Are the LA Dodgers’ World Series Chances Coming Alive, as Ohtani and Yamamoto’s Arrivals Add Firepower?

It turns out that boosting one’s chances of winning by acquiring superstar players is not such a surprising strategy after all. This is precisely what the Los Angeles Dodgers have done. The Blue Crew has rocked the baseball landscape by acquiring not only the baseball unicorn Shohei Ohtani but also the Samurai Japan ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. With the franchise going all out this offseason, their odds of winning the World Series have increased. What’s astonishing is the extent to which they have surged.

The Dodgers have always been in the upper echelon of franchises. Having never missed playoffs since 2012, they have been perpetual favorites for a World Series. Yet in those eleven years, the Blue Crew has won the Fall Classic only once in 2020. Will 2024 be the lucky year for the Dodgers?

The rapidly increasing World Series odds of the Los Angeles Dodgers

The LA Dodgers began this offseason as a team that fell apart during the postseason. For the past two seasons, they’ve faced defeat in the NLDS. Before that, they lost to the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. As a result, at the start of this offseason, the Dodgers’ odds of winning according to DraftKings were +750, second only to the Braves’ +700. Then the Blue Crew made some blockbuster deals and suddenly their odds are now +380!

The addition of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow has amounted to a massive -570 odds shifting in the Dodgers’ favor. But just how accurate are these odds? The thing is freak events can completely change all the calculations. But it’s undeniable that the Dodgers have leapfrogged much of the league with their signings.

While the New York Yankees have strengthened tremendously by acquiring Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo, the Dodgers’ offseason has seen an all-around investment. The team improved its hitting with Shohei Ohtani and pitching with Glasnow and Yamamoto. The Blue Crew filled nearly every hole in their roster with these three signings and they were never much weak to begin with.

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2023 was one of the unsatisfactory regular season for the Dodgers since 2018; even then, they won 100 games. This is a quality team and now they’re closer than ever to a World Series. But there are still some challenges.

The road won’t be smooth for the Blue Crew

Even though the Dodgers have added a lot of firepower to their pitching, they still lack depth in that department. Especially when one remembers that Glasnow has been struggling with injuries recently. If something happens again, the Dodgers will be woefully short of quality starters.

At the same time, Yamamoto will probably not hit the ground running. He’ll require some time to adjust to the major leagues, so again do the Dodgers have the necessary depth to give the ace ample learning time? It’ll be interesting to see how 2024 pans out for the heavy-spending Los Angeles Dodgers.

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