The Dodgers have won at least 100 games five times in the previous six seasons with 162 games played. In that time, they have lost three times in the NLDS, and their lone World Series victory was during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. As a result, after losing to the Diamondbacks three times this week, the Dodgers find themselves back in a similar position as they prepare for the postseason after a grueling 162-game season.

Despite having an incredible team during the regular season, they were unable to perform well in the limited postseason games.

Going forward, the goal is always to maintain the excellence of the regular season and hope that it carries over into the World Series. Going forward to 2024, Shohei Ohtani will probably be specifically involved in the plan.

It was thought that the Dodgers’ nearly excessive conservatism throughout the winter of last year was an attempt to reset the luxury tax so they could go crazy and get Ohtani. By most reliable estimates, they ended up sitting at $240 million, not under the $237 million barrier. Even still, the Dodgers are practically printing money, particularly if they continue to win 100 games a season. Ohtani is easily within their budget.

The Dodgers are the favorites to sign Ohtani because of their financial position, the belief that he would want to remain on the west coast, and his strong desire to play for a winning team. Everything is in order here. The most logical choice for Ohtani’s next team is the Dodgers. The Dodgers are the favorites, but it doesn’t mean no other team has a chance to sign Ohtani.

For the team, it would be a significant step both on and off the field.

But this offseason, they’ll need more than simply Ohtani on the field. However, a staggering amount of talent is returning.

For the sake of argument, let’s say Ohtani signs with the Dodgers. He will be paired with Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts to form a trio of offensive stars. Both Will Smith and Max Muncy, with his reasonable $10 million option, will probably return to the mound. Recall Gavin Lux. Yes, he will recover from his ACL tear. It’s doubtful J.D. Martinez will return if the Dodgers sign Ohtani. They are limited to one DH berth.

But offensively, that’s a really nice foundation. The Dodgers would benefit from having larger bats lower in the order, I do wonder. It’s all well and well to place players in groups, and it’s particularly effective during the demanding regular season! It just feels like you don’t have a deep enough regular lineup when you’re pinch hitting for the back half of your order in the middle innings of the playoffs. Even if they hypothetically acquire Ohtani, there is still opportunity to add another big bat. Perhaps James Outman improves and there are others.

Regarding pitching, keep in mind that our fictitious Ohtani signing won’t change anything till 2024. He had elbow surgery, so he won’t be throwing again for a while. While Clayton Kershaw’s future remains uncertain, it is highly certain that Walker Buehler has recovered from his Tommy John surgery.

That implies that, at the very least, we can lineup Buehler alongside Ryan Pepiot and possibly Bobby Miller. The Dodgers seem to need more pitching, as seen by Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin missing the first few games of the season due to serious surgeries, Kershaw’s uncertain status, and Julio Urías’s entry into free agency while on administrative leave. I suppose we could add rookie Emmet Sheehan and lefty Ryan Yarbrough to the mix, but as of right now, Buehler, Miller, Pepiot, Sheehan, and Yarbrough are still expected to start the 2024 Opening Day rotation.

If the Dodgers are to maintain their domination in the regular season and expect to advance farther in the playoffs, it appears as though they will require additional support from outside the organization.

In the off-season, there are always a lot of moving components. In addition, the Dodgers are exceptionally skilled at making the most out of players through internal scouting and exploiting their organizational depth (this season’s Jason Heyward is just one more example in a long list of examples). But even simply speculating without undertaking a full organizational dissection, it seems painfully evident that the Dodgers must make a major push this offseason in both free agency and the trade market.

In the end, the Dodgers are probably going to be quite aggressive in this summer. The wise choice is for them to acquire Ohtani, and I’m willing to bet more that they won’t stop there. In other words, there will be a lot more Dodgers chatter in the upcoming months.