The Los Angeles Dodgers enter the 2026 postseason with the oldest lineup in Major League Baseball.
Their roster averages 30.9 years old, weighted by at-bats and games played, according to the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the Baseball Reference data. First baseman Freddie Freeman, 37, and third baseman Max Muncy, 36, are the oldest everyday starters. Shohei Ohtani turned 32 in July. Shortstop Mookie Betts turns 34 in October.
"That's a fact, we're an older team," manager Dave Roberts said. "With age, there's experience. I know we're not going to fall off a cliff, our team."
The Dodgers finished 100-62, their first 100-win season since 2023 and the second-best record in baseball behind the Milwaukee Brewers' 103-59. They earned the No. 2 National League seed and a first-round playoff bye. Baseball Prospectus gives them the second-best World Series odds at 16.7%.
They are chasing something no National League team has done: three straight championships.
The experience edge
Seventeen players on the projected postseason roster contributed to both of the Dodgers' last two World Series titles. That institutional memory matters in October, the front office argues.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said experience and baseball intelligence "help win moments and win battles on the edges in October." He acknowledged that navigating a 162-game season with an older roster is harder but said the payoff comes in the postseason.
Infielder Miguel Rojas, 37, put it more bluntly. He said the Dodgers will not win games the way Milwaukee or Tampa Bay do. They will win with talent, experience and what he called "winning moments."
When Rojas pinch-hit for infielder Alex Freeland in the eighth inning of a recent game, only 21-year-old rookie Josue De Paula and 29-year-old outfielder Kyle Tucker remained under 30 in the batting order.
Injuries tested the depth
Age brought a wave of injuries this season. Ohtani landed on the injured list after managing left knee and right biceps problems for much of the year. Freeman pushed through knee tendinitis in September. Teoscar Hernández missed a month with a left hamstring strain. Betts missed a month with a right oblique strain. Catcher Dalton Rushing, 25, served back-to-back injured list stints for a forearm flexor strain.
Betts said he takes more care of his body as he ages and pushed back on the idea that the Dodgers are uniquely affected. Injuries happen across the league, he said, and the Dodgers are no exception.
Youth in the pipeline
De Paula, called up straight from Double-A, posted a .974 OPS in 10 games. He was the youngest player in the lineup by four years when he debuted.
The Dodgers traded two MLB Top-100 prospects at the deadline, outfielder Zyhir Hope (No. 25) and right-hander River Ryan (No. 68), to the Tigers for left-hander Tarik Skubal. Their farm system still ranked No. 1 on MLB Pipeline's rankings afterward.
When the Dodgers clinched their 14th straight playoff berth on Sept. 14, tying the 1991-2005 Atlanta Braves' record, outfielder Teoscar Hernández credited the front office's roster construction. "We're one of the oldest teams. We know [injuries] are going to happen throughout the season," Hernández said after that game. "So, we've just gotta be ready."
The Dodgers rank second in the majors in OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) and fourth in earned run average. Old or not, the numbers say this team can hit and pitch.
The Dodgers open the National League Division Series on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Dodger Stadium against the winner of the Wild Card Series between the No. 3 seed Atlanta Braves and the No. 6 seed Philadelphia Phillies.
