While Los Angeles Dodgers fans were enjoying the team's Opening Day victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, their favorite squad entered the season on top.

Does it surprise anyone that when ESPN put together their preseason MLB Power Rankings that Los Angeles was in the No. 1 spot? Hardly. Los Angeles has won two straight World Series championships. They spent money in the offseason for outfielder Kyle Tucker and reliever Edwin Díaz.

Yet, when ESPN's MLB staff just sat down to look at the MLB landscape, there's no reason that the Dodgers could not be on top at all.

"Their extravagant spending, coupled with the success, has generated widespread calls for a salary cap, which MLB will pursue when the CBA expires on Dec. 1, and it will almost certainly lead to a lockout," ESPN baseball writer Jorge Castillo wrote about the Dodgers.

"That inevitably, and the possibility of missing games if not the entire 2027 season, looms large, and Los Angeles is the focal point," Castillo continued.

Now, ESPN baseball writer Bradford Doolittle believes that Shohei Ohtani is front and center to capture a National League Cy Young Award in 2026. Doolittle also believes that Ohtani is probably a shoo-in to capture the NL Most Valuable Player honors, too.

Doolittle indicated in his observations of Ohtani that when the Japanese superstar puts his mind to doing something, he usually accomplishes the goal. Doolittle added that it's "sinful" to think about what type of numbers Ohtani could put on the board as a pitcher and as a hitter this season, too.

Meanwhile, ESPN's Alden Gonzalez indicated that there are just two things which could slow down the Dodgers' freight train to a third straight World Series title. To Gonzalez, if injuries and apathy become a problem, then Los Angeles could find itself on the outside looking in during World Series time.

"The Dodgers have tended to treat the regular season as a trial period for October, prompting them to rest players often and keep pitchers on the injured list a little longer than they need to be," Gonzalez wrote. "There's a reason for that -- their roster is older, and their pitchers often get hurt."

In his final assessment, though, Gonzalez states, "It's one of the greatest rosters ever assembled."

Dodgers fans definitely agree with him on this point. That Dodgers lineup, from top to bottom, is worth tuning in every single time they are on TV. 

Right now, the Dodgers are going to continue their opening series at home against the Diamondbacks. The two-time defending World Series champions are set to win it all one more time. If they don't finish the feat, then the MLB world will be a bit surprised.

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