Let’s take a look at the season that was for the 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers, the questions the team must address this winter and the early outlook for 2025.
Read more: 2024 MLB offseason previews: What’s next for the Mets, Guardians, Giants and more?
Postseason outcome
Despite being plagued by injuries throughout the regular season, the Dodgers secured the top overall seed in the postseason and won the World Series in five games against the Yankees.
Their postseason was in danger of ending early in the NLDS against the Padres, who went up 2-1 on L.A., but the Dodgers stormed back thanks to some dominant pitching. They then defeated the Mets in six NLCS games that were all blowouts one way or the other. A very hyped bicoastal World Series started strong with Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1, but from there, the Yankees couldn’t quite match the relentless Dodgers.
The Dodgers showed their full might in the World Series, with starting pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler delivering some of their best outings of the year, the bullpen shutting down the Yankees’ bats in key moments and nearly every offensive contributor playing up to his potential. Freeman led the way with four home runs in the first four games and a 1.364 OPS overall, and pending free agent Teoscar Hernández delivered seven hits in the series.
Things that went right
The Dodgers finished the regular season with the best record in baseball and won the NL West for the 11th time in 12 seasons on the strength of an offense that ranked second in the majors in runs scored.
Shohei Ohtani was the biggest story in baseball, as he recorded one of the greatest offensive seasons in major-league history. The 30-year-old logged the league’s first 50-50 campaign, and he ranked first or second in baseball in homers, steals, RBI, runs scored and OPS. Ohtani should be a unanimous pick for the NL MVP award.
Ohtani was the headliner, but he had plenty of support from a star-studded lineup. Mookie Betts missed plenty of time due to a fractured left hand but was excellent (.863 OPS) in 116 games. Freddie Freeman didn’t have his best season, but it’s hard to complain about someone who hit .282 with 89 RBI and an .854 OPS. And a one-year, $23.5 million contract for Teoscar Hernández paid huge dividends, as he ranked second on the team in homers (33)…