ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 03: Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 of the New York Yankees looks on during batting practice before game one of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on October 03, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: The Yankees have a pair of qualifying offer decisions to make with Jazz Chisholm Jr. and David Bednar hitting free agency (Paul Blackburn also becomes a free agent but is not a realistic candidate for the QO). According to Jon Heyman, the Yankees are expected to issue the QO to Bednar but not to Jazz, whom he claims they are inclined to let walk in free agency. The value for the QO in 2027 will be $23.15 million, with the Yankees in line to recoup a draft pick after the fourth round (130-135 overall range) should a player decline the QO. Bednar solidified the closer role that had been on shaky ground the last handful of seasons, while Jazz regressed at the plate and with the glove and had several high profile lapses in concentration during the season. My colleague Josh will delve into these QO decisions in finer detail later today.
Yahoo! Sports | TJ French: After the Yankees got swept out of the ALDS by the Rays, Aaron Judge publicly implored ownership to commit more payroll over the winter toward going all in. The captain was left off the postseason roster after suffering a late season calf strain and likely feels some added urgency entering his age-35 season following another injury-riddled campaign. These comments apparently ruffled the feathers of the Yankees’ higher-ups, who were said to be “taken aback” and “slightly-to-somewhat annoyed.”
That being said, the face of the franchise still enjoys excellent rapport with ownership and members of the front office.
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: One of the biggest decisions the Yankees face this winter concerns the future of Giancarlo Stanton. The soon-to-be 37-year-old slugger appeared in just 24 games in 2026 after suffering calf strains in both his legs and has missed over 200 games to injury the last two seasons. He is owed $25 million in 2027 while the club holds a $25 million option for 2028 with a $10 million buyout, the Marlins paying the Yankees $10 million in each of 2027 and 2028.
The Yankees have to decide whether to keep him on the roster for his final guaranteed year or eat the $15 million in dead money that remains like they did with the final $22 million on DJ LeMahieu’s deal in 2025, $27 million on Aaron Hicks’ deal in 2023, and $26 million on Jacoby Ellsbury’s deal in 2019. (Dani wrote about this for us yesterday as well.)
ESPN: Oswaldo Cabrera agreed to a one-year, $1 million deal with the Reds on Thursday, avoiding arbitration. He was claimed off waivers from the Yankees by Cincinnati in September after spending most of the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He was never a regular on the big-league roster last season after having his 2025 campaign cut short by a gruesome broken ankle in May of that year. His time with the Yankees will be remembered for his infectious smile and as one of the real genuine good guys to put on the pinstripes in recent memory. So good for him on getting some guaranteed coin from Cincy.
Lastly, congratulations to the Brewers for ousting the two-time defending champion Dodgers in an unceremonious sweep. They won their first pennant since 1982 and will face either the Rays or Guardians in the World Series. LA was bidding for MLB’s first three-peat since the dynasty 1998-2000 Yankees, but they will remain unequaled across the last 50 years of baseball history.
Now, if only we could get these 2020s Yanks to win even one…
LOS ANGELES — The tears had mostly dried in the Los Angeles Dodgers clubhouse.
About 30 minutes had elapsed after the Dodgers got swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series. Their hopes for a third straight World Series title officially died with a 6-4 defeat Thursday, Oct. 15 at Dodger Stadium.
What had taken place before those clubhouse doors opened to the media?
Miguel Rojas, the Dodgers’ veteran second baseman, looked misty-eyed. He is retiring and expressed gratitude to the team because his years with the Dodgers organization changed his life – not just as a player, but as a husband and father.
He said he received emotional hugs from teammates, with Rojas headed into retirement.
Max Muncy, the Dodgers’ third baseman, referred to unseen emotion.
“Right now we’re trying to soak in what we got in this clubhouse," he said. “We’re all trying to tell each other that we love each other and thank each other. There’s going to come a time where we’ll worry about next year, but it’s just right not now."
Actually, the worry can start now.
Ohtani told reporters he doesn’t know if he’ll need surgery for the knee and bicep issues that limited his pitching and led to a horrendous hitting slump.
"I haven't been able to come to grips with what I learned overall this season," Ohtani said after the game. "I will go back to the drawing board in terms of treatment, a training program and see what I can come up with for next season. … And looking forward to having a better season next year."
Age-old problem
The Brewers looked spry as they sped around the basepaths. Not the Dodgers.
Ohtani, 32, still has seven years left on his 10-year, $700 million deal. Mookie Betts is under contract through 2032. But Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy, both among the older Dodgers, have only one year left on their contracts.
