Entering the 2025 MLB season, it is the Los Angeles Dodgers and then everyone else — on paper, at least. But that doesn’t mean the rest of the league is going to roll over and let L.A. cruise to a second straight World Series title.
We asked six of our MLB experts to each pick one team they think is best suited to take down the Dodgers in October, when it counts the most. While none of our experts necessarily thinks this team will be better than the Dodgers over the course of 162 games, they made their best cases for their club having the right formula to knock L.A. out — and surprisingly nobody on our panel chose either New York team.
How strong were their cases? We left that for our resident judge — the honorable Jeff Passan — to decide with his ruling on each contender.
The case for the D-backs: The D-backs have already done this. They knocked off the Dodgers in 2023, then Corbin Carroll somehow forgot how to hit for four months, and they still made a five-win improvement year-over-year.
Yes, the Dodgers were better last season — unlike the D-backs, they actually made the playoffs, then went on to win the World Series — and have more talent now. But here are three things worth considering:
When Carroll is going right offensively, the D-backs’ offense elevates to another level. Look no further than August, when Carroll tapped back into his old self and the entire team led the sport in most major offensive categories. There’s no reason the Carroll of last August and September can’t translate for the full six-month season this year.
I’d actually take the D-backs’ rotation over that of the Dodgers. You read that right. The Dodgers’ group has a higher ceiling, but it’s also more volatile. At this point, I have more confidence in the quintet of Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodriguez, Merrill Kelly and Brandon Pfaadt, with the thought that Jordan Montgomery can’t possibly be worse than he was last season.
This is a hard-nosed team that plays fundamentally sound, loves being overlooked and is not the least bit afraid of the Dodgers.
Does that mean the D-backs will win the National League West? Probably not. But can they knock the Dodgers out in October again? I’d say they’re better equipped to do so than anyone else. — Alden Gonzalez
Judge Jeff says: Though I’m not buying the argument that the Diamondbacks’ rotation is better than the Dodgers, it’s close enough to acknowledge that Arizona does indeed offer some formidable starting pitching, particularly Burnes and Gallen. And the Diamondbacks did lead Major League Baseball in runs scored last year, though replacing Christian Walker and Joc Pederson with Josh Naylor and a Pavin Smith–Randal Grichuk platoon is at best a wash and probably a downgrade.
Arizona’s trade for A.J. Puk at the deadline last year and the emergence of Justin Martinez and his high-octane fastball turned a late-inning liability into a strength, and while Ketel Marte might struggle to replicate last year — no shame considering he finished third in MVP voting — a Carroll comeback and a full year of Gabriel Moreno would go a long way.
The Diamondbacks are Dodgers Lite: good in all the necessary areas and well positioned to pull a 2022 all over again, just a tick behind the team that everyone is chasing.
The case for the Braves: There are two main reasons to go with Atlanta here.
The Braves are arguably the second-most-talented team in baseball.
It can’t possibly get any worse than last year.
Last spring, the Braves were considered NL favorites. Then disaster struck at every turn. Injuries surfaced throughout the roster, regression spread around the lineup — and they still won 89 games, finished second in the NL East and reached the postseason for the seventh straight year.
It wasn’t all terrible — they did make the playoffs after all. Chris Sale rebounded from years of injuries to win his first Cy Young Award in his age-35 season. Max Fried was elite when healthy. Marcell Ozuna was a powerful metronome in the middle of the order. Reynaldo Lopez made the All-Star team in his return to starting. Spencer Schwellenbach burst onto the scene with a 3.35 ERA in 21 starts. Raisel Iglesias was one of the top closers in baseball.
But the Braves weren’t the Braves we expected. This year should be different. Strider, coming off elbow surgery, could return by late April. Acuña, coming off his second ACL tear, should be in the lineup by the end of May. Riley’s fractured right hand is healed — and he avoided another fracture from being hit by a pitch Friday. Sale said he’s fully recovered from back spasms that kept him off the playoff roster. Harris and Albies are healthy. Jurickson Profar, an All-Star with the Padres last season, was signed to play left field.
The Braves are still ubertalented with All-Stars up and down the roster. FanGraphs projects them to finish 93-69 (second best in the majors behind the Dodgers) with a 93.1% chance to reach the postseason, 64.2% chance to claim the NL East title and 15.7% chance to win their second World Series in five years. As we learned last season, projections don’t mean much. But odds are the Braves are the Dodgers’ stiffest challenge. — Jorge Castillo
Judge Jeff says: The strength of this case — and it’s a very good one — rests on the returns of Acuña and Strider to their MVP- and Cy Young-level selves. Both of those are far from rock solid. The last time Acuña tore an ACL, he didn’t look like himself until two years later. Pitchers who undergo elbow reconstruction can struggle with their command and feel, two of Strider’s best attributes, in their first season back as well.
