Freddie Freeman. Mookie Betts. Teoscar Hernandez. Tommy Edman. Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Roki Sasaki. Blake Snell. Tyler Glasnow. Clayton Kershaw.
And Shohei Ohtani (the hitter and the pitcher).
Let that roster sink in. Or don’t – they’ve probably burned your team at some point already.
With a half-billion-dollar payroll, a lineup seemingly built on MLB the Show and a stranglehold on baseball’s future, the 2025 Dodgers aren’t just dominant – they’re redefining what it means to compete at the Major League level.
According to most analysts, based on their early-season performance, the Los Angeles Dodgers are once again the most dominant and disciplined team in Major League Baseball, a fact as fascinating as it is unsettling. The reigning World Series Champions may be even stronger than the squad that convincingly took down the New York Yankees in five games last October.
As of April 23, the Dodgers sit at 16-8, a game behind the surging San Diego Padres in the National League (NL) West – and are coming off an 11-10 extra-inning heartbreaking loss against the Chicago Cubs. That’s what makes them even more terrifying: they can collapse on a Tuesday and look invincible again by Friday.
Before the first games of 2025 were even played, MLB Network analysts and everyday fans casually speculated whether the Dodgers could break the all-time single-season win record. The record of 116 wins is currently held by both the 1906 Chicago Cubs and the 2001 Seattle Mariners. The general consensus is that they will not only make a run at the record, they might obliterate it. If they want it, that is.
The Dodgers have the best roster in professional baseball – and it’s not particularly close. Despite playing in arguably the toughest division in the sport, their sights seem set more on securing another pennant or world title than simply clinching the NL West — a title they’ve claimed in 11 of the last 12 seasons.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto has already made good on the hype, striking out 38 over 29 innings with a ridiculous 0.93 ERA. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently called him “the best pitcher in baseball.”
Perhaps the most outrageous element of this team, or front office, is its payroll. Sitting at an estimated $390 million, their total payroll is likely to exceed $500 million. Los Angeles spent an estimated $445.5 million this offseason – an incomprehensible number.
For comparison, the St. Louis Cardinals spent zero dollars, yes, you read that right – not a single penny in free agency. A true disgrace to the city of St. Louis and a blatant insult to the supposedly “best fans in baseball.” But somehow, the blame falls on the fans, as records continue to be set for the worst attendance in the history of Busch Stadium III.
Maybe the Savannah Bananas will bring fans back to the seats when they come to town in July, following their April reschedule.
But circus acts and stunt baseball aside, it’s time to take a serious look at what makes this Dodgers roster so terrifyingly effective, top to bottom, they’re built like a dynasty in motion. It’s not just that they have All-Stars, it’s that their All-Stars play multiple positions, hit for power and average, and casually carry MVP-caliber résumés.
Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman remain two of the most consistent and complete players in the game. Shohei Ohtani is doing things no one alive has ever seen before – and now, he doesn’t even have to pitch this year if he doesn’t want to, thanks to a rotation stacked with aces like Yamamoto, Glasnow, Snell and the ageless Clayton Kershaw.
That said, the rotation isn’t invincible. Blake Snell was recently scratched from a bullpen session and shut down with shoulder discomfort, putting a slight crack in LA’s otherwise untouchable armor. Roki Sasaki hasn’t even found his true groove yet. Then there’s Will Smith, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández lurking in the middle of the order like a second wave of artillery.
The Dodgers didn’t just build a starting lineup, they have assembled a galaxy. They have done it with such precision and foresight that even when one piece falters, the machine doesn’t – it merely reloads.
Bob Costas, the legendary color commentator, once said during Stephen Strasburg’s debut, “From up here, the game’s a rumor.” He was talking about the surreal view from the broadcast booth, but honestly, that line might as well apply to the rest of Major League Baseball looking up at the Dodgers. Because unless the league steps in with a salary cap, or at the very least, a salary floor, competitive balance might soon become just that: a rumor.
The Dodgers aren’t just winning – they’re redefining what it means to compete, while the rest of the league scrambles to keep up with a team that seems like it was built in a baseball lab.