The 2017 season was historic by all accounts for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won a Major-League best 104 games, with multiple double-digit winning streaks along the way.
The club went on to advance to its first World Series since the 1988 season after eliminating the reigning champion Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series, setting the stage for an epic showdown with the powerhouse Houston Astros.
It took all seven games to determine the Fall Classic, in what featured some of the most exciting games in postseason history. Nevertheless, the Dodgers got the short end of the stick as the Astros went on to claim their first World Series championship.
Despite the disappointing result, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen believes the club has another World Series run in them, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“I’m ready. Looking forward to it,” Jansen said of Spring Training, which begins next month. “The positive thing is, we can make another run to it. Got to stay positive and all of us stay healthy and see where we go.”
Though the Dodgers have been relatively inactive this offseason, they will return most of their core for the 2018 season and beyond.
Headlined by 2017 NL Rookie of the Year Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager, with breakout star Chris Taylor and veteran Justin Turner additionally in the fold, the Dodgers figure to once again boast plenty of depth and one of the league’s best lineups.
Anchoring the starting rotation is three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, who’s coming off another dominant season despite a five-week tenure on the disabled list.
Jansen will once again solidify the back end of the bullpen, and looks to guide one of the league’s best relief corps to another excellent season.