Freeman, the 37-year-old All-Star first baseman, is among the more grizzled Dodgers. He smiled as reporters clustered around his locker and referred to remarks that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made in the clubhouse before those doors opened.
“Obviously came in pretty hurt, down," Freeman said. “But (Roberts) said some encouraging things. Sport is rough sometimes when you go out there and give it your all. Sometimes you come up short, but that’s life."
But the philosophical will be competing with the numerical.
A hypothetical MLB salary cap could force the Dodgers to work under financial constraints for the first time since Mark Walter and his partners bought the team in 2012 for $2.15 million.
Pent-up emotion
The most striking emotion from the Dodgers came during the game. It was the shouting and gesticulating after Ohtani hit a three-run homer in the second inning.
It was his first home run since Aug. 18, and as the ball sailed over the right-field wall Ohtani turned toward the Dodgers’ dugout, raised his arms and yelled.
“I think it was a lot of pent-up anger, frustration. It was the best ball he hit in probably two, three months, and it was a big hit,” Roberts said. “For him to look at the dugout, show that emotion, it just shows how much he cares. He’s still human. He still cares and wants to help his team win a baseball game.”
Ohtani looked serene in the clubhouse as he appeared in front of his locker with his translator.
Maybe it's best to finish with the starter.
Dodgers righthander Tyler Glasnow retired the first nine Brewers hitters in a row and had six strikeouts. Los Angeles had jumped to a 4-0 lead.
But less than two innings later he'd been pulled from the game and the Brewers had tied the score 4-4.
“I just think they played a lot better than us," Glasnow said, looking despondent in front of his locker. "They were hitting on everything and I just think it wasn't our year."
Over that, there's still time for the Dodgers to shed a few more tears.
The Milwaukee Brewers prevented the Dodgers’ opportunity at a three-peat with a 6-4 victory over the Dodgers in Game 4. Ohtani hit a three-run home run in the game to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead, but it wasn’t enough as Milwaukee scored six straight runs to earn the win.
Ohtani told reporters after the game that it is “hard to tell” if he will need surgery during the offseason.
The four-time MVP had not been healthy for a good portion of the season.
Ohtani had been dealing with knee inflammation and biceps discomfort. The injuries limited his ability to pitch; leaving him unable to get on the mound for a start since July 3 due to his injuries.
The two-way star indicated to reporters that he did plan on pitching again in 2027.
Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas is unable to make a play on a ground ball during the second inning of Game 3 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The veteran infielder stood by his locker at Dodger Stadium, his eyes red and watery, his uniform covered in dirt, knowing that when he pulled them off, it would be for the last time.
“This is it, guys,” he said, announcing his retirement, after the Dodgers were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series on Thursday. “It’s been a lot, the last four years of my life here. And obviously making my debut here in 2014 changed my life, not just for me but for my whole family. They took care of my son, my daughter, my wife, and everybody in my family. It’s really amazing what I can think about, what happened to me and to my family the last few years.”
Rojas addressed the team after the 6-4 loss to the Brewers. He said he was going to stay loyal to the Dodgers organization but in a different role.
Rojas, 37, has a player development role lined up, the first step in a post-playing career that he hopes eventually will land him in a manager’s seat.
“I just wanted to say thank you to all the veteran guys for allowing me to be myself when I got here, even though I didn’t play one game for the Los Angeles Dodgers for the last eight or nine years before I came here,” Rojas said. “They allowed me to be the leader that I wanted to be, the person that I wanted to change the culture and kind of give a little bit more of a culture, chemistry to the clubhouse. I feel like that is going to be a legacy that I wanted to leave here, other than my performance on the field. ... I want them to remember me as a guy who always did everything possible to help my teammates win and to help the team get better every single day.”
Rojas put together a 13-year career split between the Dodgers and Miami Marlins. He had a career .260 batting average, won two World Series rings and three straight Roy Campanella Awards for his leadership in the Dodgers’ clubhouse.
Miguel Rojas hits a single during Game 3 of the NLCS against the Brewers on Wednesday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“He built a legacy that we’ll be talking about Miguel Rojas for a long time,” veteran first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “He impacted [so] many people in this organization. I wish we could have gotten him a third one.”
After Rojas made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 2014, the team traded him to the Marlins. He played eight seasons there. Then in 2023, the Marlins traded him back to the Dodgers.
Rojas, a key contributor in the Dodgers’ back-to-back championship seasons, saved the Dodgers’ 2025 World Series with his Game 7 home run. He re-signed in December for what was expected to be his last season.
