PHOENIX — Ninety-nine percent.
According to Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projection system, that is the Dodgers’ likelihood of making the playoffs this year. A whopping 99.4%, to be exact, before a single pitch has even been thrown.
It’s just the latest example of the unrelenting expectations facing the Dodgers in this new season. After bolstering their World Series-winning roster with a hefty winter spending spree, anything short of the playoffs is unthinkable. And as they try to become MLB’s first repeat champion in a quarter-century, anything other than a title defense would feel like a failure.
“The expectation for our group every year is the win the World Series,” general manager Brandon Gomes said last week. “That’s no different this year.”
What is different, however, is the level of talent and depth the Dodgers have amassed at seemingly each position group, from a star-studded starting rotation to a versatile and veteran lineup of hitters.
As a result, there aren’t many concerns confronting the team as it opens spring training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona on Tuesday. But, with the team just four weeks away from its season-opening trip to Japan, here are four questions to monitor in camp ahead of the 2025 season.
