The “Biggest Threats to the Dodgers” Tier 5 of 6
DraftKings World Series Odds: +1000
Aaron Judge is the best hitter on the planet, having won AL MVP in three of the last four years. He headlines a lineup that also includes Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Cody Bellinger, and will be especially imposing if they get any notable offensive output from shortstop and/or third base.
It’s difficult to project the starting rotation. Max Fried came in at No. 8 on our countdown of every MLB team’s ace, but there’s quite a bit of uncertainty behind him. Will Luis Gil, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodón stay healthy? If so, this group—which is also very excited about Cam Schlittler after his postseason performance—will have a high ceiling.
The bullpen, though, remains a question mark. David Bednar and Camilo Doval will be the top two leverage options after being acquired at the last trade deadline. Tim Hill, Ryan Yarbrough, and Fernando Cruz will also be options at Aaron Boone’s disposal.
The Yankees have enough talent that it wouldn’t be surprising if they emerge as the best team in the AL. At the same time, if any of Judge, Cole, Stanton, and Gil miss significant time with injuries, the Yankees could quickly fade in such a talented division.
DraftKings World Series Odds: +1200
Even after losing Eugenio Suárez and Jorge Polanco in free agency, a Mariners team that finished a win away from the first World Series berth in franchise history a year ago has a chance to be a force in 2026.
The president of baseball operations re-signed Josh Naylor, who was a perfect fit after being acquired from the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline. He also traded for the versatile Brendon Donovan. If former first-round pick Cole Young comes of age in 2026, a group headlined by Cal Raleigh and Julio RodrÃguez will be pretty intimidating, even if they play their home games at a hitting hellscape.
One thing you can always bank on with the M’s is their pitching. Bryan Woo is looking to build on a breakout 2025, while George Kirby and Logan Gilbert try to reassert themselves as the ace of a staff that also includes three-time All-Star Luis Castillo.
With Andrés Muñoz, Matt Brash, and sneaky offseason pickup Jose A. Ferrer, Dan Wilson has a bullpen that can close out big games if their offense and starting pitching are able to get them early leads.
DraftKings World Series Odds: +1600
With Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Aaron Nola, and Kyle Schwarber all set to play this year at 33 years old, the clock is ticking for a Phillies core that’s been to the playoffs four years in a row but failed to get over the hump and win a World Series.
There is finally going to be some youth from the farm system injected into a team that’s largely been built via free agency and trades. Justin Crawford—the son of former All-Star Carl Crawford—is projected to be the Opening Day center fielder. Long-time top prospect Andrew Painter is likely to be in the starting rotation to open the season. Otto Kemp will likely get an expanded role as a right-handed platoon option primarily in left field. A back injury has sidelined Aidan Miller all spring, but some outlets have him ranked as a top-10 prospect in all of baseball, and the infielder could be an option later this season.
Still, this is likely going to come down to whether Harper, Turner, Schwarber, and others hit in October. Assuming Zack Wheeler comes back healthy, the Phillies are going to have the pitching to win in the postseason with him, Cristopher Sánchez, and Jesús Luzardo at the top of the rotation. Jhoan Duran is one of the game’s elite closers, and with a full season of José Alvarado and offseason pickup Brad Keller, the bullpen projects to be much improved.
DraftKings World Series Odds: +1500
John Schneider is going to have to protect against a hangover after the Blue Jays lost an instant classic Game 7 to the Dodgers in the World Series a year ago. The talent, though, is here for Toronto to make another deep playoff run.
Bo Bichette departed this offseason, but Toronto signed Japanese corner infielder Kazuma Okamoto to play third base, with hits machine Ernie Clement likely to play second base in an infield anchored by face of the franchise Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is entering the first season of a 14-year, $500 million deal.
In the starting rotation, the Blue Jays made some major investments this offseason, most notably signing Dylan Cease, one of the game’s elite strikeout pitchers, to a seven-year deal. He and Kevin Gausman will headline what should be a deep rotation, with Trey Yesavage the favorite for AL Rookie of the Year and Cody Ponce an interesting arm to watch after a dominant season pitching in South Korea.
Where questions still remain in Toronto is the bullpen. The Blue Jays did add Tyler Rogers, who creates incredible deception with his windup. But while Jeff Hoffman, Louis Varland, and Rogers are a nice trio, the Blue Jays do still feel like they are lacking a lockdown ninth-inning option. Perhaps that will be their big move before the Aug. 3 trade deadline if their season is going as expected.
