Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is not the kind of individual who is ready to rest on his laurels, and he is predicting good things from his top performers as his franchise seeks to secure a third successive World Series title.
Roberts has been in the Dodgers Stadium hotseat for a decade now and is keen to keep his team at the top, and among those he’ll be looking to make the biggest impact is 33-year-old, eight-time MLB All-Star pick, Mookie Betts.
Dodgers fans will be hoping for yet more success in 2026 as the franchise pushes for a historic third consecutive World Series title. That kind of sustained contention tends to ripple into preseason conversation beyond the usual coverage, including how DFS and futures markets discuss the Dodgers’ outlook. One label that often appears in that wider ecosystem is the underdog fantasy review. Back on the baseball side, the focus remains on the players tasked with delivering it, starting with Mookie Betts and what Roberts expects from him.
That spotlight naturally turns to Mookie Betts. Roberts was asked by a packed media throng whether he feels Betts has what it takes to earn a first-ever MVP crown, with the 53-year-old manager responding in the affirmative.
“I have no doubt about it,”
“The way [Betts] played shortstop last year, expecting him to get better and be better offensively this year. He will be in the MVP conversation this year… His main goal is to help us win a championship. Whatever falls out from there, that will happen. I just want him to focus on being healthy, helping us win, and whatever happens outside of that will happen.” Roberts added.
Discussing his pre-season, Betts outlined how he has struggled to prepare properly ahead of a new campaign.
“I haven’t had a regular spring maybe since I’ve been a Dodger,”
“I just know that, being 33 now, I don’t have to hurry up and get here, and be ready to play from day one. So, I can just kind of embrace that. Not everybody’s blessed to have that, so being that I am one of the ones that’s blessed with that, I’ll see what I can make of it.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers will enter the 2026 campaign on the precipice of history, aiming to become the first team since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees to win three consecutive World Series titles. After securing back-to-back championships, the “dynasty” label is no longer a question but a reality they hope to cement.
Manager Dave Roberts returns with a roster that remains the envy of the league, anchored by the superstar duo of Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts. Ohtani, fully recovered from his previous elbow procedures, is projected to resume full two-way duties, a terrifying prospect for the rest of the National League.
The front office has prioritized depth this offseason, bolstering the bullpen with veteran arms to support a rotation that showed signs of fatigue late last October.
However, the path to a “three-peat” is fraught with challenges. The Atlanta Braves and the emerging Arizona Diamondbacks remain fierce obstacles in the National League.
Yet, with a payroll that continues to lead the sport and a farm system that consistently replenishes talent, the Dodgers are overwhelmingly favored to return to the Fall Classic. As Spring Training begins at Camelback Ranch, the message is singular: nothing less than a third ring will suffice.