Right before the playoffs, Rojas, who is from Venezuela, took his U.S. citizenship test. He said the person administering his interview didn’t realize he was a baseball player until she asked who his employer was.
“I actually wanted it to be that way because I didn’t want to have any kind of preference or anything because this process has nothing to do with baseball,” he said last week. “I felt like, as a citizen, as a human being, I always wanted to be a good person off the field and not let my performance influence anything, because we all know how hard this game can be and how high you can be and how low you can be one day. I don’t want to be judged by my performance on the field. I want to be judged by the person I am and my preparation.”
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 14: Miguel Rojas #72 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on during Game Three of the National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, October 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers clubhouse after they lost Game 4 of the National League Championship Series was closed for quite some time before opening to media. Once the clubhouse opened, some players were getting dressed or already dressed, winding down after the end of their season. Infielder Miguel Rojas was still at his locker in full uniform, as Thursday was his last game after 13 major league seasons.
“This is it. I’m going to move on and go to the next step of my life in the baseball world. Today was the last time I wore the uniform as a player and my cleats, it’s really hard to take them off right now,” Rojas said, still wearing the cleats. “It’s been a lot, the last four years of my life here, and obviously making my debut in 2014 changed my life, and not just for me, but for my whole family. They took care of my son, my daughter, my wife, and everybody in my family. It’s really amazing when I think about what happened to me and my family the last few years.”
Rojas reached base in each of his final two major league plate appearances, with a single and walk in Game 3 of the NLCS on Wednesday. This postseason all seven of his plate appearances came against left-handed pitching, and he had a double to go with that single and walk. Rojas this year hit .293/.340/.469 with a 121 wRC+ against left-handed pitching. He played two innings at second base in Game 4 but did not bat.
Rojas originally signed at age 16 as an international amateur free agent with the Cincinnati Reds in 2005, and played in the Reds system before signing with the Dodgers as a minor league free agent in November 2012. He debuted with the Dodgers in 2014, and made the key defensive play at third base to preserve Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter that year.
The Dodgers traded for Rojas in January 2023, and he thrived over his last four seasons in a variety of roles. He filled in at shortstop when needed, also played all over the infield, and did whatever was asked, including helping Miguel Vargas try to learn a new position at second base, then helped Mookie Betts transition from the outfield to shortstop as a veteran.
“They allowed me to be the leader I want to be, the person that I wanted to change the culture, give a little bit more of the culture, the feel in the clubhouse. I feel that is going to be a legacy,” Rojas said Thursday. “I want them to remember me as a guy who always did everything possible to help my teammates win, and help my team get better every single day.”
Rojas hit the game-tying home run in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, which is forever etched in Dodgers lore. But he also was voted by his teammates as the club’s Roy Campanella Award for his leadership and spirt in each of the last three seasons.
“Nobody when I came to this organization asked me, ‘Hey we want you to be a leader’ or ‘We want you to be a mentor.’ It’s just who I want to be and who I want to be for the future,” Rojas told True Blue LA in 2024. “After my career is over, I’m trying to stay on the field, to stay coaching, and I want to be a part of an organization that wants to win.”
“I talked to the guys, it was really emotional after the game. I told them that I’m going to be loyal, I want to stay here. I want to wear this uniform or this logo in a different capacity and continue to make the organization better,” Rojas said. “But this is it, this is it as a player.”
“I think what we created is something bigger than winning or losing the last game of the year,” the 37-year-old added. “It’s a culture, it’s a winning mentality, a team that the people of Los Angeles and every part of the world can be proud of.”
It's been 44 years since the Brewers went to their first − and until this year only − World Series. They played in a different league entirely back then, winning the American League championship in 1982.
So, it's been a long time. The last 10 years in particular have provided plenty of heartbreak, with the Brewers losing in the NLCS twice to the Dodgers − last year by sweep.
The Brew Crew arrived in 2026, though, and years of frustration melted away as the celebration commenced.
Here's a quick look at the scene as the Brewers celebrated winning the 2026 NL championship.
"This is it as a player,” Rojas told reporters. “That was my last game played; that was the last time I put these cleats on and this uniform on as a player.”
The Venezuelan spent the past four seasons in Los Angeles, winning back-to-back World Series in 2024 and 2025. He was a big reason the Dodgers repeated.
Rojas' biggest career moment came in the top of the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 2025 World Series when he hit a game-tying home run off Toronto Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman at the Rogers Centre.
He returned to the Dodgers in 2026 to help chase the three-peat.
"This is it as a player, that was my last game played, that was the last time I put these cleats on and this uniform on as a player..."
