It’s what we all expected wasn’t it? The Dodgers to repeat as champs after they loaded up again during the offseason. It might have not gone the way we expected; many predicted they would challenge for the all-time regular season wins record. However, as we know, baseball is not like other sports where a team can dominate from start to finish. There are so many more variables in baseball and while you could say the Dodgers coasted during the regular season, the truth is that they just didn’t hit their stride until the end of the season.

Everything came together at the right time as the Dodgers made their way through the National League into the World Series where an upstart Blue Jays team pushed them to the brink. This is where top-end talent wins out and Yoshinobu Yamamoto was just too much to handle in Game 6 and 7 clinching the title for the Dodgers. This team is primed for another championship season in 2026 with a stacked lineup and pitching staff.

The offense is filled with veteran bats, many of whom will receive strong consideration for Cooperstown someday. Shohei Ohtani is unlike any player in MLB history and is probably already a hall of famer. He’s breaking records on a regular basis and doing things we’ve never seen before. When he’s hot, it’s almost like you’re pitching to prime Barry Bonds, any pitch near the strike zone could turn into a home run. Protecting him in the order are Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, two legendary players in their own right who are MVP-caliber players even as they hit their mid-3os. Will Smith is the long-term answer at catcher for the Dodgers and enjoyed a resurgent season in 2025. Teoscar Hernandez is a fan-favorite who consistently slugs 25 homer out of the 6-hole. The longest tenured Dodger is Max Muncy; the slugging third baseman enters the final season of his contract in 2026. Tommy Edman can play all over the diamond and would be a star on many other teams, but he flies under the radar in LA. Former top prospects Andy Pages and Dalton Rushing will look to play larger roles as we move forward and the rest of the team ages.

The rotation is downright nasty when it’s healthy; Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow are the top four and take a back seat to no one. Emmet Sheehan and Roki Sasaki (according to team reports) will also receive starts in 2026 to make this an absolute nightmare for opposing NL teams to try and match up with. This is without possibly the best pitcher in the history of the franchise calling it a career in Clayton Kershaw. The bullpen was the Achille’s heel for the blue and white as they struggled to find leverage relievers they could trust consistently. That should change this season as the Dodgers have signed one of the best closers in the game this offseason. Edwin Diaz will push everyone else down a peg in the hierarchy which helps take the pressure off Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen.

A lot of teams that had veteran-laden, supremely talented rosters would have bare cupboards in the minors; this is not the case for the Dodgers. With five prospects in our updates fantasy top 100. and 3 in the top 20, the Dodgers have a wealth of young talent to promote or trade. Talented young outfielders headline the system; Eduardo Quintero, Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope and Mike Sirota could all be number one prospects in other farm systems. Emil Morales and Alex Freeland are shortstops who also rank in or around the top 100 and deserve recognition. The top pitching prospects in the system are Jackson Ferris and Zach Root, both lefties who can make hitters look silly at times. There are several other notable prospects of relevance, so check out our list update in the Appsuite.

Unfortunately, for fans of other teams, the Dodgers are not going away, so get used to hearing about them. If you play fantasy, try and roster their players; they will help you win.

2026 Dynasty Outlooks – Prospects Live

Dynasty BuysRyan Ward

Don’t be an ageist. Ward has legitimate thump in his bat, but simply hasn’t been given a real opportunity. I’d compare him to Jonathan Long—both are deserving of Major League at-bats but remain blocked. 2026 could be Ward’s window, and he comes at a relatively cheap cost. That said, he’ll need to prove himself quickly. The Dodgers don’t have the luxury of waiting for players to figure things out at the Major League level—they’re perpetually in win-now mode. If Ward is going to make it happen, 2026 is the year.

River Ryan

There’s a discount baked into his price due to missed time from injury and the lack of clarity surrounding his role next season. That said, you draft talent, not role. Ryan features a 70-grade fastball that sits in the upper 90s, paired with a plus cutter and a quality slider. He also generates ground balls at a high rate, which helps limit damage when hitters do make contact. It may take an injury or two in the rotation for him to get a look, but that scenario is far from unlikely.