That said: Across-the-board improvement from Atlanta is not far-fetched. The heart of the lineup is a wrecking crew. It’s the Braves’ arms, though, that ultimately will determine their trajectory. Losing Max Fried hurts, especially with Reynaldo López’s velocity dip this spring, and the onus will be on Spencer Schwellenbach to emerge as a front-of-the-rotation-type arm. A playoff trio of Sale, Strider and Schwellenbach is plenty capable of quieting Los Angeles’ bats.
What of the late innings, though? The Jimenez injury is more serious than it seems; beyond Iglesias and Pierce Johnson, the Braves’ right-handed relief options are limited. If a couple of pitchers vying for a back-end rotation spot wind up in the bullpen, or if the Braves are aggressive at the deadline, it would round out the team that looks like the Dodgers’ most formidable foe in 2025.
The case for the Orioles: The Orioles didn’t have the splashiest winter, especially considering they actually amped up their payroll. But Baltimore is in strong position to not only beat baseline projections, but to get better as the season goes along.
After three years of winning baseball and two straight postseason appearances (albeit with zero playoff wins), the Orioles retain a great deal of collective breakout potential on the offensive side.
Whether it’s in the form of a bounce back from Adley Rutschman, any kind of continued improvement from Gunnar Henderson or a second-year leap from Jackson Holliday, the Orioles still have a deep well of young hitters who have yet to post a career season. The Orioles project to be a top-tier offensive team, but they have the upside to be an absolute juggernaut — and a handful for anyone they face in October. Even the Dodgers.
The pitching staff is serviceable right now and should improve the deeper we get into the campaign. The rotation in particular stands to benefit from injury returns. If they have the will, the Orioles remain well positioned for an impact pickup or two during the season.
If they get a fully blossomed Orioles offense to October with Felix Bautista back to full domination at the back of the pen and a Rodriguez-led rotation consistent and settled, this might be the year the Orioles have been angling for since they began their rebuild. If it is, watch out, Dodgers. — Bradford Doolittle
Judge Jeff says: Nothing says championship like serviceability! Banking on injury returns from pitchers is, as we know, a tricky proposition. And if that is the starting point for Baltimore, the foundation of its case is laden with fragility.
Still, Brad’s point about the Orioles’ lineup is salient. If the Orioles get the Henderson and Jordan Westburg of last year, the Rutschman of his first two seasons and improved versions of Holliday, Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad, they can field the sort of lineup that can mash with the Dodgers. Bautista should stabilize a bullpen loaded with power arms.
It’s hard to get past a rotation that lacks a frontline starter, though. Baltimore let Corbin Burnes walk this winter, and its biggest power source, Anthony Santander, went to Toronto. This is supposed to be the Orioles’ window, and going into it with a rotation of Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer, Tomoyuki Sugano and Cade Povich doesn’t scream championship. Should the Orioles fix their rotation this summer — with the return of Grayson Rodriguez and a trade-deadline addition — they could be the team to beat in the American League. For now, they’re just a group that doesn’t quite stack up with the Dodgers.
The case for the Phillies: Call this old-school thinking, but I’ll still bet on starting pitching in October, and the Phillies might be the only team that can match the Dodgers’ high-end potential in this department — except the Phillies have a much better track record of keeping their starters healthy. The Phillies already had a stellar rotation with Zack Wheeler leading the way — and given his career 2.18 ERA in 70 postseason innings, he’s the starter you want out there for a big game in October — and added Jesus Luzardo with rookie Andrew Painter on the way as well. Plus, Cristopher Sanchez has added velocity this spring and looks like a sleeper Cy Young candidate. It’s a rotation that can shut down the Dodgers’ offense, with Painter perhaps a dominant force out of the bullpen for the postseason.
The Phillies have played more playoff games than any other team the past three seasons — although oddly haven’t matched up against the Dodgers. Can they score enough runs to beat the Dodgers? Yes. While the offense is starting to get a little old, it can still be elite when everybody is clicking. Bryce Harper has been a great hitter throughout his postseason career (OPS over 1.000), while Kyle Schwarber has slugged .539. Max Kepler gives them another lefty bat to lengthen the lineup.
Starting pitching, a potential wipeout arm in the bullpen and left-handed power is how you knock off the Dodgers and win a World Series. — David Schoenfield
Judge Jeff says: Dave speaks a lot of truth here. Let’s not forget: At the All-Star break last season, the Phillies held the top seed in the NL. The lack of a big free agent signing didn’t help matters, particularly after the Mets stunned Philadelphia in the division series, but good teams have bad weeks. Just ask the 2022 and 2023 Dodgers.
If the Phillies are going to beat the Dodgers, they need more than Harper, Schwarber and Trea Turner, their core hitters, to produce. Whether it’s Alec Bohm or Bryson Stott, one of their young(er) infielders must have a career-type year. J.T. Realmuto is good; at 34, does he have one more great season left in him?
