As the 2026 MLB season nears, analysts have made their claims as to who will win it all this year. After going back-to-back in the last two seasons, the Los Angeles Dodgers have made themselves the title favorites once again.
That is no surprise. Any team that wins two consecutive championships, while adding in the offseason, will be the automatic favorite.
But have we seen a champion this “clear-cut” before?
ESPN’s MLB insider Jeff Passan says this is the clearest favorite in his career covering the sport. That’s 25 years of covering baseball, and the 2026 Dodgers are the clearest in that time.
What Did Passan Say About the Los Angeles Dodgers?
The ESPN superstar reporter appeared on SportsCenter on March 5, giving praise to how the Dodgers are approaching their championship aspirations.
“The Dodgers are kind of doing something right here,” Passan joked with SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris. “I’ve been covering baseball for almost 25 years now, and I don’t know if there’s a team that I have covered that has been as distinct a favorite to win the World Series as the Dodgers are this year.”
That is as bold a statement as they come. But it’s true, given Los Angeles’ level of success since they started spending at enormous levels.
The Dodgers, even when they’re already on top of the world, don’t stop adding to the team and to their dynasty aspirations.
While noting that starting pitcher and two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell will miss the beginning of the season, the Dodgers have more than enough depth to survive most injuries.
“You can look at a guy like River Ryan coming back from elbow surgery [being] able to step right in,” Passan said. “Justin Wrobleski. They are talented, they are lethal and they are deep, and it’s a crazy combination when you see what the Dodgers have.”
Is Passan Right?
While preseason championship predictions are rarely correct, there is an eerie feeling that the Dodgers are destined to win again.
Passan is one of the brightest minds in the reporting realm, but he isn’t the only one sharing this sentiment.
Most sports journalists agree that the Dodgers will win their third consecutive championship.
And why not?
They have many of the best players in the world, such as Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and others.
And yet they keep adding every offseason. This offseason, they acquired one of the best relievers in Edwin Diaz.
Then, to make this statement even clearer, the Dodgers signed outfielder Kyle Tucker to a megadeal.
While their lineup is otherworldly, their rotation is also a force to be reckoned with.
Yamamoto leads a fearsome rotation with Snell, Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki, among others.
The Dodgers’ bullpen was the only source of concern for them. It nearly cost them their second championship.
However, by adding Diaz, they have solidified a back end designed to instill fear in their opponents.
The Dodgers have a nearly-perfect team, and they are as motivated as ever to become one of the most dominant dynasties in the last 50 years.
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