the days until the regular season begins immediately after the World Series ends, baseball players, front office personnel, and writers need a rest. The last two offseasons have been short for the Dodgers.

The Dodger fans think the 2026 Dodgers will have the best record in the major leagues, and they want them to challenge for the best record in Major League Baseball history. Fans are getting up to the hype, but the Dodger organization doesn’t care about having the best record in history.

The Dodgers have an older roster. After they signed Kyle Tucker and Clayton Kershaw retired, they don’t have the oldest roster. Older players get injured more easily than younger players. Older players have a life off the field. Mookie Betts is having another baby in March. While baseball is being played, life goes on.

Baseball players cannot perform with the same intensity in a game during June as they do in October. It is human nature. I don’t write as well about a game against the Miami Marlins as I do when the Dodgers play the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers should have no difficulty defeating the Marlins, so the players’ minds wander. And the Dodgers might make a bonehead play or not take advantage of a scoring opportunity.

This spring, the Dodgers shouldn’t dominate the Cactus League. Many Dodgers come into Camelback Ranch not in the best shape of their lives. This is alright. Nobody cares about spring training. In June, no one questions a player about his performance in spring training.

The purpose of spring training is to help players to get accustomed to playing games. Most teams have a competition to see who will play a position on the field. Barring an injury, the Dodgers don’t have this.

The Dodgers have five pitchers competing for the fifth and sixth spots in the rotation. Any of these pitchers can be a third spot in another team’s rotation. I think these spots in the rotation will be fluid during the season.

While the Dodgers have the best rotation in baseball, I expect to see bullpen games throughout the season. The Dodgers want to protect their superstar starters for late in the regular season and the postseason. If they have a bullpen game, it doesn’t mean that the Dodgers don’t want a three-peat.

The upcoming season should be interesting to see if the Dodgers can maintain a high competitive edge.