Dodgers News: Clayton Kershaw Addresses ‘World Series Or Bust’

With a payroll that is now over $300 million, the Los Angeles Dodgers have World Series expectations placed on them despite a team that has dealt with injuries, inconsistency and maybe a bit of bad luck.

While over $80 million of that payroll is being paid to players not on the Dodgers, and another $100 million or so given to just a handful of players, it’s a number that isn’t as clear-cut as it seems. Even so, the Dodgers are still in first place and are still expected to be one of the teams contending for a World Series in the coming months. It’s been that way for the past few years now, ever since Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke became a dynamic duo and now that Andrew Friedman was brought on to improve the roster.

The Dodgers are currently in a rut, dropping five games in a row and six of their last nine, but still lead the NL West by 1.5 games. Currently, they would have to win the division or they would miss the playoffs, and they still have seven games with the second place San Francisco Giants.

In an interview with Ben Lyons for The Players Tribune, the reigning MVP discussed the “World Series or bust” mentality placed on the Dodgers:

I think that’s every teams mentality. I mean what else are you playing the game for? Obviously there is no consolation prize in this game. We’re all trying to win the last game of the season. That’s the goal no different for us and obviously our expectations are probably a lot higher than other teams, which is great but at the end of the day every team is trying to do one thing.”

Obviously, the Dodgers are trying to win the World Series and with the way the postseason has gone the past two years, the fans are getting anxious. It’s very doubtful that the players on the current team don’t want to win, but in the end, results are what ends expectations.