As we get deeper into the month of October, many of the major sports leagues are coming to a close. With the Tampa Bay Lightning winning the Stanley Cup, the Los Angeles Lakers taking home the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and the Seattle Storm sweeping the WNBA finals, the only trophy left is the MLB Commissioner’s Trophy. So, do the Los Angeles Dodgers have the ability to reach baseball immortality and win the World Series? This team has been one of the best teams in baseball for the last decade. Two World Series appearances in three years and eight straight trips to the playoffs aren’t accomplishments any team could manage. Year after year they’ve been expected to succeed, yet every time they come up short. This year, however, needs to be the year they come out on top.

They have the perfect team to do so as well. Fueled with a starting pitching lineup rivaled only by the Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, and Cincinnati Reds, an outfield second to none when healthy, and veteran experience that can propel them through the postseason. If these Dodgers come up short this year, it may go down in history as one of the greatest dynasties to never win a title. They have a top 5 candidate for MVP in Mookie Betts, two top 10 pitchers in Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jensen, and reigning NL MVP Cody Bellinger in the same outfield as Betts. They should win this year because What makes them NEED to win THIS year is simply the idea that this is the perfect overlap for their team to succeed. 

It’s uncertain how many more years Kershaw can produce on the level he’s been able to play at for his career, especially coming up on his year 34 season. Money may become an issue soon as Bett’s contract eclipses anyone else in the Majors and Bellinger is in a contract year this offseason so keeping their star tandem together is quite uncertain. Not to mention trying to extend other players who have helped to propel them to this point. This is no longer a matter of “they’ll be back next year” because there is too much uncertainty for what the 2021 season will entail. The Los Angeles Dodgers don’t just need to win this World Series because they’re the favorite. They need to win this World Series so they don’t become one of the greatest failures of super teams in sports history.