First, yes, the premise is true: The Los Angeles Dodgers are every bit a modern baseball dynasty. They've won three of the last six World Series. They've won 13 of the last 14 National League West titles and they've made the playoffs for 14 straight years.
Over the last decade, they've amassed six 100-win seasons, and that total almost certainly would be seven if 2020 had been a standard 162-game campaign (their 43-17 record that year was a 116-win pace). The Dodgers across those last 10 seasons have outscored their opponents by a cumulative total of 2,102 runs, which is frankly ridiculous. In second place are the Houston Astros with a run differential of +1,376 since the start of the 2017 season.
There's topping all comers, and then there's overwhelming them. So, yes, the Dodgers are a dynasty. Now, though, that dynasty is in peril.
The Milwaukee Brewers swept the Dodgers in four games in the National League Championship Series, ending Los Angeles' hunt for the elusive World Series three-peat. Neither will they win the World Series for the 10th time in franchise history, at least not this year. On Thursday, the Dodgers suffered their first loss in an elimination contest since Game 3 of the 2023 NLDS.
This time, however, feels different, more substantial and with greater forward-looking implications for baseball's flagship franchise. Because of that, it's time to ponder whether the Dodgers' dynasty is in its waning days. It's impossible to say for certain, of course, but there are three general reasons the Dodgers' current run of dominance may – may! – be coming to an end.
Let's explore those reasons now. The Dodgers this season had the oldest crop of position players in all of MLB, with an average age of 30.9 years. Moreover, a number of core contributors are reaching the age at which deep decline becomes a real possibility.
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