The rich got even richer this past offseason when the Los Angeles Dodgers bolstered both their starting lineup and their bullpen in moves that caused many of the sport’s aficionados to cry foul.
After a World Series title in each of the last two seasons, the Dodgers appear to be even bigger championship favorites this season with the additions of right fielder Kyle Tucker and right-handed closer Edwin Diaz.
The prohibitive favorite tag suggests that nobody can touch the Dodgers’ combination of unlimited financial resources and immense roster talent. And yet the past two seasons show that the gap might not be as wide as it appears.
In 2024, the Dodgers barely got past the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series, needing to win the last two games of the five-game matchup just to advance. The Dodgers then rolled past the New York Mets and had their way with the New York Yankees in the World Series.
In 2025, the Dodgers did not have MLB’s best record in the regular season. That belonged to the Milwaukee Brewers at 97-65, who were operating with a payroll more than $200 million less than the $321 million the Dodgers were spending. The Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays and Yankees also finished with better regular-season records last year.
The Phillies were on the cusp of forcing a deciding game in the division series, which would have been at home, before a befuddling fielding miscue cost them in Game 4. In the World Series, the Blue Jays outplayed the Dodgers in plenty of areas, only to fall in Game 7 when L.A. stuck out its nose at the wire to win it.
Is there a team that can put a similar scare into the Dodgers in 2026? There are 29 options for knocking the king from its throne.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS
After almost doing what was believed to be the unthinkable last postseason, the Blue Jays are poised as the team that appears to be the most capable of delivering a change at the top of the MLB hierarchy.
Vladimir Gurrero Jr. had the Dodgers’ full attention last fall and Ernie Clement’s profile in Los Angeles was raised exponentially after he put a scare into all of Los Angeles. If Addison Barger’s bat continues to emerge and the pitching staff can thrive once Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and Jose Berrios return from injuries, Toronto could be poised for another deep October run.
NEW YORK YANKEES
Sep 12, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) reacts after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images There are no significant departures from a team that was tied with the Blue Jays for best regular-season record in the American League at 94-68. Cody Bellinger is back in the fold and Aaron Judge continues to lead the way with an AVERAGE of 52.5 home runs over the past four seasons.
Will Giancarlo Stanton, Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon make significant contributions? Jasson Dominguez is poised to be a difference maker. Max Fried will try to hold things together at the top of the rotation while waiting for Gerrit Cole (elbow) and Carlos Rodon (elbow) to return at some point in the first half.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
While the Blue Jays or Yankees can only deliver a knockout blow to the Dodgers in the World Series, the Phillies can take care of business much earlier if they can find their late-season form from a season ago. Sure Philadelphia fell 3-1 to the Dodgers in the NL Division Series, but the matchup was closer than it now appears.
The Dodgers clinched the series in the 11th inning of Game 4 but only because of a mental blunder on defense by pitcher Orion Kirkering. The Phillies were that close to heading back home for a deciding Game 5 with a full head of steam. Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber form a formidable offense.
NEW YORK METS
Feb 17, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets pitcher Sean Manaea (59) works during spring training at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images There were big changes in Queens this offseason as Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr. and Marcus Semien all were significant roster additions with departures of the likes of Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte.
The painful departure was Diaz to the Dodgers. Can Brett Baty and/or Mark Vientos deliver the kind of production that has been expected? Like the Dodgers, the Mets have a free-spender in owner Steve Cohen, who is going to figure it out eventually, just as long as his big-spending ways year after year do not make him queasy. The Mets took two games off the Dodgers in the 2024 NLCS but flopped at 83-79 last season.
SEATTLE MARINERS
Unable to advance to the World Series at any point in their history, the Mariners were at the door of the Fall Classic when they lost to the Blue Jays in Game 7 of last year’s ALCS. Cal Raleigh, with his 60-homer season, has supplanted Julio Rodriguez as the team’s offense anchor.
Perhaps that relief alone will help Rodriguez to get off to an elusive fast start. Josh Naylor is back at first base and Brendan Donovan has arrived to put a charge into the top of the order. Seattle was supposed to have an all-pitch, sporadic-hit personality last season only to have Raleigh flip the script with the most home runs ever from a catcher and a switch hitter. If the Seattle pitchers have their way this season, perhaps baseball will be spending the fall in the Pacific Northwest.
