As the 2026 MLB regular season draws nearer, the Los Angeles Dodgers will remain the team to beat across both the National League and American League. Of course, the AL will target the Dodgers during a potential World Series matchup.

The Dodgers, with superstars ranging from "The Great Ohtani" himself, Shohei Ohtani, to Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Kyle Tucker, and Edwin Díaz, are in a spot all by themselves.

That's what happens when you have won two straight World Series titles and are going for a triple crown, so to speak, in the majors this season.

A new, lengthy article from MLB.com placed all MLB teams in different tiers. Now, the article makes it very clear that these tiers are subjective in nature. MLB.com reporter Mike Petriello spent time detailing what each team in a specific tier would be facing this season.

Among all MLB teams mentioned in Petriello's article, only one team has a tier all to itself - of course, it's the Dodgers.

"The Dodgers had three notable issues to improve, and they solved two of them, adding Kyle Tucker to an underwhelming outfield and Edwin Díaz to a talented-but-inconsistent bullpen. (The third issue, the rising age of the offensive core, was mostly punted for another day.)," Petriello wrote.

"But because they are indeed the two-time-defending champs, no one cares that they had areas of improvement," Petriello continued. "Nor, really, should they.

"The 2026 Dodgers go into the season with FanGraphs World Series victory odds a wild three times higher than any other club, in part because this looks like the only truly great roster in the sport right now," Petriello wrote. "Their goal: Becoming the first team in National League history to win three consecutive titles."

As if Dodgers fans didn't already want their team to be great this season, another reporter points out strengths in the ballclub.

Can the Dodgers win more than 100 games this season? Of course, that is highly possible. With a lineup loaded with talented, veteran hitters, plus a starting rotation that will be anchored by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani, and Tyler Glasnow, it's all lining up to be another stellar season for Los Angeles.

But, and it's kind of an important "but," the Dodgers' bullpen must show up more consistently. Diaz is the stopper, the closer, the man who will be called upon by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to close the door on games.  

Here's a bottom-line assessment, based off of this data from MLB.com and other data that has poured out throughout the offseason and Spring Training: The Dodgers are loaded. Like, really loaded going into this season.

It will be tough for the other 29 MLB clubs to knock off Los Angeles from their perch high atop Chavez Ravine, looking down at everyone else trying to get a foot in the door for a World Series championship.

Still, the Dodgers are the kings of baseball...at least for now.

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