The Los Angeles Dodgers capturing back-to-back World Series championships in 2024 and 2025 should have stood as the ultimate testament to Andrew Friedman’s innovative approach to assembling a team. Two distinct journeys led to the same celebratory moments.
However, a recent article by Katie Woo and Fabian Ardaya in The Athletic (subscription required) contains a subtle implication that might leave Dodger supporters feeling uneasy: that second championship didn’t result from an overwhelming performance; it occurred while the offense appeared to be running low on steam—and perhaps running out of time.
Woo and Ardaya presented clear statistics. The Dodgers were a powerhouse in the postseason of 2024, racking up an impressive 95 runs, one of the highest totals recorded in Major League Baseball history. Yet in 2025, they only managed 72 runs—one of the lowest figures seen since the inception of the Wild Card era. This wasn’t merely a case of random fluctuations in October; it was the result of a gradual decline that we observed in real-time.
Up until June 2025, the Dodgers boasted the best offense in baseball with a 121 wRC+. However, by July, they plummeted to the 26th position. As the season progressed, their performance was marked by inconsistency. In the postseason, particularly after the Wild Card round, they found themselves unable to score more than four runs in a nine-inning game.
This transformation wasn’t just a temporary slump; it signified a deterioration of their capabilities. The margin for error that once allowed the Dodgers to confidently expect five runs per game has all but vanished. Now, they must claw their way to hits, relying on sheer determination rather than natural talent to rescue them.
This brings us to an uncomfortable reality that many fans may wish to overlook—the Dodgers had the oldest group of position players in the league last year. Notably, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández, two pivotal hitters, experienced the worst offensive seasons of their careers. As they both approach their age-33 seasons, the question looms larger: is the downturn in the Dodgers' offense during 2025 merely a slump, or does it signify the initial signs of their core players exiting their prime?
The late-season struggles in 2025 could very well point to an aging roster—a thought that's hard to digest because the concepts of "old" and "declining" have not been part of the Los Angeles narrative for nearly a decade. The organization has thrived on continuous renewal, where prospects evolve into All-Stars, and established stars consistently perform at high levels. Regression was something that seemed to afflict only teams in distant cities.
However, aging curves are indifferent to market size. A broader perspective reveals numerous warning signs. Older athletes don’t just slump more frequently; they also tend to remain in slumps longer. Recovery times extend, bat speeds gradually diminish (until a sudden drop occurs), and the first noticeable decline often manifests as a reduced ability to drive the ball with velocity.
This situation bears a striking resemblance to… the struggle to generate substantial scoring innings. Sound familiar, Dodgers fans?
Although the Dodgers didn’t completely unravel in 2025, they did tighten up. Their offensive output diminished, transforming what once were explosive performances into mere flickers. They still managed to win due to their historically large margin for error, but the dynamics of their model are shifting.
Previously, Los Angeles constructed lineups around players who were either entering their prime or at their peak performance. Now, however, the roster feels burdened by long-term contracts for aging players. The timeline of the team appears to be locked into past successes.
This doesn’t spell immediate doom, but it certainly hints at an unsettling reality—the signs are faint but becoming clearer. The Dodgers aren’t on the verge of collapse; rather, they are at risk of becoming a rigid organization.
The true threat isn’t that the offense will become poor; it’s that it may settle into mediocrity throughout the regular season—just in time for October, when the stakes are highest, and the competition intensifies. Suddenly, a lineup built on star power may appear… vulnerable.
What if this offensive downturn isn’t just a temporary glitch in the system? What if it represents a new standard of operation? That’s the disconcerting notion that Dodgers fans will need to grapple with moving forward, as even they cannot eternally outpace the inexorable pull of decline.
