It’s Time for Dodgers Baseball

During the last years of the Dodgers’ tenure in Brooklyn, they were, not inappropriately, often referred to as the Brooklyn “Bums.” They were, in terms of performance, the third New York City team behind the Yankees of the Bronx and the Giants of upper Manhattan. And at the end of year after disappointing year, the mantra of Dodgers fans was: “Wait ‘til next year.”

In 2024, the Dodgers won the World Series, beating the hated Yankees after putting away the pesky San Diego Padres and the New York Mets. Yet, the calendar has turned and here we are at “next year.”

[Spoiler alert] — this column is only for those who, like me, live and die with the Dodgers. Those who fully understand that baseball is not just a matter of life or death — it is much more important than that!!

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So, how do I see things in the 2025 season?

In 2016, the prescient and always spot-on Molly Knight wrote a wonderful book about the Dodgers entitled: “The Team that Money Could Buy.” Currently, Molly writes a terrific blog called The Long Game (available on Substack and perhaps elsewhere). Regarding the 2025 Dodgers, I respectfully suggest that Molly write a sequel entitled:

“The Best Team All the Money in the World Could Buy.”

Going into the 2025 season, I think that aptly describes the Dodgers. Let me explain — and then examine their prospects for success.

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First, the numbers.

In the Dodgers’ last year in Brooklyn, 1957, their total payroll for all players was $530,000. The highest-paid player in baseball that year was Yogi Berra (who I often quote) who earned $65,000.

The Dodgers’ payroll for 2025 is $338,000,000, plus they are paying a “competitive balance tax” of $137,800,000 because their payroll is so high. Notably, that’s about 1000x higher than 1957. And yet, they are highly profitable because they draw 4 million fans a year, have a very lucrative local TV deal, and enjoy tremendous revenues from advertising in Japan thanks to stars like Ohtani and Yamamoto.

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So, what do I think will happen on the field in 2025?

I note that many knowledgeable experts expect the Dodgers to win the World Series again. I note further that my crystal ball is broken and finally, to quote Berra:

“Predictions are risky, especially when they are about the future.”

An article in The Athletic on March 1 said the Dodgers are “all but certain to become baseball’s first repeat champion in a quarter century.”

Nonetheless, here I go.

Although the Dodgers won the World Series in 2024, it could easily have gone the other way. They were lucky to beat the Padres in the Division Series. Many of their best pitchers were injured and Shohei Ohtani had a year for the ages.

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But the Dodgers are improved.

They have added one proven top-of-the-order pitcher in Blake Snell and it is possible that highly touted Roki Sasaki will be good. Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin will be back from injuries — as will Ohtani. They have also added two outstanding relief pitchers.

Offensively, they have added Michael Conforto and Hyeseong Kim, but have traded away Gavin Lux, a pretty good and likely improving second baseman, for pocket lint.

On paper, no team has improved as much as the Dodgers. Arguably, the Mets — who added Juan Soto as a free agent from the Yankees — have come close.

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Realistically, for all the money in the world, the Dodgers are loaded.

The candidates for the starting rotation are outstanding, alphabetically:

• Tyler Glasnow

• Tony Gonsolin

• Clayton Kershaw

• Dustin May

• Shohei Ohtani

• Roki Sasaki

• Blake Snell

• Yoshinobu Yamamoto

with Landon Knack and Bobby Miller as possibilities.

The relief pitchers are outstanding, including new acquisitions Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates.

The infield is almost set with:

• Max Muncy at third

• Mookie Betts at shortstop

• Hyeseong Kim (or Kike Hernandez or Tommy Edman or Chris Taylor) at second

• Freddy Freeman at first

The outfield has Michael Conforto in left, Teoscar Hernandez in right, and Edman (or Pages or a committee) in center. Betts, Freeman, and Ohtani are superstars and likely Hall of Famers. Ohtani, as a magnificent hitter and pitcher, is truly a unicorn. No other team can approach this level of talent.

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So, what could go wrong? Plenty.

• The pitching staff has a history of arm injury. Gonsolin, May were out for all of 2024 and Ohtani was unable to pitch during the season.

• Ohtani had a historic year as designated hitter and leadoff hitter: 54 home runs, 59 stolen bases (no one has ever hit 50 HR while stealing 50 bases), and led the National League in runs, RBIs, slugging %, and total bases. This year he will also be pitching. What can we realistically expect?

• Glasnow, Yamamoto, and Kershaw were out for significant stretches in 2024. Roki Sasaki has never pitched in MLB — that’s a big question mark.

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The Dodgers are, by baseball standards, an old team.

• Betts will be 33 this year

• Muncy 35

• Freeman 36

• Rojas 36

• Taylor 35

While age brings experience, it also heightens the risk of injury through a long season.

And the 162-game season is a marathon, while the playoffs are a sprint. Certainly, the Dodgers are built for the marathon, but the sprint holds significant hazards that can be revealed when it matters most.

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So, will they win it all?

While the Dodgers are favored, Las Vegas gives them a 25% chance and the next highest favorites, the Yankees, have an 11% chance. That means there is a 75% chance that the Dodgers won’t win the World Series.

There are a lot of other good teams including the Yankees, Padres, Mets, Braves, Phillies, and Orioles.

I will go with the 75%. Some team, other than the Dodgers — who knows which one — will win the 2025 World Series. And I and millions of other die-hard Dodgers fans will say once again:

“Wait ‘til next year.”