At the forefront of Philadelphia’s case is its pitching staff. Whether it’s Wheeler, Sanchez and Nola in a short series or the addition of Suarez or Luzardo to a seven-game, the Phillies’ starting pitching is the team’s soul. Considering a bullpen implosion ruined them last October, Philadelphia’s fortunes this time around could depend on whether Jordan Romano finds his best stuff and Jose Alvarado rebounds to make a terrifying quartet with Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering.
The case for the Padres: Nobody came closer to beating the Dodgers in the 2024 postseason than the Padres. It could have been San Diego holding the trophy if not for L.A.’s comeback performance in the division series after getting down 2-1. Simply put, San Diego is no worse this year. After a winter of trade rumors, Luis Arraez is still there — and presumably for a full season — and the same goes for Dylan Cease, Robert Suarez and almost everyone from the team that won 93 games a year ago. The Dodgers beat them by five games in the division, then got that scare in the playoffs. And just when everyone thought the Padres were going to zig, they zagged this winter by signing starter Nick Pivetta. He’ll cover innings lost while Joe Musgrove recovers from Tommy John surgery.
The team is so star-studded, you might forget it has one of the young talents in the game in outfielder Jackson Merrill — now with a year under his belt. Meanwhile, Fernando Tatis Jr. is still in his prime, Manny Machado is still raking, and Yu Darvish is still pitching. And I’d bet good money that Xander Bogaerts will rebound from essentially a career-low OPS+. That lineup can rival L.A — as can the pitching staff. The Dodgers might be deeper when injuries hit but in terms of frontline arms, San Diego is right there. The Padres can take down anyone, including the Dodgers. — Jesse Rogers
Judge Jeff says: The main premise — “San Diego is no worse this year” — is just not correct. The Padres lost their best hitter by OPS last season, Jurickson Profar, to Atlanta in free agency. Left-handed relief ace Tanner Scott bopped up Interstate 5 to join the Dodgers. San Diego’s shortstop for a majority of the season, Ha-Seong Kim, decamped for Tampa Bay. The Padres’ best catcher, Kyle Higashioka, is now in Texas.
Certainly Pivetta helps make up for Musgrove’s injury. And Bogaerts played shortstop after Kim’s shoulder injury. And the Padres’ bullpen is plenty deep to withstand Scott’s defection. And perhaps Jose Iglesias, Connor Joe or Jason Heyward gives them a high-production bat on a low-cast contract as Profar did last year. Jesse is right about Merrill taking the leap, Tatis returning to his pre-PED-suspension excellence and Machado’s consistency — and he didn’t even mention Michael King, who, like Cease, is a free agent following the season.
The festering dislike between the teams adds an element that doesn’t exist among the other contenders. The Padres ousted the Dodgers in 2022. If there’s a case to be made for San Diego, it’s that with emotions running high every time they meet and each little potential advantage looming large in a short series, the Padres — even if they aren’t better — have a shot. Just not the best.
The case for the Red Sox: Your Honor, we aren’t here to suggest that the Red Sox are the best team in baseball, or even the second best. In fact, the evidence indicates that perhaps the top four or five teams in the majors are in the NL. In the end, however, an AL team will have a seven-game series to take down the Dodgers, and we submit that the revamped Boston Red Sox are uniquely qualified to get this done. The Yankees’ injuries have pulled them back to the pack of teams in their league, and it’s the Red Sox who will take down the AL East and then the AL pennant.
In Game 1 of a World Series against the Dodgers, the Red Sox could lean on Garrett Crochet, a power left-hander, against a Dodgers lineup that might be most vulnerable against power lefties, and in Game 2, they’d have former Dodger Walker Buehler, who would relish the opportunity to take down his old teammates. Who would feel confident betting against Buehler in those circumstances?
The Red Sox have an outstanding lineup, headed by Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman, and Devers and Bregman have the kind of postseason experience to lead this group through the biggest games of the year.
Before they get to the postseason, the Red Sox will have time to short up their greatest weakness, in the bullpen, as the front office and ownership continue to support the team’s 2025 surge. The Red Sox’s farm system is steeped in talent, and maybe they’ll be the team that lands Ryan Helsle, or another coveted bullpen arm. Maybe it’ll be Helsley or Liam Hendriks who has the ball needing three outs to beat baseball’s best team.
It was a former president of the Red Sox, the late Larry Lucchino, who coined the phrase “Evil Empire” in baseball. At the time, he was referring to the Yankees. Now it’s the Dodgers who hold that title. And so, your Honor, I submit it would be just that it’s Larry’s former team that takes down the Dodgers — just as the Red Sox took down the Yankees in 2004.
