The Los Angeles Dodgers are MLB’s latest dynasty, but not everyone is cheering. While the team dominates on the field, critics argue the Dodgers’ success comes at a price: a roster filled with big-ticket free agent signings rather than homegrown talent. The perception is that Los Angeles is simply “buying championships.” Yet, paradoxically, there are other teams with massive payrolls that can’t get close to winning a World Series, highlighting just how difficult sustained success really is in baseball.
Legendary Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who has seen both the franchise’s soaring highs and heartbreaking lows, isn’t bothered by the criticism. On the “Literally! with Rob Lowe” podcast, Kershaw defended the team’s approach and argued that it’s actually healthy for Major League Baseball.
“I think that was the way the Yankees were. When I was growing up, the Yankees were the best team in the World Series and winning all those,” Kershaw said. “But I think that’s good for baseball. I really do. Having a team that you either love, because that’s your team, or hate because they keep winning, that’s good for baseball. You don’t want to be indifferent. I think it’s good to have that. That’s what viewership is. I think this postseason, obviously, with our Japan fanbase, and being in Canada, it was the highest-watched postseason in a long time. So I think it’s all good for baseball.”
The Dodgers now face the tantalizing possibility of making history: a three-peat. Since the turn of the millennium, the Dodgers were the first team to win back-to-back World Series titles. But no National League team has ever captured three consecutive championships. The only non-Yankees franchise to ever three-peat is the Oakland Athletics, highlighting just how rare such dominance is.
Los Angeles may have the pieces to make it happen. The core of the 2025 squad remains intact, and the team has bolstered its roster with star closer Edwin Diaz. With financial resources virtually unlimited and a roster loaded with talent, the Dodgers are positioned to defy expectations yet again. The mere prospect of a three-peat has already drawn ire from rival teams and fanbases, but that’s the reality when a franchise invests heavily to maintain elite status.
Even in the offseason, the Dodgers continue to make headlines. ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle awarded Los Angeles an “A” grade for their moves so far. “You have to wonder how many teams could have landed Diaz on a three-year deal,” Doolittle wrote. “Surely some were willing to go to four years at least, perhaps at a lower AAV but with more overall value. But this is what the Dodgers have become — a destination. And their uniforms — not to mention the super-swag championship rings that go with them — are becoming status symbols among baseball’s elite in the way that super-yachts have become the darlings of the mega-wealthy.”
Doolittle continued: “The Dodgers, already a definitive favorite to win a third straight World Series, have solidified that status by a few more percentage points. And all it cost them was money, a resource that for them has become all but irrelevant. That is increasingly what puts the Dodgers on the hilltop, and makes the climb for everyone else that much more difficult to complete.”
Kershaw himself has sent a clear message to those questioning the Dodgers’ dominance. “No one is allowed to trample on the pride of the Dodgers; this is a legacy I want to protect,” he said. His words resonate beyond mere defense of the team—they reflect a culture built on excellence, ambition, and an expectation to win, no matter the obstacles.
In a sport often celebrated for parity and underdog victories, the Dodgers’ model stands out as a bold declaration: invest relentlessly, demand excellence, and make history. Whether fans love them or hate them, Los Angeles is no longer just a team—they are a dynasty in progress, a force to be reckoned with, and a blueprint for the future of baseball. As Clayton Kershaw and his teammates chase a historic three-peat, one thing is clear: the Dodgers are rewriting the narrative of what it means to dominate Major League Baseball in the 2020s.
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