The Los Angeles Dodgers, after racking up 100 wins this season and walking into the playoffs as the odds-on favorite for the NL pennant and their third straight World Series, just got swept in four games by the Milwaukee Brewers. Yeah, you read that right. Four. Games. It’s wild how fast the “dynasty is over” narrative exploded after that kind of exit.
The Playoff Meltdown and the Aging Core
It’s been a rough week for baseball, with the league’s playoff schedule leaving us with a third straight October Friday night without MLB action. But the real story is what happened out in LA. This wasn’t just a loss; it was a full-on sweep, a shocking collapse for a team that dominated the regular season. You look at that roster, and sure, they’re loaded with stars. But as Buster Olney pointed out, some of those key guys are getting up there in years. Freddie Freeman is 37. Max Muncy is 36. Mookie Betts hit 34 this year. Even Shohei Ohtani is 32. And it’s not just them: Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Edwin Diaz, Teoscar Hernandez, Will Smith, and Tommy Edman are all in their 30s now, with many of them apparently on the downslope of careers that have been truly accomplished. That’s a lot of veteran mileage on a team that just got bounced in brutal fashion.
Why You Shouldn’t Bury Them Yet
Despite the brutal playoff exit and the chatter about their aging core, I’m not ready to write off the Dodgers just yet. Seriously, this isn’t the end. Remember that Shohei Ohtani, arguably the greatest baseball player of our generation, was a shell of himself in these playoffs thanks to nagging bicep and knee injuries. He wasn’t even close to his best, and that’s a huge factor you can’t ignore. Plus, the Dodgers barely touched their farm system to get guys like Tarik Skubal, who’s now a free agent. Their prospect pool is still easily in the top five in baseball. We’re talking about Josue de Paula, who’s basically already arrived and will be a serious contributor in 2027, with another outfielder, Mike Sirota, right behind him. And let’s be real, this is the Dodgers. If there’s no salary cap, they’ve got essentially limitless money to throw at whatever problems they identify.
So, is the Dodgers’ dynasty really in the rearview mirror after this unexpected sweep? Or was this just a minor blip for what has been the defining team of the 2020s? Andrew Friedman and his crew have some fascinating decisions ahead. Will they leverage those top prospects for major league help, or will they try to blend that young talent with their veteran stars? Either way, their off-season moves will set the tone for whether this was truly the end or just a painful detour.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Over the Monster.
Leave a Reply