The 2025 MLB World Series is set to begin on Friday night, as the Toronto Blue Jays will host the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1. Toronto was one of the best teams in baseball during the regular season, but Los Angeles features a star-studded group of players. With Shohei Ohtani leading the way, it's difficult to count out the Dodgers. However, today we are taking the stance that the Dodgers will fall short of their expectations in the Fall Classic — leading to a Blue Jays' championship.
It's a risky position to take. Picking a team that has Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman on the roster to lose is bold (and some would argue foolish). However, this Blue Jays squad features serious talent and potential, while the Dodgers — although loaded with stars — are not a perfect ball club.
Without further ado, here are three reasons why the Dodgers will choke in the World Series.
Dodgers' bullpen
Dave Roberts has turned to some starters — such as Roki Sasaki — to pitch out of the bullpen in the postseason. Why? Well, LA features a plethora of starting pitchers. However, the reality of the situation is that the Dodgers' bullpen struggled in the regular season.
Some of those struggles have followed the bullpen into the playoffs. Blake Treinen has endured trouble on the mound — pitching to a 7.36 ERA. Other postseason bullpen options such as Clayton Kershaw and Emmet Sheehan have been far from consistent as well.
LA's starters have been terrific. An unreliable bullpen is far from ideal, though. Sasaki has impressed as the closer, but the relief group overall has been inconsistent. If the Dodgers fall short in the World Series, one has to imagine the bullpen will be to blame.
Some Dodgers star offensive players have quietly struggled
It's easy to look at the Dodgers' postseason success up to this point and instantly assume the offensive stars have carried the load. Aside from Mookie Betts — who has played well following an up and down regular season — a number of Dodgers offensive stars have struggled.
Sure, Ohtani's massive Game 4 against the Milwaukee Brewers was incredibly impressive. The two-way phenom hit three home runs and struck out 10 batters. It was an electric performance.
Offensively, though, Ohtani had not played up to his lofty expectations before that Game 4 contest. Overall, Shohei is still hitting just .220 to go along with a .333 OBP across 10 games in the 2025 postseason. He now leads the Dodgers with five total long balls and a .967 OPS as a result of his jaw-dropping Game 4 effort, but one game doesn't change the fact that Ohtani was previously struggling at the plate.
The hope is that he found his footing and will carry the momentum into the Fall Classic, but nothing is guaranteed.
Additionally, Freeman, Max Muncy and Andy Pages have all underperformed. The Dodgers' depth will help — and Freeman could certainly break through given what he accomplished in last year's World Series — but there are serious questions with the offense overall at the moment.
This may be Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s postseason
The Blue Jays' pitching is respectable and the offense may feature what it takes to get to the Dodgers' stellar starting rotation. However, Toronto's chances of upsetting the defending champions may be decided by one man: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Guerrero has been absolutely locked in throughout his first 11 games of the '25 playoffs. The slugger will enter Friday's World Series Game 1 hitting .442/.510/.930 to go along with a 1.440 OPS and six home runs. It's safe to say the lights haven't been too bright for Guerrero.
It seems as if every postseason, there is at least one player who steps up as the hero. Sometimes, it's the 25th or 26th man on the roster. Other times, however, it's the superstar. So far in the postseason, the latter has been the case for this Blue Jays squad.
Guerrero will have plenty of help, as Toronto's lineup has impressed in the playoffs. If Vladdy can continue to swing a hot bat as October winds down, the Blue Jays will be able to realistically pull off the World Series upset.