Amid the Dodgers’ pain, hurt and frustration of their National League Championship Series sweep at the hands of the Brewers on Thursday night, Miguel Rojas added even more emotions to one final postgame clubhouse meeting.
As he had planned –– but not fully committed to –– throughout this season, the 37-year-old veteran told his teammates he was indeed retiring from baseball, making Game 4 of the NLCS the final act in his accomplished 13-year MLB career.
“This is it,” Rojas told reporters afterward. “I’m moving on with the next chapter in my life.”
Miguel Rojas runs out a base hit during the third inning of the Dodgers’ Game 3 loss to the Brewers in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
“The last four years here changed my life,” he added.
Almost as much as Rojas changed the two-time defending champions themselves.
A Venezuelan native who broke into the majors with the Dodgers in 2014, before spending the next eight years of his career as a defensive stalwart with the Marlins, Rojas returned to Los Angeles in a trade ahead of the 2023 season, initially in what was viewed as a marginal addition for a star-studded Dodgers roster trying to climb back to the mountaintop after their 2020 World Series championship.
Right from the start, however, Rojas carved out an important role as a steady, experienced leader.
During his second Dodgers stint, he produced plenty on the field, hitting .260 with 22 home runs, 117 RBIs and versatile infield defense in 446 total games.
He was even more crucial in the postseason, contributing to their 2024 title before saving them in the 2025 Fall Classic with his game-tying home run in the ninth inning of Game 7 against the Blue Jays.
“I’m just proud of being part of this group,” he said. “That we were able to win back-to-back championships.”
Rojas will remain in the Dodgers’ organization moving forward, having agreed to transition into player development after 2026 when he re-signed as a free agent with the club this winter.
Second baseman Miguel Rojas throws to first base for an out during the Dodgers’ Game 3 NLDS win over the Braves on Oct. 6, 2026 at Truist Park in Cumberland, Ga. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“I wanna stay here,” he said. “I wanna wear this uniform or this logo in a different capacity.”
Still, he didn’t want to take off his uniform –– or even his cleats –– on Thursday night, remaining dressed in his full game attire as he spoke to reporters after addressing his teammates.
“It’s really hard to take them off right now,” he said. “It was really emotional after the game.”
Freddie Freeman (left) and second baseman Miguel Rojas carry the back-to-back World Series trophies to the field before the Dodgers’ blowout win over the Diamondbacks in their season and home opener on March 26, 2026 in Los Angeles. Carlin Stiehl for CA Post
Rojas never went to an All-Star Game or hit more than 11 home runs in a season, and somehow was denied Gold Glove recognition.
But to this Dodgers dynasty, he will go down as a core piece and a beloved veteran leader.
“He built a legacy,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “We’ll be talking about Miguel Rojas for a long time.”
For the first time in a long time, Dave Roberts had to give a consolation speech in the Dodgers clubhouse.
The Brewers completed a four-game sweep of the back-to-back World Series champions in the National League Championship Series Thursday night, ending the Dodgers’ historic run to complete the three-peat.
Manager Dave Roberts had nothing but praise for Milwaukee following a crushing 6-4 defeat in NLCS Game 4.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts speaks to the media ahead of Game 4 of baseball’s National League Championship Series. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
“I can’t give enough praise to the Brewers organization and the baseball office of Matt Arnold and his staff and Pat Murphy and his staff. And how they got those guys to play,” Roberts said.
“They played flawless, they really did,” he added.
The Milwaukee Brewers celebrate after Game 4 of baseball’s National League Championship Series. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Murphy wasn’t so kind in his parting message to the Dodgers as the Brewers were crowned National League champions at Dodger Stadium Thursday night. For all the excitement and hype surrounding the Dodgers in 2026, the juggernaut miserably failed to live up to expectations in October.
Across eight postseason games, the Dodgers were 5-for-43 with runners in scoring position and stranded 50 runners on base. Their performance was not up to snuff to beat Milwaukee or even get a game over the Brewers in the Championship Series.
Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell celebrates his solo home run with Cooper Pratt during the sixth inning of Game 4 of baseball’s National League Championship Series. AP Photo/Ashley Landis
The Dodgers may have assembled one of the best rosters in baseball, but the 2026 group will have nothing to show for it. There are several question marks regarding the future of the franchise as the front office will have to navigate the direction of the Dodgers in 2027 and beyond.
But Roberts took the crushing sweep on the chin and mustered a heartfelt message for the Brewers, a team that will be remembered for dominating the juggernaut Dodgers.
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There will be no World Series three-peat for the Dodgers this season. No downtown parade to celebrate the continuation of their modern-day dynasty. Not even a return trip to the Fall Classic to try and defend their back-to-back titles.
