The Los Angeles Dodgers won 111 games in the 2022 regular season, losing only 51.
One would think they were favorites to advance to (and win) the World Series, but they were eliminated in the first postseason series, against the San Diego Padres no less.
Immediately, fans started criticizing many things about the roster, but the truth is that a 162-game sample is bigger and much more conclusive for a potential analysis than four games.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes commented on this, and whether or not there will be major chances to the Dodgers’ modus operandi.
Asked Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes about regular-season success not translating into the postseason and whether it prompts them to re-think anything about the roster … pic.twitter.com/gBMfpCREXM
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) November 10, 2022
For a team like the Dodgers, making any major changes is not only unnecessary, but would also mean hitting the panic button.
How can an 111-win team hit the panic button just because they lost three out of four at the wrong time?
The Dodgers Won’t Change Their Philosophy
They aren’t going to move on from Julio Urias, Gavin Lux, Will Smith, Max Muncy, Mookie Betts and other stars because they lost early in the postseason.
Yes, it’s disappointing, but Gomes is right when he says that it’s not something they will look to flip on its head.
The Dodgers have had lots of success with their way of approaching baseballl operations.
They can produce their own homegrown talent, they have the money to go after difference-makers in free agency, and they have a solid player development staff capable of turning around the career of a 31-year-old underachieving pitcher, for example.
And they won the World Series two years ago with this philosophy.
The fact they lost this year doesn’t mean it is flawed: it means the playoffs welcome randomness.
It’s not as simple.
NEXT: Dodgers Insider Reveals A Potential OF Target