The dust has barely settled at the Rogers Centre, and the echoes of Los Angeles’ second straight championship celebration are still reverberating across North America, yet already a new, tantalizing drama is being written for MLB’s reigning titans. The Dodgers, fresh off one of the most remarkable World Series wins in decades—a notorious, 11-inning, edge-of-your-seat brawl with the Blue Jays—aren’t quietly basking in triumph. They’re plotting to do what dynasties of every era truly crave: ensure the crown never slips.
Before the champagne could even run dry, the stakes grew even sharper: rumors intensifying that the Dodgers—kings already—are hunting a king of their own in free agent Kyle Tucker. Even without the blockbuster addition, online baseball betting sites already make the reigning champs the favorites to complete a famous three-peat. The latest Bovada baseball odds currently make them the +325 favorites for yet another World Series in 2026, but with the Cubs’ main man the next in line, is there no limit to what relentless ambition will pursue?
Will Kyle Tucker Land in LA?
Kyle Tucker is not just another outfielder. He’s 28 years old, right in his prime, coming off a campaign featuring a .266 batting average, .377 OBP, .464 slugging, 22 homers and 25 steals, and a growing trophy case of All-Star and Silver Slugger nods. Gold Glove defense? Check. Perennial 5+ WAR production? Absolutely. He’s a four-tool threat (with flashes of a fifth on the basepaths) and the consensus No. 1 target this winter.
So where’s the drama? Los Angeles dominated despite an outfield that sputtered offensively for much of the season, with only Teoscar Hernández offering consistent pop. Dodgers outfielders slugged plenty of homers—73, to be precise—but combined for a modest .299 OBP. Their unit’s postseason OPS was a mere .658, vastly outshone by Toronto’s .745. Meanwhile, most of LA’s core (excluding Andy Pages) is north of 30. Injecting Tucker’s youth and all-around impact would be a data-backed game-changer.
Analysts have already dubbed Tucker a “perfect fit.” And while the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Mets hover in the bidding war, it’s LA’s willingness to transcend even its own star-laden legacy that makes the possibility magnetic. Think “superteam” energy, fit for comparison with Kevin Durant’s Warriors over in the NBA. Go big, or be left behind.
But this isn’t the first time the game’s best have refused to stand still. In fact, MLB history is punctuated by seismic moments when titans grew even more monstrous. Let’s break down seven blockbuster moves that fortified the elite, one megadeal at a time.
2021 Dodgers Acquire Max Scherzer and Trea Turner
High expectations met high urgency. Picking up future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer and All-Star dynamo Trea Turner at the deadline, the Dodgers answered injuries with overwhelming firepower. Scherzer, absurdly, went 7-0 with a 1.98 ERA donning Dodger blue; Turner finished with a .328 average and the NL batting title. Suddenly, the league’s deepest roster had added two more All-Stars—and would win 106 games before a bittersweet fall in the NLCS set the stage for the dynasty that exists four years on.
2023 Dodgers Sign Shohei Ohtani
How do you elevate a 100-win perennial contender? Sign the most electrifying talent since Babe Ruth. The Dodgers lured two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani—fresh from MVP glory with the Angels—with a $700 million, 10-year deal that shattered every contract precedent. The rewards? Ohtani mashed 44 home runs, posted a 3.14 ERA, and directly powered LA to 104 wins and back-to-back World Series glory. The numbers leap off the page: Ohtani produced 9.1 WAR, and the Dodgers’ run differential (+207) topped MLB.
2009 Yankees Sign Mark Teixeira
You’ve just inked CC Sabathia. The rotation is deep, the tradition alive. But to truly end a title drought? They charged into the 2008-09 offseason, snatched MVP runner-up Mark Teixeira for $180 million across eight years, and supercharged their lineup with 39 homers, 122 RBIs, and Gold Glove defense. Here’s the result: the Yankees led the league with a whopping 915 runs, dominated with an OPS of .859, and cruised to their 27th World Series, echoing the infamous 1927 Murderers’ Row.
2004 Yankees Acquire Randy Johnson
Already a four-time champ this millennium, the Yankees dared to double down. At 41, Randy Johnson still roared—245 strikeouts, a 3.18 ERA the year before—and his $52 million pact created a terrifying “Big Three” with Mussina and Kevin Brown. Johnson served up a 3.79 ERA in 34 starts in 2005, and the Yankees again looked poised to conquer the AL. Results weren’t always linear, but the move extended the Pinstripes’ relevance for years.
2015 Blue Jays Land David Price
Toronto’s offense, led by Donaldson, Bautista, and Encarnacion, was already explosive. But come July, the Jays sought a true October ace and acquired David Price at the trade deadline. Price responded with a jaw-dropping 9-1 record and 2.30 ERA, guiding Toronto to its first division crown and ALCS since 1993.
2016 Red Sox Sign David Price
Boston, coming off a 95-win year and with a core of Betts and Bogaerts, saw a rotation to be maximized. They smashed contract records for a pitcher with a seven-year, $217 million deal for David Price. While Price dealt with injuries, his October brilliance (particularly in 2018, when he went 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA in the playoffs) became the missing championship ingredient.
2010 Red Sox Sign Adrian Beltre
Sometimes, the boldest move is also the shrewdest. Boston, with stars like Ortiz and Pedroia, offered Adrian Beltre a short-term, $9M deal. Beltre’s response? A .321 average, 28 home runs, and Gold Glove defense—fueling one of the league’s top offenses and setting the 2013 title run in motion.