Instead, despite a 100-win regular season and league-record $432 million payroll, the two-time defending champions were eliminated in the National League Championship Series by the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, ending their bid for history and sending them into an uncertain offseason –– one that could include an extended lockout, notable changes to the roster, and existential questions about how to retool around their aging veteran core.
Many unknowns remain about what the sport at large will look like in 2027 –– and when next season, amid what figures to be a protracted labor battle, will even begin.
But for now, the focus will be on why a team with the most talent in the sport, the most October experience on their roster, and the best statistical odds of winning the World Series couldn’t even get back to it.
As a long winter begins, here are the five biggest reasons the 2026 Dodgers came up short.
No-Sho’ Ohtani
On paper, no team in the majors has a better-looking lineup than the Dodgers.
In reality, however, cracks in their offensive production have grown increasingly evident in recent postseasons.
Dating back to the 2024 World Series, the club has batted .219 in postseason play. In five of their seven playoff series in that span, their team average has been .206 or worse.
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani strikes out during the first inning of NLCS Game 4 against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium. Carlin Stiehl for CA Post
Even in regular-season play, they have endured extended lulls and repeated second-half slumps. They’re a supremely talented unit, to be sure. But, despite all the big names they boast, they haven’t performed all that different from most other playoff teams, either.
Really, only Shohei Ohtani has been a true separator for them at the plate.
And this October, he was in no condition to help the club compensate for its other shortcomings offensively.
That’s why the team’s mismanagement of Ohtani’s injury saga this year proved so costly. For all his talent on the mound, his greatest importance to the Dodgers has long been as a hitter. And this season, the toll of his attempted return to full-time two-way duties rendered that all-important skill set void.
After all, it was no real surprise that some of the team’s other aging star hitters suffered inconsistent postseason campaigns. That was the case last year. Ohtani’s eight playoff home runs and 1.096 OPS helped them overcome it.
But this fall, the four-time MVP’s right arm and left knee injuries limited his capabilities in the box. Where the Dodgers needed a superstar to spearhead their offense, all they had for most of the month was a physically diminished slap hitter who struggled to even reach base consistently instead.
And even when the old Ohtani finally re-emerged in Game 4 on Thursday, hitting a mammoth home run that gave the Dodgers an early 4-0 lead, it was too little, too late, with Ohtani later coming up short again on a three-pitch strikeout with the tying runner at third and one out in the seventh.
That Ohtani and the team couldn’t better manage his health this season will be the biggest regret from this failed three-peat pursuit.
While he was far from the only slumping bat in their lineup, he was the one who, if fully healthy, could have made the biggest impact.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow throws against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning of Game 4 of the NLCS. Wally Skalij for the CA Post
A mortal rotation
The other way the Dodgers overcame their offensive inconsistencies last year, of course, was through superhuman starting pitching.
In the 2025 playoffs, their rotation posted a 2.68 ERA and while averaging more than six innings per start.
Replicating that kind of production again always felt like an unlikely challenge.
Indeed, this October, even an equally star-studded staff encountered inevitable struggles.
Outside of Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s seven-inning, one-run gem in Game 3 of the NL Division Series, the Dodgers only had one other pitcher get past the sixth inning. And that, of course, was in Game 3 of the NLCS, when Blake Snell gave up back-to-back seventh-inning home runs in a gut-wrenching loss that all but ended the Dodgers’ season.
That didn’t mean the Dodgers’ rotation pitched terribly this postseason. They still finished the playoffs with a 3.89 combined ERA from their starters.
Given the fine margins that came with their lackluster offense, however, that wasn’t nearly good enough.
In the NLCS, the Brewers got to each of their big arms, chasing Tarik Skubal after five innings of two-run ball, knocking out Yamamoto in less than three innings the following day, ambushing Snell for three home runs in Game 3, then erasing their four-run deficit against Glasnow in Game 4.
In the same way Ohtani couldn’t put the team on his shoulders, neither could the rotation.
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman lines out to left at the bottom of the third inning during NLCS Game 4 against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium. Carlin Stiehl for CA Post
RISPy business
After every loss this postseason, the Dodgers’ explanations boiled down to the same futile failure.
They generated plenty of chances for themselves. But, as manager Dave Roberts said for the umpteenth time after Game 3, “we’re just not getting those timely hits.”
No stat better epitomized that than the Dodgers’ 5-for-43 mark in these playoffs with runners in scoring position.
