Dodgers Analysis: Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and the Perils of the Aging “Superteam”
LOS ANGELES — When Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers’ front office made the decision to double down on external superstar talent, they weren’t just chasing banners — they were betting big on now.
On paper, the strategy made perfect sense. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani — three MVP-caliber players with track records of postseason excellence and leadership. Lock them in with long, expensive deals, add some complementary pieces, and you’ve built a juggernaut. In 2024, it worked. In 2023, it should have. But here we are in 2025, and suddenly the Dodgers’ reliance on aging stars is beginning to look like a very precarious long-term plan.
Let’s start with Mookie.
According to USA Today, Mookie Betts is enduring the worst season of his professional career. A .233 average. A career-low .664 OPS. Just 11 home runs heading into August. The once-electric force at the top of the Dodgers lineup looks human — and he knows it. “I’ve done everything possible,” Betts said last week. “I’m out of answers… It’s up to God at this point.”
That’s not something you expect to hear from your $365 million cornerstone. It’s a chilling reminder that even the great ones are not immune to the steady march of time, injury, and emotional toll. Betts’ difficult season has been shaped not just by struggles on the field but a series of off-field challenges — an undiagnosed illness that caused a severe weight loss early in the season, followed by the death of his stepfather in July.
There is compassion to be had here. Betts is still a respected leader in the clubhouse, still one of the smartest baseball minds in the game, and perhaps just one hot month away from reminding us all who he is. But the reality is this: he turns 33 in October. And the Dodgers owe him nearly $250 million over the next nine seasons.
And Betts isn’t the only one showing cracks in the armor.
Freddie Freeman, the model of consistency since arriving in Los Angeles, went through a prolonged summer slump in June and July — the longest of his Dodger tenure. For nearly six weeks, his OPS hovered near league average, his power disappeared, and his timing seemed off. He seems to be back in rhythm at the plate, but there’s no fooling the calendar. Freeman, too, is now 35.
Shohei Ohtani — the biggest fish of them all — has not been immune either. While still among the team leaders in home runs and RBIs, his slugging percentage and OPS are both down a bit from his MVP 2024 season. He’s also just easing into pitching this year, as he is recovering from elbow surgery, and will be 31 by Opening Day 2026. The Dodgers owe him over $700 million, even with the deferred structure.
That’s three megastars, all either in or approaching their mid-30s, all showing signs — whether temporary or not — of decline. And the implications are serious.
The Window Is Now. Or Never?
This is not to say the Dodgers are doomed. They still have a strong farm system. Yoshinobu Yamamoto looks like the ace he was promised to be. Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell (health permitting) give them pitching depth. Will Smith and Andy Pages still have prime years ahead. Max Muncy is back in the fold. There are pieces.
But make no mistake: this team — the one built around Betts, Freeman, and Ohtani — was designed to win now. The longer it takes to click again, the tighter the window becomes.
Because unlike homegrown cores, which typically grow together and can be supplemented over time, this Dodgers core is built on veteran stardom. When those stars decline, they don’t just lose value — they tie up large chunks of payroll and clog roster spots.
The missed opportunities in 2022 and 2023 — both seasons in which the Dodgers won over 100 games but failed to make it to the World Series — now loom even larger. Those were years when Betts and Freeman were still elite. When there was enough depth to absorb slumps and injuries. But as we all know, pitching injuries decimated the rotatation, and we were stuck rooting for a hobbled Clayton Kershaw and journeyman like Lance Lynn in October.
In hindsight, those teams should have delivered a title. Instead, they ran into October collapses and came up short.
Now, the question becomes: was that the peak? Was the 2024 version of this team as good as it gets?
What Happens If They Don’t Bounce Back?
The worst-case scenario is that this year’s struggles are not aberrations, but the beginning of a slow, painful decline.
Mookie’s contract runs through 2032. Freddie is signed through 2027. Shohei’s deal runs through 2033. If these players level off as merely “good” — or worse — the Dodgers could find themselves saddled with hundreds of millions in ineffective payroll.
It’s a harsh reality for a team that’s long been praised for its blend of scouting, development, and financial muscle. And while the Dodgers have largely avoided the nightmare legacy contracts that have sunk other franchises (see: Albert Pujols in Anaheim, Miguel Cabrera in Detroit), their current path is beginning to resemble those cautionary tales — unless their stars find another gear.
There’s Still Hope
To be clear: all three of these players have earned the benefit of the doubt. Betts’ slump could easily be tied to emotional fatigue and early-season illness. Freeman could simply have been having an off few months. Ohtani could surge in September and make us forget any concerns.
But hope is not a strategy. And in baseball, aging curves are ruthless. The Dodgers front office knew this — and chose to bet on greatness.
Now, with the 2025 season entering its final months, that bet is being tested. For the Dodgers to repeat as World Series champions — and justify their enormous investments — they need their stars to be stars right now.
Because if this is what the beginning of decline looks like, the ending may not be as glorious as we once imagined.
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