After the Dodgers finished with 106 wins in 2021, there was very little room to improve…but the Dodgers did. LA signed All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman as well as pitcher Andrew Heaney while retaining most of the pieces that made them one of the best teams in baseball the season before. The 2022 Dodgers would go on to not only win 106 games but 111. This win total is tied for 4th most all-time by any team. The Dodgers easily won their division, had the best record in baseball, and went 41-9 in a 50-game span mid-season.
Entering the playoffs, this team needed to at least make the World Series, if not win it, in order to live up to the expectations put in front of them. This, of course, did not happen as they were halted by the hot Padres surging from their Wild Card win over the Mets. The Dodgers started the series well with a 5-3 victory in Game 1 and a strong 4-inning bullpen performance that allowed them to take a nice NLDS lead. Unfortunately for them, they would go on to lose 3 consecutive games to a division rival who failed to win 90 games in the regular season. Their new commodity, Freddie Freeman, had a great series with 5 hits across the 4 games and 1 home run in Game 2. With their backs against the wall, the Dodgers started Game 4 well, but it was all eliminated almost as quickly as the Dodgers were with a 5-run 7th inning from the Padres. Momentum shifted, Dave Roberts made poor managerial decisions and, just like that, Josh Hader was on the mound completing the largest upset of this year’s playoffs.
The Dodgers have a lot of hope coming into the season and there is no reason to expect them not to be one of baseball's biggest spenders, in terms of payroll, next season. Still, a historic season like this to end so early in October will surely sting Dodgers fans for some time.
Postseason grade: F
Regular season MVP: Freddie Freeman
Postseason MVP: Freddie Freeman, honorable mention: Robert Suárez
Prominent free agents: Trea Turner, Clayton Kershaw, Craig Kimbrel, Andrew Heaney, Joey Gallo, Tyler Anderson, Kevin Pillar, Hanser Alberto
