Julio Rodriguez predicts Mariners will ‘size up really well’ with Dodgers

The Dodgers have reloaded with Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker, but Mariners superstar Julio Rodriguez isn’t exactly shaking in his spikes over the way Los Angeles has retooled this offseason.

The Seattle outfielder chatted with The California Post during Super Bowl week, and while he said he admired the way the Dodgers approached free agency after winning their second-straight World Series title, he likes the Mariners’ chances against the MLB’s overwhelming 2026 favorite.

“I think we’re going to size up really well on the field,” Rodriguez said of how the Mariners match up with LA. “That’s where we’ll do all the talk.”

The Dodgers return almost every key player from their championship roster, including Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

On top of that, they opened up their wallet to lock in Diaz and Tucker, giving them a lineup that former MLB player Eric Chavez said “might be the best team ever constructed.”

But Rodriguez said out in San Francisco that he’s welcoming of the challenge, should the Dodgers ultimately stand in the way of the Mariners earning their own ring.

“I think they’re doing something good,” Rodriguez said. “I feel like they’re investing where they need to invest. They want to be able to compete. I think it’s going to be really exciting to face them this next season.”

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As for whether or not the Dodgers’ spending should lead to a salary cap, Rodriguez said he’s merely in favor of anything that will grow the game.

Rodriguez’s Mariners nearly played Los Angeles for the 2025 Commissioner’s Trophy, but they fell one game short.

The Blue Jays ended up taking them out of the postseason with a 4-3 victory in Game 7 of the ALCS.

The Dodgers then went out to beat Toronto in seven games to claim the championship.