Roster-Rich Dodgers Aim for a World Series Three-Peat

The two-time defending World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to strike for a three-peat, and they want to take their best swing when it matters most.

The team, which has obviously played the most games over the past two seasons and added some standout talent in the offseason, is a big favorite to reach the postseason. It’s also expected to make a run at being just the third major league organization to win three consecutive titles.

But the team isn’t going to rush the process, in part because it has reserves at nearly every position who could be starters on many division-contending clubs.

Sure, the Dodgers added right-handed closer Edwin Diaz, who has 153 career saves over nine seasons, and outfielder Kyle Tucker, a veteran of eight productive years in the big leagues. Those were the flashy offseason acquisitions.

But the Dodgers also brought back many 2025 World Series heroes, like Kiké Hernandez, Max Muncy, and Miguel Rojas, and the rotation could get major boosts with returning injured pitchers such as flame-throwing reliever Brusdar Graterol, steady starter Gavin Stone, and potential-heavy River Ryan.

It means L.A.’s in the driver’s seat, but it doesn’t have to put the pedal to the metal.

The repeat run started with the 10-year, $700-million megadeal for free-agent Shohei Ohtani in 2023. The two-way superstar was blunt about wanting to reach the top of baseball’s mountain, and he wasn’t afraid to verbalize his goals.

Ohtani has said he wants to win the title each year of that deal with the Dodgers, and after the 2024 title, he told GM Andrew Friedman “nine more,” according to The Athletic.

The number is down to eight, but right now, the focus is simply on winning the next one.

Manager Dave Roberts gave his players some straight talk as he set the goals and the team’s mentality before the start of spring training.

“When you’re a Dodger, people want to take us down,” Roberts said in his opening statement to the team. “They want to beat us. And I said it earlier, it’s a Game 7. So, I think that we’ve got to look ahead and say, ‘This is going to be harder than it’s ever been.’ And we’ve got to work even harder.”

“So, my ask as a team, as an organization, is to push ourselves even more. We’ve already got the talent. There isn’t any more talent in a major clubhouse than in this room,” Roberts said.

He went on to paint a frank picture of how each opponent is going to approach games against the Dodgers during what figures to be a long, hard journey this season.

“We’ve got to be prepared to play through October,” he said. “And, it’s not easy. It takes a lot of discipline, a lot of hard work, and it takes trust. The challenge is for each and every one of you guys to put yourselves in a state to be prepared when the opportunity presents itself.”

Part of the preparation this year is with the World Baseball Classic in mind. A number of L.A.’s stars, including Ohtani, Diaz, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, are representing their respective countries in the tournament, which kicks off on March 5.

That makes the season even longer for the Dodgers, who seemingly plan to slow-play everything from the ramp-up to the main event.

“We did OK last year,” Friedman said when asked about the possibility of a World Series hangover.

“I wouldn’t say we played our best baseball all year, but I think a lot of it is coming in, making sure our guys are focused—and it’s incumbent upon all of us to continue to mind the little things in making sure that the attention to detail is there so that there’s no drop-off in intensity.”

The Dodgers will likely have a six-man rotation for the starters, and Friedman said the team is being sure not to stress L.A. arms in the run-up to the season.

“I think just making sure, as our starters are building up, guys are progressing well and coming out of each pen and live [batting session] and games, feeling in a good place, knowing that the camp is a little bit longer—certainly compared to what we’ve had the past few years. So we have some more wiggle room to give a guy here and there if needs be,” Friedman said.

And while some say L.A. is ruining baseball, a couple of stars on other teams have complimented the Dodgers for their roster-building moves. Either way, Friedman is locked in.

“We’re not looking externally. The validation is winning championships and putting out as good a team as we can each and every year, and all we’re trying to do is get a little better each and every season with the goal of winning championships,” Friedman said.

Roberts emphasized in his first spring remarks to the team that each man on the roster has to be ready to make an impact in every game.

The Dodgers have talked about the long haul, and the blinders are on as they power through each step.

“Stay hungry, stay obsessed,” was part of the final message Roberts delivered.