Los Angeles Dodgers fans might keep tabs on the roster’s age heading into the 2026 season.
Yes, the fountain of youth has visited Dodger Stadium in the past two seasons. They’ve managed to bring home back-to-back World Series championships, giving Dodgers fans plenty to cheer about while sitting in the stands.
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But that age issue might come back to haunt Los Angeles. Players like Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández are leaning into their mid-30s. But there are a couple of young players on the team.
What’s the big deal about the Dodgers’ roster age?
It’s being brought up in a new article from ESPN by David Schoenfield, who is looking into his crystal ball of predictions for next season. Schoenfield is using specific numbers to help make his points. For the Dodgers, his number is 30.7.
“Certainly, the bullpen was the big issue in 2025, which the Dodgers addressed by signing top available closer Edwin Diaz,” Schoenfield wrote.
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“There are still plenty of power arms in L.A.’s pen, too; expect a much better season from that group,” Schoenfield continued. “So, let’s go with 30.7 as a key number — the average weighted age via Baseball Reference (based on playing time) of Dodgers position players in 2025, making it the oldest group in the majors.
“It was still an effective group, thanks in large part to Shohei Ohtani, as only the Yankees scored more runs than L.A.”
Schoenfield then points out an issue that might make the Dodgers vulnerable a bit when going up against other teams, especially those in the National League West Division.
“If there’s a reason the Dodgers are beatable in 2026, however, it will be regression from this group as age starts catching up to some of the key performers,” Schoenfield wrote.
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“The Dodgers have dropped from 906 runs in 2023 to 842 in 2024 to 825 in 2025 — remember, that’s despite adding Ohtani in 2024,” he continued. “Freddie Freeman is still great but will be entering his age-36 season; Max Muncy is 36; Mookie Betts will be 33, coming off his worst season; Teoscar Hernández will be 33, coming off a .284 OBP.
“The Dodgers added to the bullpen, but let’s see if they look to boost the offense — or at least get a little younger,” Schoenfield finished.
Los Angeles heads to spring training in a few weeks. While Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and his players will look to get limber ahead of the 2026 season, they’re going to have to keep an eye on whether their age plays a big factor this season.
Dodgers fans might want to keep an eye on this, too, if injuries play a role in the team’s play this upcoming season.