Illustration by David Wang | Staff Illustrator

“I’ll do anything to bring a f*cking championship here into Los Angeles. I can promise you that!” 

Those were the words of Brent Honeywell, a previously little-known relief pitcher who has spent his career bouncing between the MLB and the minor leagues. Now, he’s earned cult-hero status for the role he played in the Los Angeles Dodgers World Series run and is one of many examples of role players shining in the postseason for this team. 

The Dodgers came off of a regular season in which they had more wins than any other team and were an obvious World Series favorite. As a Dodgers fan, however, I was concerned about the state of the roster heading into the postseason. The starting rotation was down to only three pitchers: Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Walker Buehler. Freddie Freeman had rolled his ankle right before the playoffs started, an injury that should’ve kept him out for over a month. Various other players had nagging injuries, placing manager Dave Roberts in a precarious position. However, in an utterly dominant fashion, every one of the 26 men on the Dodgers’ roster contributed to the team’s eighth title.       

Their victory was met with backlash and criticism from fans of other teams, who were discouraged by the team’s massive spending during the prior offseason to acquire the best international talents. The Dodgers spent over $1 billion in contracts last winter, which was as much as the other 29 MLB teams combined. The most notable contract was for two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. Starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow was signed to a $136 million contract, Yamamoto for $325 million, and headliner Ohtani for $700 million. This spending spree posed an image antithetical to the beloved baseball movie “Moneyball;” the Dodgers had seemingly gone and bought every player without necessarily being smart about it.  

The Dodgers, though, did not “buy the championship.” The Dodgers were led by a collection of journeymen and players acquired through trades. It was an incredible reflection of the work of the coaching staff and front office to transform players who were underperforming in their careers to stalwart pieces of a championship-winning team. 

For example, in their title-clinching victory on Oct. 30, veteran relief pitcher Blake Treinen threw 2.1 scoreless innings. During the postseason, Treinen pitched 12 innings and only gave up three earned runs. Treinen was acquired in 2020 as a free agent after underperforming with the Athletics but is now the team’s most trusted reliever. Anthony Banda enjoyed the season of his career, giving up one run in eight innings and thriving as a revitalized relief arm under pitching coach Mark Prior. He was acquired for cash considerations in spring training. Tommy Edman, the National League Championship Series (NLCS) MVP and quickly beloved hero for the Dodgers, boasted an incredible postseason with 13 RBIs, 31 total bases, and sharp defense in the infield and outfield. The Dodgers acquired Edman from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline. Michael Kopech, another reliever who massively improved with the Dodgers, sharpening to a 1.13 regular season Earned Run Average (ERA), was also a deadline acquisition. Alex Vesia was traded for, postseason hero Kiké Hernandez was traded for, and pitchers Daniel Hudson and Ryan Brasier were both signed on minor league deals.

Now, of course, the Dodgers were propelled by their trio of MVP winners on mega-contracts. Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freeman delivered many storybook moments throughout the postseason, including Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series. But the Dodgers’ victory played out in a much different way than in the preseason expectations. The bottom order of the lineup hit just as well as the top, if not better. Bullpen games, of which the Dodgers threw four this postseason, are historically supposed to be a weakness for teams. However, the bullpen was the strongest point for the team, superseding worries over the lack of a deep starting rotation. It was an incredible effort, with the unlikeliest of players turned into stars.

While I refute the idea that the Dodgers bought this year’s World Series, what they do this offseason in preparation for next year remains an entirely different question. Will they acquire the hottest Japanese talent, pitcher Roki Sasaki? Will they sign Willy Adames or one of the other all-star pitchers on the market like Max Fried? The Dodgers will have money to spend due to the clever structuring of their contracts. If they buy next year’s championship with obscene spending, this article may become entirely outdated, but I’m curious to see what happens next.