DraftKings World Series Odds: +1300
Are the Mets more talented than they were at the end of the 2025 season? That’s an interesting debate, but it really doesn’t matter. The Mets collapsed after the All-Star Break last year, going 28-37. The group that President of Baseball Operations David Stearns has assembled should be above that.
So out are long-time staples like Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Starling Marte, and Edwin DÃaz. Certainly, we can debate whether it was an overreaction to move on from that many talented pieces.
At the same time, a lot of talent came in. Peralta will now headline the rotation, which will also get a full year of NL Rookie of the Year favorite Nolan McLean. Devin Williams and Luke Weaver are now at the back end of the bullpen. Polanco, Bichette, Semien, and Luis Robert Jr. join a lineup led by Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor.
The NL East will likely come down to the Mets and Phillies. New York hopes that an offseason makeover means the race has a different ending than it did the last two seasons.
DraftKings World Series Odds: +2000
Was bringing back Gleyber Torres and hoping that Colt Keith figures it out at third base enough this offseason, by Detroit president of baseball operations Scott Harris? That remains to be seen, though if top prospect Kevin McGonigle bursts onto the scene the way it appears he may, A.J. Hinch’s lineup projects to be much better.
And how about this rotation? There will be plenty of time to worry about Tarik Skubal’s future. Right now, he’s projected to headline a starting rotation that also includes Valdez, Verlander, Casey Mize, and Jack Flaherty. At the very least, that’s an amazing one-two punch. Depending on how the final three pitches, this could be a top-five rotation in baseball.
Harris could wind up needing to add a sure-fire closer, though Will Vest, Kenley Jansen, and Kyle Finnegan are a pretty good trio to start with.
The Tigers coughed up the AL Central title last year to the Guardians, only to beat them in the ALWCS. This year, winning the AL Central should be the baseline for a team that has World Series aspirations.
DraftKings World Series Odds: +2200
It might surprise some that the Orioles—who went 75-87 and finished last in the AL East a year ago—are on this slide. Then again, the Blue Jays made the World Series in 2025 after finishing in last place in their division in 2024. Who’s to say the O’s can’t do something similar in 2026?
There was already quite a bit of talent internally, most notably with superstar shortstop Gunnar Henderson. We’ll see if Adley Rutschman can rediscover the form that had him looking like a superstar early in his career. Samuel Basallo is a 21-year-old with immense power. Both Jackson Holliday (right hamate surgery) and Jordan Westburg (partial tear in right elbow) are injured right now, but have the chance to make a real impact on the lineup when they return.
If that wasn’t enough—and clearly, president of baseball operations Mike Elias decided it wasn’t—the Orioles added some old-school run producers this offseason. The new middle-of-the-order duo of Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward combined for 74 home runs and 229 RBI a season ago.
Baltimore perhaps didn’t add an ace this offseason, but they have built a rotation with pretty strong depth behind Trevor Rogers, who pitched to a 1.81 ERA in 18 starts a season ago. Zach Eflin was re-signed, Shane Baz was acquired via trade, and Chris Bassitt was signed as a free agent.
Even in the AL East, the Orioles should definitely be a playoff team in 2026.
DraftKings World Series Odds: +1600
On one hand, the Red Sox will enter 2026 with one of the best rotations in baseball after signing Ranger Suárez and trading for Sonny Gray. They’ll slot behind AL Cy Young Award runner-up Garrett Crochet in a rotation that will also include Brayan Bello.
On the other hand, there was a thought entering the offseason that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow might be better off letting Bregman walk and signing a power bat like Schwarber or Alonso. Not only did the Red Sox not sign Schwarber or Alonso, but they let Bregman leave in free agency. It sure feels like they shouldn’t have alienated Devers, because he’s the type of piece they are lacking in the lineup.
With that said, Roman Anthony is a budding superstar. Willson Contreras should hit well in Fenway Park, and there’s plenty of other talent in the lineup with Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran. But with all due respect to Caleb Durbin, it’s hard not to feel like the lineup is worse without Bregman.
If Aroldis Chapman can come anywhere close to replicating arguably the best season of his career in 2025, he and Garrett Whitlock will be a great bullpen pairing for Alex Cora. The pitching isn’t really the question here. It’s whether they need another big bat or two.