Why Dodgers' 2026 roster might be most flawed of past three seasons

The Los Angeles Dodgers have made the MLB postseason and have secured the NL West title once again. Their recent franchise history is very impressive, and this season, they're eyeing a third straight World Series title.

But it's going to be a lot more difficult than the prior two seasons. Not only are there some good teams in the NL, like the Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, and even the Philadelphia Phillies, but the Dodgers themselves aren't as good.

As ESPN's David Schoenfield outlined, the Dodgers' 2026 roster actually has more flaws than both the 2024 and 2025 World Series championship teams. The reasons why are simple: Shohei Ohtani's health and the struggling offense.

Why 2026 Dodgers are most flawed of last three seasons

"Bottom line: Even with Yamamoto and Skubal, this looks like the most flawed Dodgers team during this long run of postseason appearances," Schoenfield writes.

Looking at this team and its incredibly high payroll, it's hard to imagine that this year's iteration of the Dodgers is the most flawed of the last few seasons.

But considering Ohtani isn't going to pitch again this year, and might not be 100% at the plate when he does return from injury, that's the team's best player not playing to his potential.

Tarik Skubal is great, and so is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but the rest of the rotation with Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, among others, is a bit questionable.

MORE: MLB insider accuses Shohei Ohtani of misleading Dodgers about injury issues

If they were all playing at their best, this would easily be the top contender in the NL and all of MLB. But there are too many concerns with the pitching staff, especially in the bullpen with Edwin Diaz and Blake Treinen, to have a lot of confidence in this team.

But the worst of it might be the offense. Andy Pages has been out for a while, Ohtani is currently on the IL, and Kyle Tucker has been one of the biggest disappointments in all of Major League Baseball.

Teoscar Hernandez has been underwhelming, Will Smith has missed a lot of time, Freddie Freeman isn't 100%, and the offense as a whole has been playing below expectations for months now.

This isn't the worst team the Dodgers have brought to the postseason, but it is the team with the most flaws to exploit. There are a lot of ways for the 2026 Dodgers to lose a postseason series this year. 

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