SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — On the day Kiké Hernández came home, meaning the whole gang was returning for a run at a third consecutive World Series championship, I asked Dodgers manager Dave Roberts an obvious question.
Could this be his best team ever?
Relaxed and beaming throughout his annual Cactus League media day appearance Thursday at a local hotel, Roberts gave an obvious answer.
“Yeah,” he said.
As in, duck.
Yes, these Dodgers have a team that could be better than the teams that have dominated baseball the last two years. Yes, these Dodgers could be better than a group that produced two MVPs, two World Series MVPs, and a passel of All-Star appearances.
Take a champion, add baseball’s best reliever and one of its best young hitters, then do the math.
Yes, yes, and oh yeah.
“On paper, it could be [the best],” Roberts said. “Looking at the guys in their prime, the experience, the talent, the starters, the pen, the depth of the young players … probably the best team we’ve had on paper.”
Roberts is right. Who is even close to the Dodgers? Who can seriously contend with the Dodgers? Who would have a chance in a seven-game series against the Dodgers?
The answer is, nobody.
Adding reliever Edwin Díaz and outfielder Kyle Tucker, frankly, is just piling on.
Instead of the usual criticism that the Dodgers are ruining baseball, Thursday’s interview session was appropriately filled with talk about how nobody in baseball can ruin the Dodgers.
“It does get lost, the things that we do well,” Roberts said. “Scouting and player development, I think we do as well as anybody in baseball … to get superstars to play well every night, to put out a good product every single night, I think we do a good job at that.”
To understand why the Dodgers’ domination is beyond much of the payroll criticism, check out the last big transactions before Friday’s start of spring training, deals which included a one-year contract for Hernández and a one-year extension for Max Muncy.
At first glance, they didn’t really need either player.
Hernández has struggled during recent regular seasons while Muncy always seems to get hurt. Both players are aging and expendable and it seems like the Dodgers would be fine without them.
But upon further inspection, the heart of the Dodgers’ efforts are fueled by guys like these.
“That’s why the biggest conversation should be that instead of a payroll question,” said Roberts. “Why are we good for baseball? Because our players play the game the right way. When you watch our team play, there’s not anyone that can say our guys don’t respect the game and play the game the right way. We’re good because we play the game the right way and because we give our fans a great product every single night.”
Hernández is a postseason superstar, with an .826 OPS while seemingly making every big postseason play that comes at him.
He hit three home runs in the NLCS clincher against the Chicago Cubs in 2017. He homered in the Dodgers’ 2-0 victory in the NLDS clincher against the San Diego Padres in 2024.
Then, more impactful than all of that, it was his decision to cheat in while playing left field in the ninth inning that led to a catch-and-throw double play that clinched the Dodgers’ victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6 of the World Series. All of that while nursing an elbow that would later require surgery.
““To play through it and not complain was pretty amazing,” said Roberts. “When it comes to crunch time, he can be counted on.”
Muncy is like Hernández. You forget about him until October, a month when he will be remembered forever.
He set a major league record by reaching base in 12 consecutive plate appearances in the 2024 NLCS against the New York Mets. He hit a home run in the eighth inning to spark the Dodgers’ comeback in last season’s Game 7 win.
Guess who has hit the most postseason home runs in Dodger history? Muncy, seriously, with 16 rockets in 259 at-bats. And to think when the Dodgers signed him to a minor-league contract before the 2017 season, he was a fringe player with seemingly no future.
“I think we’ve built something very good, very consistent, and I’m proud of it, I really am,” Roberts said. “It’s really special what we have, this whole operation.”
In Thursday’s final few moments before the start of the race to a three-peat, Roberts allowed himself the luxury of reminiscing on a memorable postseason that included a monumental Game 7 victory created by the rich Dodgers’ ability to do the little things.
Roberts talked about Tommy Edman’s sliding-stop-and-throw to third base, Miguel Rojas’ throw home to Will Smith, two of a dozen little things that created a championship.
“It’s going to go down as one of the best games of all time,” Roberts said of Game 7. “I do think about a lot of things that would have changed the game … yes, I’m amazed … we got our breaks, we had big hits … man, when I think about that, it still blows my mind.”
Pitchers and catchers begin work this weekend. If you believe the manager, prepare to have your minds re-re-blown.
The post Start talking three-peat! Dave Roberts believes these Dodgers can be better than ever appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
