4 reasons Dodgers were poised to be better even before Tucker, Díaz

As they enter the 2026 season looking to three-peat as World Series champions, the Dodgers have bolstered their roster by addressing two areas of need: the bullpen and the outfield.

After signing elite closer Edwin Díaz to a three-year, $69 million contract earlier this offseason, and then striking again by landing free-agent slugger Kyle Tucker on a four-year, $240 million deal, the defending champs don’t appear to have any weaknesses.

But even before those big additions, the Dodgers were already poised to be even better following one of the most thrilling World Series ever played.

Here are four reasons the Dodgers could be better in 2026, before even accounting for Díaz and Tucker:

Two-way Ohtani, full-time

Shohei Ohtani has won two World Series rings and two MVP Awards in two years with the Dodgers, but we still haven’t even seen the totality of what the two-way superstar can do for his club during a full season as a hitter and a pitcher.

In 2024, Ohtani didn’t pitch at all as he recovered from elbow surgery the prior year. All he did was become the first player in Major League history to hit 50 home runs (54) and steal 50 bases (59) in the same season.

In 2025, Ohtani made his pitching debut for the Dodgers, but it wasn’t until June and he ended up making 14 starts in all with a 2.87 ERA and 33% strikeout rate. At the plate, he set a career-high with 55 homers.

With Spring Training just a few weeks away, the Dodgers can dream about what a full season of two-way Ohtani might be like. Could Ohtani give Los Angeles 25 starts and 50-plus homers?

By now, we should know that it would be foolish to put anything beyond Ohtani.

A Betts bounceback?

Mookie Betts entered last season as one of the most consistently excellent players in the game. But he produced the lowest OPS (.732) of any season in his 12-year MLB career in 2025.

There is plenty of reason to expect a bounce-back campaign from Betts in 2026. First, he went through some difficult personal trials in ’25, including a severe stomach virus that caused him to lose around 15 pounds and the death of his stepfather.

Beyond that, Betts was much better toward the end of the season. From Aug. 4 through the end of the regular season, he hit .311/.369/.505 with nine homers.

Despite struggling over the first four months, Betts still finished in the 89th percentile or better in strikeout rate (10.3%, 98th), whiff rate (15.3%, 90th) and chase rate (21.6%, 89th). Betts also led all qualified hitters with a 47.1% squared-up rate.

Defensively, Betts played his first full season at shortstop after spending the majority of his career playing right field. And he was excellent, showing great range (+6 outs above average, according to Statcast) and overall defensive prowess -- Betts, in fact, was tied with the Rays’ Taylor Walls for most defensive runs saved among Major League shortstops (+17).

It was fitting that Betts, after all he went through during the year and his big contributions down the stretch, began the 6-3 double play that clinched the World Series title for the Dodgers over the Blue Jays last fall.

If Betts is back to being Betts in 2026, it will be a huge lift for an already potent lineup.

A more confident Sasaki?

Roki Sasaki was the Dodgers’ big signing last offseason, but the star right-hander from Japan had trouble adjusting to the Major Leagues after coming over from Nippon Professional Baseball.

Sasaki then went on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement in May. Upon his return in late September, Sasaki was deployed out of the bullpen and looked like a different pitcher. He turned in two scoreless outings to finish the regular season and then posted a 0.84 ERA in relief during the playoffs.

With Sasaki expected to rejoin the rotation to begin the 2026 campaign, the confidence he built in the postseason last year could very well buoy him as he tries to translate it to success as a starter.

If Sasaki, who possesses a fastball that touches 100 mph along with a splitter and a slider, can do that, it could go a long way toward making this Dodgers rotation the best in franchise history.

The ’pen should be mightier

The Dodgers’ most glaring weakness last season was its bullpen, which finished tied with the Phillies’ relief corps with a 20th-ranked 4.27 ERA. Thanks, in part, to Sasaki’s performance in the postseason, the defending champs got through it successfully.

Signing Díaz is a huge boost to the back end of the ’pen, but even prior to landing the three-time All-Star, there was reason to believe that things would improve in this area, too. The Dodgers will look to one of their big bullpen signings from last offseason -- Tanner Scott -- to be more like himself in 2026.

Scott was an All-Star in 2024, when the left-hander posted a 1.75 ERA over 72 appearances for the Marlins and Padres. But he was sidelined for about a month with left elbow inflammation in '25, and it was later discovered that he was pitching through discomfort prior to that.

The result was a 4.74 ERA in 2025, along with an MLB-high 10 blown saves. If Scott can stay healthy this year, he could rebound and prove that last season’s struggles were an aberration. That would create quite a late-inning 1-2 punch with Scott and Díaz.

The Dodgers can also look to a reinforcement returning from injury. Right-hander Brusdar Graterol, who has only made 10 appearances since 2023 (including the postseason), should be healthy and ready to go following recovery from labrum surgery on his right shoulder.

Graterol, 27, was a high-leverage weapon for the Dodgers prior to his injury issues, and he owns a career 2.69 ERA in 178 appearances with Los Angeles.