ESNY’s MLB Preview 2026: The Los Angeles Dodgers Dynasty rolls on

The 2026 MLB season will be pivotal in that it’s likely the final countdown before an inevitable lockout, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are sitting pretty. The two-time defending World Series champions are in a position to three-peat almost too easily. The monies and deferrals are flowing, and all the other MLB teams do is complain and watch.

Even though, you know, the Dodgers are operating entirely within league rules and other teams can simply…match their efforts?

It might not even matter. The Dodgers won 93 games in 2025, five less than their 2024 win total. Pitching injuries piled up so quickly that only three pitchers notched over 150 innings: Reigning World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw, and Dustin May. And keep in mind, May was traded to Boston at the deadline.

That won’t stop the Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Machine. All their top arms like Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell were back and healthy in time for October, even if winning it all meant extra innings in Game 7 over the Toronto Blue Jays, and on the road to boot!

At this rate, it may take pure luck to slay this baseball beast.

Greatest Addition: Kyle Tucker. All things considered, Tucker had a down year with the Cubs in 2025. He posted a 136 wRC+, but his .266 batting average was his lowest in three years. Tucker also hit just 22 home runs after being a near-lock for 25-30 in Houston, at least when healthy. Wrist issues troubled him in the second half, and there were concerns over his commitment to baseball in free agency.

That just opened another window of opportunity for the Dodgers. Instead of the lengthy, years-long contract many expected, Tucker signed with the Dodgers on a short-term deal. Four years and $240 million, to be exact, with $30 million in deferrals. Tucker will also earn just $1 million in base salary in 2026, with $54 million converted to a signing bonus. He figures to slot in as the everyday right fielder.

Meanwhile, the rest of baseball hopes that Tucker’s move to LA isn’t the latest step towards a stoppage.

Greatest Loss: Clayton Kershaw. It was bound to happen someday. The big lefty with the devastating curveball, the back nine of his career beset by a bothersome back, hangs up his cleats. The final out of the World Series was recorded, and Clayton Kershaw called it a career.

The loss doesn’t devastate the Dodgers’ rotation, but this could have a ripple effect. Kershaw was the Dodgers player for so long, leading the league in ERA five times. Three NL Cy Young Awards and World Series rings each. An MVP trophy. A 2.53 career ERA and 3,052 career strikeouts. Just 96 losses compared to 223 wins.

I watched Kershaw pitch, and suddenly understood why my father’s generation was so in awe of Steve Carlton, of Sandy Koufax, of pitchers who relied on nasty stuff compared to unfettered velocity. It’ll be a long, long time before we see another like him.

Greatest Strength: The Baseball Machine Still Runs. We are at the stage now where opposing teams cannot beat the Dodgers. They can only hope to keep up with the machine that churns out talent six ways to Sunday. Shrewd trades. Being aggressive in free agency. An ongoing pipeline of talent from both their farm system and the international market.

You want to beat the Dodgers? Simple. Build a stronger baseball machine.

Greatest Weakness: Pitching health. As was mentioned earlier, the Dodgers won the World Series last year despite having only three pitchers toss at least 100 innings the regular season. The last team to win a World Series under those circumstances were the 2006 Cardinals, so this is truly unprecedented.

Herein lies the Dodgers’ ongoing problem. Their veteran arms simply cannot be trusted to stay healthy. Tyler Glasnow is entering his age-32 season and has never pitched 150 innings in a season. Two-time Cy Young-winner Blake Snell has four years left on a five-year, $137 million deal, and only pitched 61.1 innings in 2025.

All told, the Dodgers have sent 17 different pitchers to the mound to start a game in each of the last two seasons. They’ll need more consistency and guys staying healthy if they want a three-peat.

Can the Dodgers Dynasty be defeated? There is really only one way to slay the giant that is a professional sports dynasty. You sit quietly, wait for someone to make a mistake, and pounce. The Blue Jays very nearly accomplished this with their aggressive approach at the plate against LA’s fragile arms.

Thus, we wait for someone to play Eli Manning and the Giants to the Dodgers’ Tom Brady and the Patriots. Just how we watched Luis Gonzalez and the Arizona Diamondbacks deny the Yankees a four-peat in 2001. Or when LeBron James and the Cavaliers took down Steph Curry and the Warriors.

Until then, to paraphrase Footloose, we hold out for a hero. Because say what you want about the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they’re baseball’s best villain since the prime Joe Torre Yankees.