📰 NEWS FLASH: As Other Teams Rebuild, L.A. Reloads — And the Three-Peat Talk Is Getting Louder ⚡ .NL

The Dodgers didn’t make noise.

They made decisions.

On a Thursday that felt procedural on the surface, Los Angeles quietly tightened the foundation of a potential dynasty — extending Max Muncy and bringing Enrique Hernández back into the fold.

The moves weren’t flashy.

They were intentional.

Muncy, 35, agreed to a one-year, $10 million extension that locks him in for 2026, with $7 million guaranteed for 2027 and a $10 million club option for 2028 that includes a $3 million buyout.

Numbers. Structure. Flexibility.

But beneath the contract language sits something more telling: trust.

Muncy is entering his ninth season in Los Angeles. A two-time All-Star. A three-time World Series champion. Last season, he hit .243 with 19 home runs and 67 RBIs in 100 games — and added three more homers in October.

One of them still echoes.

His Game 7 World Series blast against Toronto marked his 16th career postseason homer — a Dodgers franchise record.

That swing wasn’t just another stat.

It was punctuation.

And the Dodgers just chose to keep the punctuation in-house.

Meanwhile, Enrique Hernández delivered his own headline before the team made it official.

“What else did you expect?!!! 3 in a row has a nice ring to it! #WeBack,” he posted on Instagram, alongside a photo in a World Series champions shirt.

It wasn’t subtle.

It wasn’t cautious.

It was a declaration.

Hours later, the Dodgers confirmed his return on a one-year, $4.5 million deal. A slight pay cut from last year’s $6.5 million contract — but in Los Angeles, familiarity carries weight.

Hernández, 34, hit .203 with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs in 92 games last season. Injuries complicated his year. Elbow discomfort sidelined him for nearly two months. When he returned in late August, there were legitimate concerns his season had already ended.

Then came surgery in November.

His availability for the start of 2026 remains uncertain.

And yet, the Dodgers still wanted him back.

Why?

Because numbers don’t fully explain Hernández’s value.

He has spent nine of his 12 major league seasons in Los Angeles across two separate stints. He understands October baseball. He understands the clubhouse. He understands the pressure that comes with defending championships.

In 12 seasons, he’s compiled 130 home runs and 470 RBIs — but it’s his postseason adaptability that resonates.

And that Instagram caption?

That might resonate even louder.

“3 in a row.”

The phrase lingers.

It signals confidence. Maybe even inevitability.

Los Angeles didn’t stop there. They signed infielder Keston Hiura to a minor league deal with a major league camp invite — a low-risk depth move. They also traded left-handed reliever Anthony Banda to Minnesota for international bonus pool money.

Banda led the Dodgers with 71 appearances last season, posting a 3.18 ERA over 65 innings. Over two years, he delivered 114⅔ innings and collected two World Series rings.

Even in a dynasty, turnover exists.

The Dodgers aren’t simply stacking stars.

They’re calibrating.

They’re trimming where necessary and reinforcing where familiarity breeds reliability.

Muncy’s career .229 average with 214 homers and 604 RBIs across Oakland and Los Angeles tells one story. Hernández’s .236 average across 1,275 games tells another.

But October tells the truest one.

This isn’t about who led the team in batting average.

It’s about who has delivered when the season demanded it most.

And with other contenders reshuffling, retooling, or recalibrating, the Dodgers appear to be sending a quieter message:

Continuity wins.

Three consecutive titles is a dangerous phrase in baseball — ambitious, heavy, almost defiant.

Yet the Dodgers didn’t shy away from it.

They embraced it.

Spring training is just beginning. The standings are empty. The grind hasn’t started.

But the foundation is already being reinforced.

The question now isn’t whether Los Angeles is talented enough.

It’s whether anyone else is prepared for what stability — and belief — might produce next.

Because when champions talk openly about “3 in a row,” it’s no longer just celebration.

It’s warning.