Such challenges, of course, aren’t unique to their offense. Entering Thursday, the league-wide batting average with runners in scoring position was .221.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Tommy Edman reacts after striking out against the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth inning of Game 3 of the NLCS. Wally Skalij for the CA Post
Still, the Dodgers’ output fell far below that mark.
For a team that prided itself on “winning the big moments” each of the past two Octobers, they were repeatedly unable to do so en route to this year’s early exit.
“It’s just one of those points in time where it seems to go that way,” utilityman Kiké Hernández said of the Dodgers’ RISP struggles. “And it just happened to be at the worst time of the season.”
While that might be true — there is an inherent randomness to situational hitting — the issue has also been a recurring problem for the Dodgers recently.
Last postseason, the team hit .204 with runners in scoring position. This year, they ranked seventh in the majors in that category with a .262 but also experienced long stretches in which big hits felt impossible to consistently produce.
Questions about why that was the case will reverberate long into the offseason.
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts throws out Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras on a ground out during the sixth inning of Game 3. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
Dino Dodgers
All season, the Dodgers downplayed concerns about having the majors’ oldest lineup. Throughout the playoffs, they embraced their “Dinosaur Dodgers” nickname.
But in the end, it was hard not to feel like the club’s age eventually caught up to it.
Exhibit A: They didn’t hit a home run in the NLCS until Ohtani’s blast in Game 4, lacking the kind of consistent pop that has helped carry them through offensive lulls in previous postseasons.
“I don’t know what you can really say to that,” Freddie Freeman, the second eldest of the bunch at 37 years old, said before Game 4. “That’s just people’s opinions of what that is. We do know we have an older team. That doesn’t mean we’re old and we’re playing bad because we’re old. We’re just not playing that great, in my mind.”
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After losing four straight games to the Brewers in the National League Championship series, the hopes of a historic three-peat have diminished. As Milwaukee accepted the National League pennant at Dodger Stadium Thursday night, Brewers manager Pat Murphy took a moment to send a somewhat cruel message to the back-to-back World Series champions.
Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy celebrates on the podium after defeating the against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the NLCS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“They may have a bunch of Hall of Famers, but we have a bunch of gamers, and the gamers won this week,” Murphy said on the broadcast.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani watches from the dugout during the ninth inning of Game 4 of baseball’s National League Championship Series. AP Photo/Gregory BullThe Milwaukee Brewers celebrate with pitcher Aaron Ashby (26) after the final out of Game 4 of baseball’s National League Championship Series. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
The Dodgers starting rotation — filled with Cy Young winners, All-Stars and World Series MVPs — posted a 6.50 ERA in the NLCS. The Dodgers lineup — which featured nine players with at least one All-Star selection to their name — was 4-for-27 with runners in scoring position.
The Dodgers assembled one of the greatest rosters in baseball, but fell short in what is likely to be remembered as one of the worst postseason collapses in MLB history. LA couldn’t muster a single win over the Brewers throughout the NLCS, despite the star-studded team.
Evidently, Milwaukee is reveling in its historic sweep of the Dodgers as Murphy’s comments are sure to sting ahead of a trying offseason for the organization.
Manager Pat Murphy and the Milwaukee Brewers are headed to the World Series.
The Brewers advanced to Fall Classic after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday, Oct. 15.
Jake Bauers was named the NLCS MVP after posting an .412 on-base percentage with a home run and six RBIs in four games, including two epic game-changing at-bats.
Milwaukee became the first team in MLB history to sweep a team in the postseason after being swept by the same team the previous year. The Brewers are now just four wins away from winning a title for the franchise.
Here's when the Brewers last appeared in the World Series:
Brewers last World Series appearance
Brewers have not played in the World Series since losing Game 7 to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982.
Then playing in the American League. Brewers dropped the last two games in that series to fall short in the title series.
Did the Brewers ever win a World Series?
The Brewers have not won a World Series in its history. Milwaukee is one of five teams that haven’t won a World Series in MLB history.
Put owner Mark Walter's federal investigations aside; let's ignore the (seemingly) impending lockout as the MLB owners' tense standoff with the players' union over a salary cap doesn't appear to be anywhere close to a resolution. The Dodgers have nine players set to hit free agency this winter and, given that the average age of their lineup is 30.9 years old − the oldest in the big leagues, according to Baseball Reference − the clubhouse might look a bit different come next spring training, whenever that might be.
The Dodgers are old
"When you do think about it, it is special what we have accomplished over the last couple years," Freddie Freeman told reporters before Game 4. "And we still want this to keep going. We know we have a lot left in the tank together. It's a great group of guys, been through a lot, been all over this world together."
