Mookie Betts Talks Dodgers Dynasty, Retirement, and Ohtani’s Greatness
The Los Angeles Dodgers are riding high heading into the second half of the 2026 campaign.
The back-to-back defending World Series champions hold a 61-36 record, the best record in the MLB. The Dodgers have shown no signs of slipping up after winning their third World Series in the past six years, a heart-racing seven-game series win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Mookie Betts said the key to winning another World Series is “staying healthy” and “locking it in” every day.
“I feel like we probably have a better understanding of it,” said Betts in a one-on-one interview with R.org. “None of us have ever been back-to-back champions, so we don’t really know what it takes to to do it again. But I think we’re doing what we know works, and that’s just keeping your head down and playing the game that we always play. And then after that, let the chips fall where they may.”
The Dodgers have been able to ride the MLB’s best record into the midway point despite a key injury to 2025 World Series hero and star catcher Will Smith. Smith hit the game-winning home run in the 11th inning of Game 7 against the Blue Jays. The 31-year-old catcher has been sidelined since early June with a neck injury, and there’s been no timetable given for his return.
“Missing someone like that is tough,” said Betts. “What he does behind the plate with the pitches is hard. Hopefully he can come back soon. I don’t know about people’s timelines and whatnot. I just see him and pray for him and hopefully he’s okay just for his personal well-being. Obviously as a Dodger, we want him back.”
Betts said he talks to Smith regularly, but it’s not about baseball topics. It’s more so about off-the-field stuff and about golf.
“When I talk to him, it’s just normal life conversation,” said Betts of his relationship with Smith. “I try not to bring it up, I’m sure he gets enough of how long he’s out and we want you back and all those other things. So I try not to be that guy. Just try and be a normal dude that talks to him and see how his family’s doing, or talk about golf, or whatever else outside of his injury.”
Betts’ Outlook on Retirement
The former AL MVP is 33 years old and will be 34 by the end of the season. He already has four World Series to his name, which is the most among active players. When asked if he’s aiming for a certain number before he retires, he said he isn’t.
“The more the merrier,” said Betts. “There’s no target. Winning one was the target. Now that I’ve gotten more than one, this is all playing with house money and we got the team to continue to win. It’s just a matter of us putting it together. Obviously, there’s a lot of other teams that are out there that are really good, but we got a good squad, and we just got to keep playing.”
When asked how many years he has left in his career, Betts said “five or six years.”
“I got like five or six years left,” said Betts.
It seems like it gets longer and longer every year. It seems like I’ve signed another five-year deal every year I play. But no, I don’t have a target age or anything. I will just take the jersey off when I feel like it’s time. I don’t want to go. I want to go out on my own terms and not because somebody else took it off.”
The Dodgers appear primed to win more World Series championships with no end in sight. It’s especially aided by the fact that they have two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani playing at a ridiculously high level as an MVP and NL Cy Young candidate. Betts calls Ohtani the “best player ever.”
“I would assume,” said Betts when asked if Ohtani is aiming to win his first Cy Young Award this year. “That’s the only thing he hasn’t won yet, so I would assume that’s probably what he’s trying to do. He’ll probably be the first person to ever win everything.”
Betts shut down the notion that if the Dodgers continue to win, it’ll affect his plans of when he wants to retire.
“That’s not true,” said Betts. “It’s fun to be a part of. It’s fun to be a part of and to have that expectation. Being on this team is a blessing. Not everybody gets that expectation. Not everybody gets to play with that expectation, so that is a blessing that I will never take for granted, and I will always cherish. But it’s not going to hold me. It’s not going to keep me from retiring.”
Praise for Skubal and Sanchez
When asked who the best pitcher in baseball is, Betts said the Philadelphia Phillies’ Cristopher Sanchez before also mentioning Detroit Tigers phenom Tarik Skubal.
“Best pitcher in baseball. I don’t even know what to say,” said Betts at first.
“There’s so many. Right now it seems like it’s been Cristopher Sanchez. He’s been showing it every time he takes the mound. He’s had like one rough outing, I think the last week or two. But other than that, he’s been awesome every time.
“Obviously, Skubal is going to be there,” continued Betts. “I mean, it’s tough to say one guy just because there are so many that are so dominant, but I would say probably Skubal, Cristopher Sanchez. Seems like lefties are the toughest pitchers. That what I would say, probably one of them.”