Dodgers entered crowded home stadium when World Series Parade ended waving to the adoring crowd who considered them more than back-to-back champions.
They were beloved by the people of Los Angeles.
Many players are called by their city name, and if not, they are identified by their nickname.
Players who were once strangers are now members of hundreds of thousands of families.
Normally, a team as old as the Dodgers would have to consider a roster overhaul. By the time the next World Series begins, Freddie Freeman and Miguel Rojas will be 37 years old. Max Muncy will be 36, Kike Hernandez 35, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez 34 and Shohei Ohtani 32.
But under these circumstances, how could the Dodgers consider breaking up their team?
How could they get rid of any of their superstars, no matter how much of a downfall they might see next year? How could they not keep their key free agents, no matter how old they are?
They can't, they can't and they can't.
The Dodgers will have to come back — again.
“Obviously we would love to have everyone back,” Freeman said.
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Muncy has a team option for next season for $10 million. The Dodgers should take him.
Rojas and Kiké Hernandez are free agents. The Dodgers will have to re-sign them.
Freeman certainly won't be calling his teammates. The decisions will be made by the president of baseball operations. Andrew Friedmanwho was characteristically cagey when asked about the efforts the Dodgers would make to retain their out-of-contract players.
“Obviously, the guys who have been here and been active in this are starting with a big advantage,” Friedman said. “At the same time, they are free agents. They have also earned the right to go out and talk to 29 other teams.”
Muncy would have no choice to leave if the Dodgers pick up his option, but Rojas and Kiké Hernandez have said they would like to return next season.
Whatever Friedman decides, it shouldn't stop the Dodgers from shopping in the free agent market, as Kyle Tucker and Steven Kwan could be potential additions to their outfield.
But the Dodgers' core will be even older than this year, when their collective age presented many challenges.
Their 18-inning win in Game 3 clearly weakened them more than the Toronto Blue Jays, who won the next two games. In hindsight, this was to be expected as the Dodgers struggled to maintain offensive consistency throughout the six-month regular season.
While Betts has developed into one of the league's best defensive players, his offense has taken a nosedive. Due to injuries, Muncy was limited to 100 games. Teoscar Hernandez was not the same player he was last year.
There were times when even Ohtani began to show the effects of being 30 years old. Ohtani's father acknowledged this reality in a congratulatory open letter he wrote to his son, which was published Monday in Sports Nippon.
“Shohei, you are 31 years old,” wrote Toru Otani in Japanese. “I think as a baseball player you're in your prime, but there will come a time when you have to choose between pitching and hitting. When you can't pitch anymore, you can become an outfielder. I think if you practice, you can definitely do it.”
At the same time, the team must be kept united.
The championship can force teams to make sentimental decisions, as happened last winter when the Dodgers re-signed Teoscar Hernandez. three-year contract worth $66 million.
This winter they will have to settle similar disputes between their hearts and minds. They must listen to their heart.
The players deserve it. The fans demand it.