Freeman is one of three former MVPs on the Dodgers alongside Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani. He's also 36 years old. Retirement isn't likely this offseason, but he's talked about his baseball mortality before and will enter the final year of the six-year, $162 million contract he signed in 2022. Betts, 33, and Ohtani, 31, are also on the other side of 30. In fact, the only regular fixtures in LA's lineup under 30 years old this season were Kyle Tucker, 29, and Andy Pages, 25.
Free agents
Miguel Rojas' contract expires this winter; he's strongly considering retirement but has definitively said he won't play for any other organization besides the Dodgers at this point in his career. One of the most important figures in the clubhouse, Rojas is a vocal leader and mentor to several of the younger players; when Betts was transitioning to shortstop, it was Rojas who stayed on the field with him every day to take groundballs and give advice to the Gold Glove outfielder. If Rojas does hang up his (often customized) cleats, he'll likely step into some sort of coaching or player development role within the organization.
Kiké Hernández held back tears when addressing reporters after the Dodgers' Game 3 loss on Wednesday.
"We didn’t expect to be in this situation, this position," he said, referring to their 3-0 deficit. "But this one sucks."
Hernández's biggest moments have come in October, but like Rojas, at this point in his career, his biggest contribution is his leadership. He's battled through injuries this year, including offseason elbow surgery that delayed his 2026 debut until May, but this winter Andrew Friedman will need to decide whether Hernández's clubhouse presence justifies his declining bat.
Here's the full list of Dodgers set to be free agents, according to Spotrac:
Tarik Skubal, LHP
Evan Phillips, RHP
Miguel Rojas, IF
Kiké Hernández, UTIL
Alex Vesia, LHP
Kris Bubic, LHP
Blake Treinen, RHP
Brusdar Graterol, RHP
Eric Lauer, LHP
Where does Josue De Paula fit next season?
De Paula was thrust into the big leagues when Ohtani went on the IL in September and was an immediate spark to the Dodgers any time he stepped foot in the batter's box. The 21-year-old's impact popped out on the stat sheet with his 1.081 OPS in a small sample size of 11 games, but it also showed up in the intangibles − his poise, his confidence, and a plate discipline beyond his years.
He made enough of an impression to make the 26-man postseason roster as a lefty bench bat, where he continued to thrive. De Paula didn't register a hit this postseason, but each of his two walks in three plate appearances were in clutch situations that gave the Dodgers a fighting chance late. The moment proved not to be too big for the No. 6-ranked prospect in baseball.
That all begs the question: where does he go next season?
De Paula may have proved that his bat is MLB-ready, but his defense as a corner outfielder is still a work in progress.
"Right now, as we've talked about, we view him as a DH," Friedman said in late September. "I think the improvement that Josue had in the outfield from '24 to '25, to '26 is real and for us, it's about taking another big step going into '27. He's got the tools and the ability to do it."
Every day, both in those two weeks in September and throughout the postseason, De Paula has been spotted working at just that. He's shagging fly balls, taking pointers from manager Dave Roberts, third base coach Dino Ebel, and Betts. He was even spotted taking reps at shortstop at one point during the NLCS. Defense has been De Paula's number one priority, and he's vowed to "shut a lot of people up with my defense."
If he takes that leap by spring, he could potentially force a conversation on where he could fit in on the roster among Tucker and Teoscar Hernández.
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani hits a home run at the bottom of the second inning. Carlin Stiehl for CA Post
It was the four-time MVP’s first long ball since Aug. 18, snapping his career-long 25-game homer drought. It was also the Dodgers’ first big fly of this series, representing the first true sign of life all week from their slumping offense.
However, it wouldn’t last.
As the Brewers came storming back, the Dodgers’ bats once again went mysteriously cold.
Ex-Dodger Dustin May gave up the home run to Ohtani, but then responded with a couple of shut-down innings. Left-hander JoJo Romero came out of the Milwaukee bullpen next, and also threw up a couple scoreless frames, stranding the potential tying run in scoring position in the sixth by striking out Max Muncy and sending him spiking his bat into the dirt.
From there, the Brewers only needed one more arm.
Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras returns to the dugout as Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) slams his bat after striking out to end the sixth inning. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
Hard-throwing southpaw Aaron Ashby entered for the seventh and gave up a leadoff double to Andy Pages, but stranded him by striking out Ohtani on three pitches and getting Mookie Betts to bounce one to short.
In the eighth, the Dodgers had life again after Will Smith lined a ball into the right-field corner that kicked away from Sal Frelick, allowing him to reach third with one out. But Ashby buckled down once more, getting Kyle Tucker to hit a shallow fly ball and Teoscar Hernández to strike out swinging.
