When the Dodgers opened their checkbooks last December, they weren’t merely spreading good cheer for the Holidays. They were, more importantly, looking to contend for the hardware this year. Once they won the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, they knew they had to go all in. And so they dipped into their war chest to pry Yoshinobu Yamamoto from Nippon Professional Baseball, and capped their offseason moves with the acquisition of Tyler Glasnow and Teoscar Hernandez. The stage was set for them to go deep in an effort to claim their first full-season championship since 1988.
Creditably, the Dodgers would go on to put their mouth where their money was. They paced Major League Baseball heading into the playoffs, securing even more weapons en route. To be sure, their continued tinkering with the roster was spurred by injuries to vital cogs. That said, they proved to be astute judges of talent, especially insofar as how new additions Jack Flaherty, Tommy Edman, and Michael Kopech would positively affect chemistry. All possessed skill sets deemed critical to the their success, and all wound up meeting potential.
Needless to say, the Dodgers faced stiff opposition as they made their way to the World Series. The Padres, wild card winners, gave them fits in the National League Division Series, but they never wavered in confidence despite being down 1-2. Not only did they win the next two games to advance to the NL Championship Series; they blanked their supposed peers both times. They then brought home the pennant in six outings vice the resolute but ultimately overmatched Mets. And if there was anything they underscored in setting a date with the vaunted Yankees, it’s that they’re the closest to a sure thing in the decidedly fickle sport.
Perhaps the World Series would have lived up to billing had 2022 American League Most Valuable Player awardee Aaron Judge been up to his usual standards. Instead, he went on a postseason slump that put pressure on the other Yankees to deliver. And while they did in spurts, the Dodgers were just too good, and constructed precisely to weather any challenges they could muster. Which, in a nutshell, was why they lost Game One in a heartbreaker, and then found themselves snatching defeat from the throes of victory in Game Five.
In retrospect, 2024 broke the Dodgers’ way because they dared to dream in the first place. Creative financing got them the marquee names they sought, and the result is a title they truly earned. And what’s more, they look to defend it in 2025 with Ohtani figuring to be on the pitching rotation as well. In other words, they’re set as favorites, and with good reason.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.