Rival Announcer Takes Major Shot at Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani

The Los Angeles Dodgers spared no expense in the offseason to acquire talent amid the organization's pursuit of a third consecutive World Series title.

The Dodgers signed the top free agent available in Kyle Tucker and an elite closer in Edwin Díaz. Tucker's $240 million deal and Díaz's $69 million contract were evidence of the team's desire to continue its dynastic era.

Thus far, however, the Dodgers have struggled mightily in the regular season. The back-to-back champs have the fifth-worst record in the big leagues since April 18 at 10-14.

The Dodgers finally snapped a four-game losing streak on Wednesday. The month-long offensive slump began against the San Francisco Giants in April, but the Dodgers showed no improvement in this second series of the season against their NL West rivals.

“When you don’t get a whole lot of opportunities and you don’t cash in on the couple that you do get, you don’t score a lot of runs,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We haven’t given ourselves as many opportunities as we’re used to … So that’s where it’s like, our margins, even on the offensive side, are just more finite.”

The Dodgers are now 2-4 against the Giants this season, but that is unfortunately not the worst performance from the reigning champs in 2026.

The Dodgers lost their previous series to the Atlanta Braves, a team that boasts the best record in MLB after missing the playoffs last October.

LA's offense has struggled to produce and that was evident against Atlanta, where the Dodgers mustered just seven runs compared to the Braves' 15.

Braves analyst CJ Nitkowski took to social media to take aim at the Dodgers, as well as Shohei Ohtani, who hadn't hit a home run since the end of April (he ended the drought against the Giants Tuesday night).

Nikowski noted the discrepancy between the Dodgers' payroll and the Braves' as well as the active pitchers on the roster. The Dodgers are the only team in MLB to get an extra pitcher on their roster because of Ohtani, who is a two-way player.

On X (formerly known as Twitter), Nikowski wrote: "Despite the pitcher disadvantage the Braves take the series."

Final from Los Angeles...

Wins: ATL 2, LAD 1
Runs: ATL 15, LAD 7
Payroll: LAD $392M, ATL $253M
Pitchers on the active roster: LAD 14, ATL 13

Despite the pitcher disadvantage the Braves take the series. 😉
— CJ (@CJNitkowski) May 10, 2026

The Dodgers have had a target on their backs for some time now and the special Ohtani rule has certainly been a topic of discussion as of late.

LA wasn't the only active team throughout the winter as the Braves also made quite the splash in the offseason and raised their payroll by $50 million. The Braves retained closer Raisel Iglesias and inked deals with All-Star reliever Robert Suarez, utility man Mauricio Dubon and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski.

Thus far, the Braves' moves in the offseason have benefitted the team. But the Dodgers have shown that what happens in the regular season doesn't always mean the success will carry into the postseason.

While the Dodgers may not be doing well to start the 2026 season, the talent on the roster alone is enough to make them serious contenders in October.

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