Dave Roberts has managed some loaded Los Angeles Dodgers teams during his tenure, but as spring training opens at Camelback Ranch, he believes this 2026 group stands apart.
“On paper,” Roberts said this week, “this is probably the best team we’ve ever had.”
It isn’t hard to see why. The Dodgers are coming off back-to-back World Series titles with a roster even deeper than last year’s. They enter the new season as heavy favorites to win a third straight championship—something no team has done in more than two decades. Oddsmakers list Los Angeles as a clear betting favorite, reinforcing just how strong the club appears heading into another long campaign.
Depth and Star Power
The roster brims with star talent. Shohei Ohtani returns healthy after a record-setting postseason. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman anchor the lineup. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow lead a formidable rotation that rivals any in baseball.
If that weren’t enough, the Dodgers added All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker and elite closer Edwin Díaz in offseason blockbusters. The result is a team that blends elite power, pitching, and defense with depth at nearly every position.
That depth includes familiar veterans such as Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernández, and Tommy Edman, alongside younger options like Andy Pages, Roki Sasaki, and Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim. Several returning pitchers are also working back from injuries, giving Roberts additional options as spring unfolds.
Culture Still Defines Success
Despite their record payroll and headlining acquisitions, Roberts insists the Dodgers’ real advantage isn’t just talent, it’s chemistry.
“Knowing we have a target on our backs—and we should if we’re the defending champions—but still focusing on what’s ahead, that’s what our guys do best,” Roberts said at Cactus League media day.
Over the past several seasons, players and coaches have often pointed to the team’s clubhouse atmosphere as the key to its sustained dominance. Familiar faces and shared experience have built an identity that’s carried through long Octobers.
That continuity remains a priority. The Dodgers made several late-offseason moves this week to preserve the core that has driven their recent success.
Key Veterans Stay in Blue
On Wednesday, Los Angeles re-signed reliever Evan Phillips to a $6.5 million contract, keeping him in the organization despite being non-tendered earlier in the winter to manage the roster. Phillips remains a crucial bullpen presence once he returns from last year’s Tommy John surgery, which will sideline him until at least the summer.
A day later, the Dodgers extended Max Muncy—now the franchise’s longest-tenured player—with a $10 million deal through 2027, including a club option for 2028. Hours after that, longtime fan favorite Kiké Hernández agreed to another one-year, $4 million contract, marking his third straight offseason reunion with Los Angeles.
Veteran Miguel Rojas summed it up best at last month’s Fanfest: “We’re all part of this, and we’ve all been part of this for the last couple years,” he said, comparing the Dodgers’ shared effort to the harmony of Michael Jordan’s championship Bulls.
Veterans’ Impact Beyond the Field
While neither Phillips nor Hernández is expected to play until midseason, Roberts said their presence around the team will carry weight early in camp.
“Evan knows the value of any role we need from him. Having that kind of commitment sets the tone,” Roberts said.
Hernández, meanwhile, will again prepare for a utility role once healthy, a job that rarely draws attention during the regular season but often proves pivotal in October. “When it comes to crunch time,” Roberts added, “he’s going to be counted on.”
Muncy’s extension, Roberts noted, represents the same principle: keeping the team’s core together while reinforcing stability. “He goes very under the radar for what he’s done to help us win three championships,” Roberts said.
A Confident Start to Spring
Add it all up, and it’s easy to understand Roberts’ belief that this year’s roster might be the best of his decade-long tenure. The Dodgers begin camp with a payroll exceeding $409 million by luxury tax calculations, a rotation stacked with aces, and one of baseball’s deepest benches.
For a team that already holds consecutive titles, maintaining that kind of hunger might be its biggest challenge. But Roberts and his players say they welcome it.
“It’s easy to say you’re not thinking about the people trying to knock you off,” Roberts acknowledged. “But what makes this group special is that they’ve learned how to block it out and keep pushing forward.”
As the first full workout looms in Arizona, the defending champions will once again face expectations that few teams can match. The Dodgers have proven they can handle the pressure before. Now, with what Roberts calls their best team yet, they’ll try to make history again.
