3 changes we wish Dodgers had experimented with this summer before playoff run

The Los Angeles Dodgers have already clinched the National League West crown and will receive a first-round bye in the 2026 MLB Postseason. Many would still call the Dodgers the World Series favorite, even if some of their fans are feeling a bit uneasy entering the postseason.

In truth, there are reasons to worry, much of which could have been avoided had the Dodgers managed the post-All-Star break period differently. Looking back at the last few months, here are three things the Dodgers could (and probably should) have done during the summer.

3 things the Dodgers should've done in the summer (but didn't)

1. LA should've unleashed Josue De Paula earlier

Hindsight is 20/20, but if there's anyone who should've known that De Paula was capable of a 1.081 OPS start to his MLB career, it's the Dodgers' leadership. Now that De Paula's been optioned to Triple-A to make room for Shohei Ohtani's return, it's even more disappointing that we didn't get to see more of the kid.

Then again, De Paula's bursting talent isn't even the main point here -- it's that so many other Dodgers regulars were stinking it up throughout the summer. Kyle Tucker couldn't hit a beach ball at Dodger Stadium. Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernández, and others were ice cold before more recently thawing. Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman were (and still are) managing injuries. Dalton Rushing, too.

An injection of De Paula earlier than September 11 would have energized the Dodgers' lineup and freshened everything up. For a team that ultimately ran away with the division, and for a franchise that seems to pride itself on boldness, holding back De Paula until the last possible moment was a conservative move.

2. Moving Roki Sasaki to the bullpen in July

The Dodgers had late-inning concerns all summer long, thanks largely to Edwin Díaz's disastrous first season in LA. Now that it looks like Dave Roberts is auditioning Sasaki for a bullpen role in the playoffs, one wonders why this sort of move didn't happen months ago.

A year ago, we saw Sasaki shift into a high-leverage option in October after a full, tumultuous season of being a starter. This time around, why didn't the Dodgers lean into that strategy again, especially once they acquired Tarik Skubal and welcomed Blake Snell back from injury?

Getting Sasaki closer reps in the summer would've taken the pressure off Díaz and given Sasaki a longer runway to prep for his postseason assignment. Sure, he did well in last year's playoffs, but that might turn out to be a 'lightning in a bottle' situation this time around. The Dodgers are praying it's not.

3. Rest the veterans! I repeat, rest the veterans!

Roberts has already admitted that he would go back and put Ohtani on the injured list earlier. Touché. But what about Freeman? His knee clearly needed more scheduled days off than the Dodgers gave him during the summer. Even Tucker could've used an extended period away from baseball, just to clear his head.

The Dodgers are masterful when it comes to load managing their pitching staff. It's a mystery as to why they're not as shrewd when it comes to their position players.

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