In the ninth, Ashby returned for a third inning of work, and retired the side in order.
Game, set, match. National League pennant to the Brewers.
Hero: Jake Bauers
If you want to know why this year’s Brewers team is different from the one that got swept by the Dodgers in last year’s NLCS, all you have to do is look at the series MVP winner.
Before this season, Jake Bauers was a journeyman slugger who had never hit better than .235 in a season while playing for five different big-league teams.
But this year, he blossomed in Milwaukee’s player development factory, hitting .266 with 26 home runs and 86 RBIs.
Milwaukee Brewers’ Jake Bauers (9) heads to second base after hitting a two-RBI double against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fourth inning in Game 4. Caroline Brehman/UPI/Shutterstock
And this week, he inflicted pain on the Dodgers time and again, following up his pivotal 12-pitch walk against Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2, and a go-ahead two-run homer in an 11-pitch battle against Blake Snell in Game 3, with a couple more heroic moments that helped the Brewers overcome their four-run deficit.
In the fourth inning, he hit a two-run ground-rule double that cut the Dodgers’ lead in half. In the fifth, he drew a bases-loaded walk that erased it, giving him an NLCS-best six RBIs in this four-game series.
Like the rest of the Brewers’ relentless lineup, he fought off pitches, worked long at-bats, and kept Dodgers pitching under constant stress.
For a small-market franchise that has had to find different ways –– and undervalued players –– to win, he has been the epitome of their success, and the No. 1 reason this week they won their first pennant in almost half-a-century.
Unsung hero: Pat Murphy
Last year, Pat Murphy tried playing the underdog card against the Dodgers.
This year, the Brewers’ manager implored his club to fight.
Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy celebrates on the podium after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The shift in mentality worked. The baseball lifer helped inspire Milwaukee’s NLCS upset, setting the tone for a team that –– at the plate, on the mound, in the field, and on the bases –– did every little thing right to flip this year’s script.
The Brewers’ triumph marked only the second time in MLB history a club had been swept by an opponent in the playoffs one year, then come back to eliminate them the next. This was the first time such a reversal happened with a sweep.
Murphy challenged his team. And they responded.
Stat of the game: Six
That’s how many different times the Dodgers held a lead in this series. Once in Game 1. Three times in Game 2. After Will Smith’s go-ahead sixth-inning double in Game 3. And after Thursday’s four-run outburst in the second.
Every time, Milwaukee answered.
Not once did the Dodgers even stay in front for longer than three innings.
The fifth team was the charm for Jake Bauers. Was it ever.
Traded from Tampa Bay, crushed in Cleveland, slugless in Seattle and gone from the Yankees in a New York minute, Bauers loaded up his equipment bag one more time when the Milwaukee Brewers called, a team always seeking improvement on the margins taking a no-risk bet on a player who couldn't stick anywhere.
Yet nearly three years after the Brewers first snagged Bauers from baseball oblivion, they're going to the World Series together - and Bauers is taking the National League Championship Series MVP trophy with him.
Bauers' fantastic postseason did not stop in the decisive Game 4 of the NLCS, as he drove in half the Brewers' runs and got them back in the game with a crucial two-run double in a 6-4 victory at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 15.
The World Series will begin in eight days from American Family Field, the Brewers' first appearance since 1982. It's only slightly more overdue and unlikely than Bauers' journey.
The 31-year-old first baseman has been traded four times, released three times and pondered retirement after his first go-round with the Brewers didn't result in immediate success.
Yet he stuck it out one more year, in part to support his family. And was justly rewarded.
"Somewhere along the way, I chose to be confident," he said in a Fox Sports postgame interview. "I chose to believe in myself."
As did the Brewers. They won a club-record 103 games and Bauers was a big part of it, hitting 26 home runs and also setting career highs in OPS (.889), on-base percentage (.389) and RBIs (86).
He, and they, were just getting started.
Bauers pushed the Brewers toward NLCS victory with an epic 12-pitch at-bat against Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2, resulting in a walk that preceded a Christian Yelich RBI single. More important, it wore down Yamamoto and enabled the Brewers' bullpen to assert its dominance.
He came back with another gem in Game 3 Wednesday, flipping the game - perhaps the series - with a two-run, go-ahead left-on-left homer off Blake Snell, capping an 11-pitch at-bat. And a 2-1 Brewers deficit turned into a 3-2 lead and eventual 4-2 victory.
Now, the World Series, a worthy destination for a slugger whose route was so circuitous. Yet so rewarding.
