After winning the 2024 World Series, the Dodgers found themselves at the peak of baseball for the first time in quite a bit. Some like to discredit the 2020 championship due to the shortened season. As fair as that was, unfortunately for some, it is time to give the Los Angeles Dodgers their flowers as the premier baseball team in North America. Despite the large payroll and sketchy budget management, the Dodgers needed a championship and had to overcome several obstacles on their journey. Today, we review the different highs and lows the Dodgers faced throughout the 2024 MLB season that led them to their World Series title.
Massive Offseason
The Dodgers paid big money for an unbeatable roster heading into the season. The total price was over a billion dollars. These moves brought in Japanese superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yashanobu Yamamoto. Also, the Dodgers brought Clayton Kershaw and Joe Kelly back on the mound to pair with Teoscar Hernandez in the box. Another massive move was bringing Enrique Hernandez back to the team to help with the playoff push. Los Angeles also made a pivotal trade to acquire flamethrower Tyler Glasnow from the Rays along with Manuel Margot. These players had fantastic seasons, most of whom made it to the World Series with the team.
A Season Full of Injuries
While every team has injuries, the Dodgers went through a horrible season of key players getting injured. Some of these luckily happened early enough in the season for the team to rebound. The list of names the Dodgers had placed on the IR included Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Max Muncy, Dustin May, Clayton Kershaw and Tony Gonsolin. The first three were able to see the World Series. While Dustin May and Clayton Kershaw, struggling most of the year to see the field.
The team also only had 50% of Shohei’s true talent, with him not being able to pitch until next year. The team also lost Walker Buehler, Blake Trennien, Joe Kelly and Evan Philips throughout May to add to the list. These are substantial losses to a stacked roster, and the Dodgers’ record suffered because of them. LA had a negative record against six teams in the National League under a .500 winning percentage heading into and throughout June. Julio Urias also had his own “issues” and may never see the field again. Despite that, the team found the ability to turn it around and still have a division lead.
Bullpen Struggles
Another wild story this year for the Dodgers was the whole bullpen struggling with injuries. Brusdar Graterol, held out until August with one injury before stepping on the mound for the first time, ended up completely tearing his hamstring, which would hold him out even further. Another key arm the Dodgers had to fight to get back was Blake Trennien, who had yet to pitch in the past two years. After struggling to get him back, he ended up being great. He even appeared and put a few batters away in the World Series-winning game.
Playoff Injuries
Just because the Dodgers won in the postseason does not mean they didn’t have their fair share of key players go down during the World Series hunt. This list included River Ryan, who went down in late August still during the season after looking like a premier candidate for a postseason starter.
The October injury list is much more vast and includes key closing pitcher Evan Philips, who injured himself against the Diamondbacks. Tyler Glasnow they were optimistic he would play in the post season, but did not heal fast enough. Tony Gonsolin looked like he may be able to play in the 2024 postseason, but was not able to make it back in time. Gavin Stone went down in September and is not expected to even play in 2025.
Later in the run, the team lost more pitching in Michael Grove, who was another young starter who showed promise to be in contention for a playoff roster spot. Also, Freddie Freeman, who won the World Series MVP, went through most of the playoffs with a broken rib. Talk about toughness. Then you add Ohtani being injured in the World Series, the Dodgers were far from full strength.
Despite all of the injury woes and early struggles, the Los Angeles Dodgers were able to come out of the season not only as the best team in the league based on record, but also as crowning themselves 2024 World Series champions. It is fair to say that just because the Dodgers committed $1 billion to a stacked roster, they didn’t just buy this World Series; they earned it.
AS we head into the MLB offseason, there are and will be a lot more stories. So keep it locked on Area 51.
