The Los Angeles Dodgers are still celebrating their season. They went 93–69, won another National League West title, and a World Series win over Toronto to complete back-to-back championships. Now the three-peat chase begins, and the cracks are exactly where you’d expect for a team that has played deep into October three straight years.
1. Stabilize a volatile bullpen.
Even before October, the Dodgers lived on the edge late in games. The standings show repeated blown leads down the stretch. Roki Sasaki proved to be an excellent emergency closer, but he's expected back in the rotation. They tried stabilizing it last year with Tanner Scott, but there they are again. Los Angeles needs at least one proven leverage arm and possibly a second wave of multi-inning pitchers who can move between rotation and bullpen.
2. Rebuild an outfield that still isn’t settled.
Teoscar Hernandez is the only proven everyday outfielder on the roster, and Andy Pages showed real promise but is still young and untested over a full season. Tommy Edman’ s ankle issues leave center field uncertain, and the Dodgers don’t have a clear internal answer if he can’t handle the position regularly. They have prospect depth, but not enough established production to carry a team with championship expectations. They have been linked to both Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger. The Winter Meetings are the natural place to add another reliable outfielder — whether a true center fielder or a strong-side platoon bat — so they aren’t relying on perfect health or development curves.
3. Decide how aggressive to be with surplus pitching.
The Dodgers’ 40-man roster is crowded with MLB-ready arms returning from injury along with upper-minors depth. They needed almost all of them last season, but MLB-ready pitching is also their best trade chip if they want to upgrade in the outfield or at third base without pushing payroll into a new tier. That leaves one question for Andrew Friedman in Orlando: Is this the winter to cash in some of that depth, or do they chase a three-peat by hoarding arms again and shopping on the margins?
They’ve already built a modern dynasty. The Winter Meetings will reveal whether they are willing to get uncomfortable to extend it.
