Is a World Series Win Inevitable for the Dodgers?

Is it inevitable that the Dodgers will win the World Series? Not necessarily, but the odds that they will are certainly high. Maybe not this year, but with their nose for finding talent, they'll probably have several chances to bring home a ring. As I've noted before, winning championships involves more than simply assembling a talented team. You also need to have a little luck. Sometimes luck runs against you (e.g., bad bounces, untimely injuries), sometimes it doesn't, which is why teams are far more likely to win championships if they consistently reach the playoffs, something the Dodgers have been doing in spades lately.

In baseball the St. Louis Cardinals have been the best at doing this historically. They're a small market team. They don't possess the payroll of the Yankees (or the Dodgers), but they always seem to be in the hunt for a playoff spot. In football, the Patriots have been great at doing this. Since 2001, they've reached the playoffs every year except 2002 and 2008, and of course they've won 6 Super Bowls. However, people forget there was a 10 year gap between their third (2004/2005) and fourth (2014/2015) titles. In basketball, the San Antonio Spurs come to mind. Unlike the Lakers for which recruiting talent hasn't ever been too difficult, the Spurs are in a small market and not the destination of choice for many NBA players. Still, at least since Gregg Popovich took over as head coach, they almost always reach the playoffs. In fact, this past season the Spurs matched an NBA record for most consecutive playoff appearances with 22. I have little doubt they'll beat the record next year.

Will the Dodgers follow suit? They are blessed to play in a large market and with a talented front office. Giants fans such as myself hope that by snatching Farhan Zaidi from the Dodgers, we may have weakened their front office somewhat. Still, it looks like we're at least a couple of years away from making another run at a championship, and that may not be soon enough to prevent the Dodgers from reaching (and finally winning) a World Series.