Snell’s trajectory is following a similar path as his 2025 season, his first year with the Dodgers. The left-hander made just two starts to begin his Dodgers tenure before landing on the injured list until August. Snell, of course, returned to dominate down the stretch and cranked it up a notch in October. In 34 innings across six outings in the playoffs, Snell had a 3.18 ERA and struck out 41 batters.
Snell was a key cog in what was a dominant Dodgers rotation in the postseason, a group that could look even better this time around. With the addition of Tarik Skubal and Shohei Ohtani’s imminent return to the rotation, Los Angeles could have an embarrassment of riches come October. With Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Skubal, Ohtani and Snell running at full strength -- not to mention Tyler Glasnow -- the Dodgers are following a similar blueprint as last year.
Dodgers’ bullpen question marks
While the bullpen issues are not nearly as drastic as they were last year, the Dodgers are also experiencing problems closing out games as the season comes to a close.
That, too, follows the blueprint of the 2025 Dodgers, a group that relied heavily on its starters in October. Edwin Díaz, signed to a multiyear contract over the offseason to serve as the closer, has been ineffective and injured, recently landing on the injured list for the second time. Luckily, Tanner Scott, who also experienced a tough first year in L.A. last year like Díaz, has been much better in Year 2 with a 2.50 ERA and 65 strikeouts.
Still, Scott sliding into the closer’s role again has shifted the order of operations and put more pressure on others to step up. The flamethrowing Edgardo Henriquez is one of those relievers to step up, as the 24-year-old has broken out with a 2.87 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 53 games. Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer give the Dodgers a pair of solid middle-relief lefties, but the club is still trying to figure out what other arms they could rely on in October.
