The Los Angeles Dodgers are 38-25, sitting comfortably atop the NL West. On paper, they remain one of baseball’s elite teams. But beneath that veneer of success lies a season teetering on the edge of disappointment—thanks largely to a brutal run of injuries and a high-priced offseason that, so far, has gone awry.
Fresh off their 2024 World Series title, the Dodgers didn’t rest. Instead, they doubled down. They inked two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell to a $182 million deal, outbid the world for Japanese ace Roki Sasaki, fortified the bullpen with All-Stars Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, and added veteran bats like Michael Conforto and Tommy Edman. On paper, it was a masterclass in talent accumulation. But 60 games into 2025, that “masterclass” has yielded more migraines than momentum.
The Cost of a Cold Start
As Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller put it bluntly in his “Bold MLB Takes 60 Games into the 2025 Season,” the Dodgers “have become the biggest loser of this past offseason.” That sounds hyperbolic until you run down the wreckage.
- Blake Snell has pitched just nine innings before landing on the injured list with a shoulder issue. There’s still no timeline for his return.
- Roki Sasaki, hyped as the next global pitching sensation, posted a 4.72 ERA over eight shaky starts before joining Snell on the IL.
- Tanner Scott, after a dominant 2024 campaign, has become an unreliable late-inning option with a 4.55 ERA and five blown saves—the most in MLB.
- Kirby Yates looked sharp early, but soon followed the pattern: performance drop-off, then injury.
- Michael Conforto, signed for one year and $17 million, has struggled so badly that there are whispers he could be DFA’d.
- Blake Treinen, brought back on a two-year, $22 million deal, has pitched just eight innings—taking two losses before disappearing to the IL in mid-April.
It’s a list of misfires rarely seen from such a well-run organization. Miller summed it up succinctly: “Must be nice… to swing and miss that many times in free agency and still be the World Series favorite.”
High Expectations, Heavier Consequences
No one’s shedding a tear for the Dodgers, of course. Their total payroll—plus a $156 million luxury tax penalty—soars to an eye-watering $562 million, more than the combined payrolls of MLB’s five most frugal teams. But expectations come with that kind of spending, and while the team is winning, it’s doing so with duct tape and superstars rather than the depth they hoped to buy.
The trio of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts continues to carry the offense, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto has lived up to his billing. Will Smith has quietly been one of the game’s best catchers. But as summer nears, cracks are showing.
After a red-hot start had some wondering if this team could chase 120 wins, the Dodgers have come back to earth. Injuries—particularly to the pitching staff—have made it harder to mask underperforming veterans like Conforto and Edman (.584 OPS since April 19).
Silver Linings and Slim Margins
To be fair, not every offseason move has been a flop. Hyeseong Kim, a standout from the KBO, has been a revelation. Teoscar Hernández remains productive despite a short stint on the IL, and re-signing Kike Hernández has brought some clubhouse consistency. These “cheaper moves,” as Miller noted, have been “awesome.”
And, crucially, the Dodgers still have time. A healthy return for Yates (expected soon, per Dave Roberts) could stabilize the bullpen. A rebound from Sasaki or Scott could change the narrative. And Snell—if he comes back healthy—has the potential to dominate.
But the Dodgers no longer look like a team on cruise control. They’ve shifted from a historic juggernaut to something more human, more fallible.
Not Down, But Not Dominant
In baseball, things change fast. What looks like a failed signing in June can become a postseason hero by October. The Dodgers know this better than anyone. Still, it’s hard to ignore how far reality has fallen short of winter’s projections.
L.A. might still be the team to beat—but as Miller correctly observes, it’s done so in spite of, not because of, a headline-making offseason. If they’re going to justify those massive investments, the Dodgers will need to get healthier, luckier, and more production from their new faces.
Because if this is what “winning” looks like now, imagine how costly losing might be.