On Thursday, the Los Angeles Dodgers were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series. 

With the win, the Brewers advance to their first World Series since 1982, and the Dodgers are swept for the first time in franchise history since 1966.

The Dodgers also failed to become the ninth team in Major League Baseball history to win three straight World Series titles.

The two biggest factors in the Dodgers' NLCS loss were poor clutch pitching and a lack of offensive production.

During the trade deadline, Los Angeles felt as if they were addressing their issues on the mound by bringing in relief pitchers and making the big splash by acquiring All-Star pitcher Tarik Skubal.

It can also be assumed that the team wouldn’t have expected to struggle offensively, given the strength of the batting lineup over the last two seasons and the addition of Silver Slugger Kyle Tucker in the offseason.

However, Tucker had an underwhelming season, and multiple batters, including four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, were disappointing in the postseason. Ohtani was even moved down in the batting order during the series.

Even though the Dodgers' loss was widely anticipated, it still seems shocking that Los Angeles was swept, prompting reflection on how the landscape of baseball can change.

There are multiple questions and concerns that comes from this Dodgers loss. 

The biggest one is a lockout, which is set to happen as the CBA agreement is set to expire in December 2026.

Obviously, this is a problem for every team, but the key dispute is that the MLBPA is pushing for a salary cap after many teams have become frustrated with teams spending a large amount to build their rosters. The Dodgers are the most notable for doing this.

With Los Angeles as the main catalyst for conflict in MLB, the franchise faces some big decisions about who should wear Dodger Blue next season.

With Skubal seeking a lucrative contract, the two-time Cy Young Award winner is likely to sign elsewhere this offseason.

This will be a huge loss for the Dodgers as they took a shot on the rental and missed. Also, they won’t receive any compensation.

Eight other players are also set to enter free agency, leaving the 40-man roster three players short.

We’ve seen it too often in sports, where stacked teams win multiple championships.

However, as soon as they fall short, reality kicks in, and that offseason looks a lot different than it did in the past. The Dodgers are the newest team set to go through it.