Going into the new season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the heavy favorites to lift the World Series trophy by the end of the season. In what can only be compared to soccer's "Galácticos," the Dodgers will parade a who's who of names this year.
In a recent interview with Dodgers Nation's Doug McKain, Dodgers' president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman, shared that even though the team is already stacked with the biggest names in baseball, there can never be room for satisfaction as it's in the team's philosophy to constantly improve.
"In our DNA we can never say we're done. We'll continue to have conversations, but we really feel good about this team. That being said, we'll continue to explore avenues, and if there's ways to get better, we won't hesitate," Friedman said.
The Dodgers hauled in arguably the best collection of talent this offseason. Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow will now be a part of the squad that already boasts MVP candidates Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Dodgers welcomed like rockstars in Seoul
In what can only be described as a welcome befitting superstars, the Los Angeles Dodgers were welcomed by a loud and excited crowd as soon as they touched down at Incheon Airport in Seoul, South Korea.
Shohei Ohtani, accompanied by his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, drew the largest cheers from the crowd waiting at the airport terminal. Ohtani had created a buzz in South Korea during his playing days in NPB and whenever the Korean and Japanese national baseball teams squared off.
Not to be left behind, former NPB superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto is also popular among the crowd that was present. Both Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman were also cheered on loudly by the ecstatic supporters as they made their way through the airport gate.
Los Angeles will square off against San Diego Padres in the Seoul Series. The event will mark the first time an MLB regular season game will be played in South Korea and the return of MLB in Asia for the first time since 2019.
During that year, the season started in Japan. The Seattle Mariners faced off against the Oakland Athletics, and following the game, Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki announced his retirement.