From a team that seemed to have a championship as a foregone conclusion to postseason floundering, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ season ends following a 6-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, completing the series sweep and ending any hopes of a third championship in a row.
Following the Dodgers’ back-to-back titles, many would’ve considered it foolish to bet against them in 2026. Last offseason, the team splurged on some of the best free agents money could buy: star reliever Edwin Diaz and right fielder Kyle Tucker. The team also traded for reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal at the deadline; LA looked primed to bring another Commissioner’s Trophy back home.
Despite stacking even more star power with these additions, they didn’t account for an issue at the team’s foundation, which I believe proved to be the undoing at the end of the season: its aging offensive core.
Throughout the postseason, the Dodgers enjoyed solid performances from their starting rotation. In the National League Division Series, the rotation posted just a 1.69 earned run average (ERA) and held the Atlanta Braves to just eight runs over four games.
Despite giving up more runs in the series with Milwaukee, the run deficits arguably didn’t become a point of no return for what, on paper, should be a championship-caliber offense. I believe the lineup headlined by aging stars, such as outfielder Mookie Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman, could not produce.
This postseason, the Dodgers struggled to get on base, batting a measly .195. While Los Angeles has historically succeeded with similar numbers in postseason series, as shown by their .203 BA during their 2025 World Series run, they lacked that same quality.
In previous iterations of this lineup, they made up for lower batting averages with higher-quality hitting, finishing first and second in postseason home runs in 2024 and 2025. With a team whose power numbers have begun to diminish, that saving grace has started to falter.
Aging players who have been sources of power in previous series, such as Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez and Mookie Betts, hit a combined 18 October home runs in LA’s last two championship seasons. This year, that trio totaled just four.
Of course, not all can be attributed to these players, as lineup power staples like Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith both had uncharacteristically cold bats. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, I believe the team as a whole seemed to lack the athleticism to create scoring opportunities and make up for the slugging losses, totaling just three stolen bases – the third-lowest of any team this postseason.
Even with the opportunities they had, the bats still couldn’t produce. In 27 runners in scoring position during the National League Championship Series, they managed only four hits, a weakness I believe they proved unable to overcome.
Not every bat in LA’s lineup was completely cold, as standout performances from the team’s youngest members provided glimmers of hope throughout the series. Outfielders Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker posted among the team’s best batting averages, leading in runs batted in and average. While rookie and top prospect Josue De Paula didn’t get a hit, he made an impact; in his limited 3 plate appearances, he drew two walks.
In my opinion, all of this may suggest that adding more young talent to the roster would be highly beneficial. The organization has the resources to do so, given the depth of its farm system. But with some of the team’s longer contracts, the Dodgers’ front office faces many difficult roster decisions ahead. After this year’s failure, I believe the biggest question may be whether to extend this aging core’s window or prepare its young players for the next.
