A listing for a Dodgers "Royal Alternate" jersey has been floating around online. If it's legit, the Dodgers are about to do something they've resisted for a long time: commit to a blue alternate.
Image via MLBShop.com
The Details
Royal blue base. "Los Angeles" across the chest. Gray accents on the numbers and trim. "Dodgers" on the sleeve. It's clean, it's modern, and it doesn't look cheap.
Image via MLBShop.com
Our Take
We're not sold on this.
The Dodgers are one of the few teams in baseball that don't need to add anything. White at home, gray on the road. That's the brand. The gray road jersey with "Dodgers" across the chest quietly became one of the best looks in baseball. It kept the tradition. It felt right.
Adding a blue alternate feels like adding for the sake of adding. The Dodgers have never needed flash. That's what makes them the Dodgers.
Is the jersey well-designed? Sure. But there's a difference between a good-looking jersey and one that belongs in a team's rotation. Just because something looks clean doesn't mean it needs to exist.
We're also hoping they keep the same hat. The interlocking LA is perfect. Don't touch it.
The Bottom Line
We get why fans want this. Blue is the Dodgers' color and people want to wear it. But the best thing about the Dodgers has always been their restraint. The less they do, the better they look.
We'll update this once the team officially announces it and we see it on the field.
The jersey is available now on MLB Shop.
