4 front office mistakes that have crushed Dodgers playoff hopes last two seasons

Ditching Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner in heartless fashion

Thought getting rid of Hernández and Pederson was a blow the Dodgers would have a lot of trouble recovering from? What about Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger this past offseason?

Turner might've been aging and Bellinger might've been too expensive to risk another letdown season, but you probably have to keep one of these guys to sustain some continuity in the locker room. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are no doubt commendable leaders, but the Dodgers swiftly chopped the head off the old guard that oversaw most of the franchise's modern day success.

You also might argue Bellinger and Turner were present for the 2022 meltdown against the Padres -- and you'd be right. But Bellinger dominated a year prior in the playoffs and Turner historically has been a force in October. And what were the upgrades? James Outman, a rookie? JD Martinez, another aging veteran who had just 30 postseason games under his belt and played in only nine total since 2018?

It's incredibly difficult to built a reputable and stable clubhouse, something the Dodgers had for the better part of a decade. In a matter of two offseasons, it was stripped bare.