Dynasty SellsWill Smith

It’s not that his skills are declining, but rather how the Dodgers choose to manage him. He has appeared in fewer than 130 games in each of the past three seasons (110 in 2025), and that number could continue to decline as he ages and Dalton Rushing emerges as a capable left-handed-hitting second catcher. With Ohtani locked into the DH spot, opportunities to keep his bat in the lineup are limited. I’ll sound like a broken record here, but the Dodgers are going to prioritize allowing rest for their core during the regular season so they’re fully ready for October. Smith remains an elite catcher who provides a strong batting average, solid counting stats, and around 20 home runs. However, the ceiling is capped by playing time that’s increasingly being managed.

Freddie Freeman

It’s genuinely difficult to find a sell candidate in this organization, so this Freddie Freeman recommendation comes with some nuance. If you’re contending, you’re not selling. However, if you’re not, now is the time to extract value while you still can. Freeman is still flirting with a .300 batting average and 20-plus home runs, but the ankle injury has clearly limited his running game. The double-digit stolen base seasons appear to be gone, and it’s hard to project a 36-year-old returning to that level. Identify a contending team in your league and dangle Freeman. You should still be able to secure a strong return.

Top Fantasy Prospects

Players are in order of their fantasy prospect ranking from our September end of season list.

1. Josue De Paula (#10), OF (A+)

147 PLIVE+, Peak Projection: 16 HR, 23 SB, 14.2% BB, 22.1% K, .248/.356/.394, 115 wRC+

Photo Credit: truebluela.com

At just 20 years of age, De Paula reached Double-A (6 games, 4 regular season, 2 playoff) at the end of the 2025 season. He is one of several exciting outfield prospects for the Dodgers and finished his season with a .250/.391/.400, 12 HR, 32 SB line in 445 plate appearances. De Paula shows solid contact skills for his age (76% contact rate), and his exit velocities and projectable frame point toward at least above average power. He’s an athlete who can steal bases in bunches, making his combination of skills rare and tantalizing. His main drawbacks are an approach that borders on passive and durability questions, with 481 plate appearances being his ceiling at this point. A healthy season in Double-A will go a long way in cementing his status as a top 20 dynasty prospect with the upside of top 10. – Greg Hoogkamp

2. Zyhir Hope (#14), OF (A+)

149 PLIVE+, Peak Projection: 21 HR, 15 SB, 11.5% BB, 28.1% K, .248/.337/.427, 115 wRC+

Photo Credit: truebluela.com

The Dodgers have no shortage of hitters who hit the ball hard but play a fairly passive offensive game. With that said, Hope might be the hardest hitter of the bunch. He’s also been running aggressively, which has significantly boosted his fantasy value. The power is the most stable part of the profile, but stolen bases should remain a part of his game—even if the final totals are still difficult to pin down. Hope projects to lock down right field for the Dodgers in a couple of years and bring a well-rounded offensive package: plenty of power, a strong OBP, and usable speed. That combination, paired with the Dodgers’ lineup context, should translate into strong counting stats as long as he’s getting regular playing time. All of this puts Hope within striking distance of the top-10 among all prospects, with room to climb even higher if he continues to develop as he moves up the system. – Tom Gates

3. Eduardo Quintero (#15), OF (A+)

165 PLIVE+, Peak Projection: 20 HR, 33 SB, 12.6% BB, 24.2% K, .254/.352/.431, 122 wRC+

Photo Credit: mlb.com

He…is…a…dude! Quintero truly broke out this season. Across two levels, he launched 19 home runs, stole 47 bases, and hit .293. The underlying changes back it up, too—he lifted the ball more consistently and barreled it with authority, cutting his groundball rate by nearly 8%; this adjustment pushed his slugging percentage north of .500. Quintero pairs that offensive growth with plus speed and strong defense, giving him a legitimate chance to grow into a true five-tool player. He made a significant jump in the rankings this year, and there’s still room for more. The toolbox here is rare—borderline tier-one stuff—and he’s exactly the type of prospect to target for a rebuild or to anchor the top of a farm system. – Tom Gates

4. Mike Sirota (#46), OF (A+)

146 PLIVE+, Peak Projection: 22 HR, 4 SB, 11.9% BB, 27.0% K, .240/.333/.423, 113 wRC+

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