The China Mail - Dodgers eye 'threepeat' as new MLB season welcomes robot umpires

Nearly five months after beating the Toronto Blue Jays to clinch back-to-back World Series crowns, the Dodgers have signalled their determination to pull off a "three-peat" by strengthening an already star-studded roster.

The big-spending California giants made two of the splashiest moves of the off-season by luring free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker on a lavish $240 million deal while also acquiring the talent of hard-throwing closer Edwin Diaz.

Tucker and Diaz will take their places in a line-up that is already one of the most gifted – and expensive – ever assembled.

Japanese superstar and reigning National League Most Valuable Player Shohei Ohtani leads a batting order that also includes former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

The Dodgers pitching is spearheaded by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the hero of last year's World Series triumph, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Ohtani, who is fit to pitch from the opening of the season for the first time since joining the Dodgers in 2023.

- 'Best team we've had' -

Manager Dave Roberts believes his 2026 squad could be the strongest Dodgers team he has overseen since his first season with the franchise in 2016.

"On paper, it could be (the best)," Roberts said. "Looking at the guys in their prime, the experience, the talent, the starters, the pen, the depth of the young players...probably the best team we've had on paper."

Not everyone is as enthused as Roberts.

The Dodgers' willingness to flex their financial muscles has renewed charges that the club is "ruining baseball" by exploiting MLB's absence of a salary cap.

The criticism has prompted speculation that other team owners may push for salary restrictions when the next collective bargaining agreement is negotiated after the 2026 season.

That in turn has prompted fear of a potential strike in 2027, with players unlikely to support any move to reduce the amount clubs pay.

The Dodgers' front office has been indifferent to accusations that they are damaging a sport which has enjoyed a recent boost in popularity after years of steady decline.

"We don't pay much attention to that because we operate within the rules," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said.

"We do everything we can to put ourselves in the best position, both short term and long term...it is about, how can we win as many games as possible and put ourselves in the best position to win a championship in 2026?"

- Rise of the robots -

Baseball's growing popularity -- last year the league recorded a third consecutive season of increased attendances and viewership -- has been attributed to recent innovations such as the introduction of a pitch clock to speed up play and the emergence of a generation of stars led by Ohtani and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.

The innovations will continue this season with the launch of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system, more commonly known by fans as "robot umpires."

Under what is arguably the biggest on-field rule change of baseball's modern era, players will have the chance to challenge an umpire's call over whether a pitch is a ball or a strike.

Teams will start every game with two challenges. If a challenge is deemed successful, the team keeps the challenge -- but if a team makes two unsuccessful challenges, they are unable to question any further call in the game.

Only pitchers, catchers or batters have the right to challenge a call, which they must do immediately without consulting team-mates or coaches.

The system has been used during spring training since last year and initial feedback from players, coaches and fans has been broadly positive.

While the bulk of opening day games will take place on Thursday, with the Dodgers hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks, the season gets under way on Wednesday with the Yankees trip to California to face the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.

M.Chau--ThChM