There was plenty of talk during the World Series about the stable of players unable to participate for the Dodgers.
It’s a group that included Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone and Clayton Kershaw. And let’s not forget the other half of Shohei Ohtani — the pitcher rehabbing from elbow surgery who was a Cy Young-caliber arm before this season.
That the Dodgers still won the World Series (and somewhat easily) should send a few shock waves through the sport, especially for teams that have legitimate designs on winning it all.Â
This refers in part to the Mets, who took a leap this season and likely will be viewed as a championship contender (at least by much of their fan base) heading into 2025. But to use a football comparison, you have to wonder if these Dodgers are where the Chiefs, with Patrick Mahomes in the lead, were a few years ago and ready to become something of a dynasty. If basketball is more your speed, think the Warriors with Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson.
Maybe we’re only talking this way because for a change the team with the most regular season victories — and a star-studded one at that — actually won the World Series. That had not happened in a full season since 2018 (Red Sox), and had occurred only four times before that in the 21st century.
In other words, these Dodgers weren’t exactly the gritty team that got hot in the second half of the season and carried it to a World Series title. The Dodgers were a powerhouse when the season began and World Series champions as it concluded.
The Mets, as well as they played for the final four months of the regular season and into October, have to figure out how to bridge that gap. It won’t be as easy as just returning much of the same team, plugging in a few free agents and hoping for the best.
The Dodgers are masters at organizational depth — the parade of relievers that carried them through the postseason is Exhibit A — but also have the wherewithal to attract the biggest stars.
This brings us to Juan Soto, the best offensive player available on the free-agent market. I would argue that as much as the Mets need Soto for their own improvement, they risk taking a step backward if they don’t get him and he signs with the Dodgers.
Just the idea of Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Soto in the same lineup is mind-blowing. And that’s not considering the professional cast behind the top Dodgers stars that includes players such as Will Smith and Max Muncy.
Soto added to Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos (and possibly Pete Alonso?) would be potentially as good or better a lineup nucleus as the Mets have had in their history. The Alonso question, of course, will revolve around how far the Mets are willing to go with a contract, with the team already locked in on Lindor and Brandon Nimmo long-term and Soto almost certain to receive north of 10 years on his next contract.
The Dodgers, even before they augment this offseason, can put Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Glasnow, Ohtani and Stone in their rotation. Walker Buehler and Jack Flaherty are among the free agents and it will be interesting to see if either is re-signed or the Dodgers go big-game hunting for Corbin Burnes or Max Fried.
Let’s just say the Dodgers have far fewer pitching questions than the Mets, who will have to be aggressive this winter in filling a rotation around Kodai Senga and David Peterson. Maybe they will re-sign one or more from Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana. But even then, there will be need for reinforcements, and questions as to whether the farm system can churn out enough arms — for the rotation and bullpen — to get the Mets through a season.
The nature of baseball is such that the postseason often becomes a crapshoot, but there weren’t dice cast this season: the best team won.
And there’s no reason to doubt (even at this early stage of the offseason) the Dodgers will be the best team heading into next season.
It leaves you to wonder if the Mets can avoid becoming baseball’s Buffalo Bills — a team that emerges as perennially formidable, but living in the shadow of a dynasty.
