Dodgers' greatest weakness isn't something they can fix in free agency

The Los Angeles Dodgers enter the offseason with a three-peat on their minds, even if Brandon Gomes believes not much is needed to build up the roster to go the distance in 2026. Fans might disagree, with the bullpen and left field looking like primary areas of concern.

But more so than adding to the roster, the bigger concern should be protecting what is already there. After all, it's not the holes that might be present now that threaten to derail the Dodgers, but rather the unforeseen ones that are sure to arise and test their depth once the injury bug rears its ugly head.

Los Angeles is a deep and talented team, and as a result, they've been able to weather various storms. With that said, injuries can push a club to its breaking point, and not even the Dodgers are immune.

So while Gomes and Andrew Friedman explore the market, their real concern should be health. The Dodgers have lost more calendar days to IL stints than any other team three years running, and avoiding that plague again in 2026 should be a chief concern.

The Dodgers' greatest concern in 2026 isn't the holes present on the roster, but rather the wave of injuries that continues to plague the club annually.

It might seem like this is no big deal, considering two out of the three recent years where the club has been decimated by injuries, they've ended October by popping champagne. Still, it's not that simple.

While the New York Yankees bungled their way through the 2024 World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays pushed LA to the limit in this year's Fall Classic. The difference maker for the Dodgers was that all their horses were healthy for the race.

Many of the maladies have come on the mound, with both the key components of the pitching staff and the depth they rely upon hitting the IL. For much of the 2025 postseason, the Dodgers leaned heavily on their starting rotation, as the unit put up an otherworldly performance, but earlier in the year, the group was in shambles.

Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki all spent large chunks of the year on the injured list. Once-promising hurlers like Gavin Stone and River Ryan weren't available to step in and fill the void. In July, we got a look at how badly the carnage impacted the team, as the Dodgers finished the month with a 10-14 record.

So while it's easy to shrug off a stat like "days lost to the IL" because all is well that ends well, it's important to remember that the Dodgers were fortunate that by October, they had all of their horses back and healthy. They might not be so lucky again.

Part of the issue is who the Dodgers have targeted in recent years. Obviously, as players age, the risk of injury becomes greater, and a veteran-laden team like Los Angeles will always be more susceptible to bumps and bruises.

However, part of this has been an intentional philosophy. The Dodgers have made a habit of bringing in elite talents with lengthy injury histories, with Snell and Glasnow being two prime examples.

While those gambles can pay off, going to that well too many times can lead to disaster. Therefore, with so many brittle players on the roster, the club might benefit from focusing on durability over high-end talent with the additions they make this winter.

Other questions that should be top of mind include what changes they can make in their training, player development, and coaching methods to minimize the threat moving forward.

At the end of the day, if the Dodgers truly have a quiet offseason, it won't be the holes left unfilled that will be the biggest obstacle they face in their quest for a third straight championship. Rather, it will be the lurking threat of injuries that could derail the whole thing.