The Los Angeles Dodgers and their ultra-aggressive front office are looking to three-peat this year, and they once again look destined to reach the Fall Classic.
The Dodgers currently have the best record in baseball over the Milwaukee Brewers by half a game. At this point, it looks like one of those two teams will finish with the best record in the big leagues, yet when thinking about who will represent the National League in the World Series, the Brewers seem outmatched by the Dodgers.
Even if the Brewers finish with the best record in baseball and have home-field advantage in the postseason, the Dodgers have already proven it doesn't matter. They swept the Brewers in the National League Championship Series last season. The Dodgers' star-studded lineup shows up in the biggest games, and the Brewers' stars were unable to. This is not the same Brewers team, and they are actually better than last year, but still, they don't seem to be a match for the Dodgers.
Who is the biggest threat to the Dodgers in the National League then? Well, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies would be the next two in line. Both teams boast rosters full of All-Stars, but also have their flaws. The Braves lack the starting pitching to go toe-to-toe with the Dodgers in a seven-game series. The Phillies have the pitching, but have some holes in their offense.
Right now, the only team standing in the way of the Dodgers and another World Series berth is themselves. If they are healthy, no team in baseball is going to stand in their way of a three-peat. They have a chance to set a playoff rotation that features Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow.
Their bullpen could feature Tanner Scott, Edwin Diaz, Roki Sasaki and starters like Justin Wrobleski, Eric Lauer and Emmet Sheehan, who did not crack the starting rotation. The lineup features Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez. Not to mention, they could get Will Smith back and have Kike Hernandez, who always thrives in October.