Dodgers hunting historic World Series three-peat as new MLB season gets underway

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/los-angeles-dodgers/nwPDBpVc/"]Los Angeles[/a] defeated the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/toronto-blue-jays/zcDLaZ3b/"]Toronto Blue Jays[/a] in an all-time great seven-game Fall Classic last year, ‌and the Dodgers' aggressive front office stayed busy in the offseason.[/p][p]The Boys in ‌Blue added closer [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diaz-edwin/OEvYedeF/"]Edwin Diaz[/a] and right fielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tucker-kyle/0xBFfa4q/"]Kyle Tucker[/a], two of the league's most-sought-after ‌free agents on the market, to a roster already loaded with star power, ‌including [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ohtani-shohei/QoeWGRko/"]Shohei Ohtani[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/betts-mookie/0SoYzWxd/"]Mookie Betts[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/freeman-freddie/r75ohJvo/"]Freddie Freeman[/a] and catcher [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/smith-will/KbXtHnhB/"]Will Smith[/a].[/p][p]The team's pitching rotation also figures to be among the deepest and best in baseball and features World Series MVP [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/yamamoto-yoshinobu/GUKDW5Vu/"]Yoshinobu Yamamoto[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/glasnow-tyler/dbgKU0BU/"]Tyler Glasnow[/a], ‌Ohtani, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sasaki-roki/IViEDCwT/"]Roki Sasaki[/a].[/p][h2]Dodgers heavy favourites[/h2][p]That combination of talent and ⁠financial muscle has made the Dodgers overwhelming ‌favourites among analysts and in betting markets to complete a rare three-peat.[/p][image alt="Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani during spring training" id="9798fdac-f162-4a1f-b3fd-aafb355e1e1e" credit-line="Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images" guid="bbd204fe-ec04-4584-b909-6bac749ca865" original-width="5514" original-height="3826" /][p][b]Only two franchises have won ​at least three consecutive championships in Major League Baseball history: the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-york-yankees/SrC4LDIT/"]Yankees[/a], who did so from 1936-39, 1949-53 and 1998-2000, and the Oakland Athletics, who ​won three straight titles from 1972-74.[/b][/p][p]A major part of the Dodgers' edge has been their ability, and willingness, to spend. The team is owned by Guggenheim Baseball Management, ⁠a group led by Mark ​Walter and backed by a firm with more than $335 billion in assets under management.[/p][p]But that spending power, highlighted by Ohtani's 10-year, $700 million deal in 2023, could become a flashpoint beyond this season.[/p][p]While generational stars such as Ohtani and Yankees slugger [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/judge-aaron/WSFM7DfK/"]Aaron Judge[/a] have helped drive ‌interest in the sport, owners of smaller-market clubs have argued they cannot keep pace with big-spending teams such as the Dodgers and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-york-mets/I5wWW4UM/"]Mets[/a], the latter owned by billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen.[/p][p]Many owners are expected to push for a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement, an idea the players' union has long opposed. Any breakdown in negotiations could raise the risk of a lockout or strike next year.[/p][h2]'We've got to work even harder'[/h2][p]For now, however, the focus remains on whether the Dodgers can deliver another title, even as they acknowledge the difficulty of the task.[/p][embed guid="4a2e6529-1fce-45a3-ac10-166f750c3bed" url="https://x.com/MLB/status/2035792440397840453" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"This is going to be ‌harder than it has ever been, and we've got to work even harder,"[/b] manager ​Dave Roberts told the team during spring training.[/p][p]"So my ask is, as a ‌team, as an organisation, to push ourselves even more. We already have the talent. There isn't any more talented major league clubhouse than the one in this room."[/p][p][b]The MLB season opens on Wednesday night with the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/baseball/new-york-yankees-SrC4LDIT/san-francisco-giants-bRZ9b6xj/?mid=ART4JNif"]Yankees facing the Giants in San Francisco[/a].[/b][/p][p]The Dodgers will send Yamamoto, who recorded the final eight ⁠outs of last year's World Series, to ⁠the mound on Thursday when they ‌[a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/baseball/arizona-diamondbacks-8bP2bXmH/los-angeles-dodgers-nwPDBpVc/?mid=IXWUtIkI"]host the Arizona Diamondbacks[/a] as part of a 14-game opening-day slate.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/baseball/usa/mlb/"]Follow the new MLB season with Flashscore![/a][/b][/p]