The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to become the first team in 25 years to repeat as World Series champions since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000. The Dodgers have a two-way unicorn and likely NL MVP in Shohei Ohtani, a deep rotation with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Clayton Kershaw (not to mention Ohtani) and a lineup that can score runs in bunches. However, the Dodgers have several flaws that will cost them in October. Here are four reasons why Los Angeles won’t win the World Series.
Bullpen Mess
The Dodgers bullpen has been incredibly mediocre this year. They rank 20th in baseball in ERA (4.28) and are tied for fifth in allowing the most home runs (79). The Dodgers remade their bullpen in the offseason, signing Tanner Scott (four years, $72 million) and Kirby Yates (one year, $13 million) but they haven’t paid dividends. Scott has a 4.64 ERA while Yates is sporting a 5.23 ERA. Reliever Blake Treinen has a 5.55 ERA after three seasons with an ERA under 2.00 with the Dodgers. With starters usually pulled early in the playoffs, manager Dave Roberts will have to navigate land mines with who he brings into games.
Will Smith Injury
Catcher Will Smith has been out most of September after suffering a hairline fracture in his right hand when struck by a foul ball, and it’s looking unlikely he will be ready for the start of the playoffs. It’s a brutal blow as Smith was having the best offensive season of his career, slashing .296/.404/.497 with 17 home runs, a 152 OPS+ and 4.6 bWAR. Roberts recently indicated that Ben Rortvedt will see most of the catching duties with Smith out. In 14 games with the Dodgers, Rortvedt is hitting .270 but brings no power to the plate. He has just two extra-base hits — no home runs — and a .666 OPS in limited playing time since coming over from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Mookie Betts’ Offensive Regression
It’s not the same Mookie Betts we’ve seen at the plate this season compared to years past. The eight-time All-Star’s OPS is 124 points lower (.863 to .739) and his OPS+ is down by 37 points (143 to 106). In 116 games in 2024, Betts had 19 home runs and 24 doubles. Through 145 games in 2025, he has 20 home runs and 23 doubles. His walk rate and expected slugging also took a dip, from 11.8% and .447 last year to 9.4% and .437 this season. He has performed better in September, posting a .997 OPS for the month. If he doesn’t carry that over into October, LA’s offense will take another big hit on top of Smith’s injury.
How Will Dodgers Use Ohtani on Mound?
The Dodgers have had a pitching leash on Ohtani since he returned to the mound in June for the first time since August 2023 when he was a member of the Los Angeles Angels. He’s been limited to no more than five innings in any of his 13 starts. Ohtani was even pulled from his start last week while no-hitting the Philadelphia Phillies through five. The Dodgers say they might use Ohtani in relief but how would that work? What happens if he’s warming up and then his spot in the order comes up because LA got a few runners on? They’re obviously not going to pinch-hit for him. Would they risk putting him on the mound after an at-bat? There are a lot of questions that will surround what they do with their unicorn on the mound. But if they want to win, they need to remove the leash from Ohtani if he’s going to start.