The Defense for the Red Sox as the AL’s best team rests, Your Honor, and we think you’ll agree they represent the greatest threat to interrupt the Dodgers’ dynasty. — Buster Olney
Judge Jeff says: It says something about the AL that one of the two teams from the league deemed most likely to unseat the Dodgers finished .500 with a plus-4 run differential last year. Buster is correct that the Red Sox upgraded their roster about as well as any team this winter, yes, but all of Boston’s strengths are matched and exceeded by Los Angeles’. The Dodgers are better at two-thirds of the everyday positions. Their rotation is superior. And the difference in bullpens is immense.
Compound that with injuries testing the depth of the Red Sox’s rotation, and it will take a confluence of things — deals for relievers, health for starters, better performance from the lineup and improved infield defense — to put the Red Sox anywhere close to the level of Los Angeles. Certainly the potential arrival of Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer would be great for the Red Sox, but it’s not as if the Dodgers lack top prospects, either.
Because the AL playoff picture is so wide open, the path to the World Series is not nearly as treacherous for the Red Sox. Should they arrive, though, the difference between the teams — at least as they’re currently constituted — is more canyon than gap.
The NCAA Division I Board of Directors on Monday proposed deleting 153 longstanding rules from its handbook, a move that will allow schools to share financial benefits directly with players — an expected step towards a new era of amateurism in college athletics, but one that remains contingent upon the approval of the House settlement.
NCAA board members met for about four hours on Monday and emerged with nine major proposed legislative changes, including permission for schools to provide direct financial payments to players, including for use of their NIL. NCAA leaders are aiming to reshape the organization’s role and are poised to effectuate sweeping changes by July 1 if the settlement is approved. Schools have until June 15 to decide whether to opt to provide benefits that would be permissible under the settlement for the coming academic year.
Proposed legislation also includes sport-specific roster limits and allowing full scholarships to all student-athletes on a declared roster — a move the NCAA said will double the scholarships available in women’s sports.
The proposed changes would also align with the expected House settlement in that it would allow Power 4 schools and others who choose to offer settlement-related benefits to provide up to $20.5 million in direct financial benefits to players. (Not all Division I schools will choose to operate in the new system enabled by the settlement, as the Ivy League has chosen to opt out and continue to operate under the current structure.)
The new NIL clearinghouse and enforcement arm that aims to coexist with expected settlement terms was also included, along with rules “intended to bring clarity and stability to the NIL environment for all Division I schools.” To prevent schools from trying to circumvent the $20.5 million cap, the NCAA has proposed rules to help add stability and accountability. All players will be required to disclose their NIL agreements if they are greater or equal to $600. Agreements between the player and a third party outside of their school will be reviewed.
The board also approved new rules that would create technology platforms for the schools to monitor their payments to players and for the athletes to report their third-party NIL agreements. There are also steps the players can take if an NIL agreement is considered “outside of the range of compensation” developed by the external, independent clearinghouse.
An enforcement group that will be created and operated by the defendant conferences will aim to “provide oversight for rules relating to the terms of the settlement, including third-party NIL and the annual benefits cap,” according to the NCAA.
Players will still be allowed to hire agents for NIL purposes, but the NCAA will still use certain eligibility rules that have been used to “distinguish Division I athletics from professional sports,” according to a document that summarizes the legislative changes. For the athletes to receive these benefits, the NCAA will require them to be enrolled full-time, meet Division I progress-toward-degree requirements and earn the benefits during their five-year eligibility period.
BERKELEY, Calif. — Cal football general manager Ron Rivera sought to ease the concerns of a worried fan base after star running back Jaydn Ott and several other key players entered the transfer portal this spring.
“We’re not the only team in the NCAA that is going through this portal situation right now,” Rivera said Monday. “You can’t name a team right now that doesn’t have a player that they wish didn’t go in. We understand all it and we all understand fan favorites. There will be other favorites.”
Cal has been hit hard this spring after losing starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza to Indiana earlier this year. The biggest loss was Ott, who left for Oklahoma earlier this month after three stellar years at Cal.
Ott led the Pac-12 with 1,315 yards rushing in 2023 and was expected to be a key part of the offense in 2025 after being hampered by injuries last season.
“Did we give Jaydn Ott a great shot? I believe we did,” Rivera said. “Sometimes an athlete just thinks I’ve accomplished all I can here and it’s time to move on. … The hard part about him leaving early is here’s a young man that had an opportunity to really create the type of legacy that you could be proud of. But again, it was his decision that he felt was best for himself.”
The Golden Bears also saw leading rusher Jaivian Thomas enter the portal last week and reportedly three other scholarship running backs went into the portal.
Cal also lost star tight end Jack Endries to Texas in the portal, leading to several big holes on offense.
“It was something that was anticipated,” Rivera said. “If there is one guy that we wished didn’t go in, yeah, there was at least one that we wish didn’t go in. But for the most part when you look at what we’re doing, we have a plan. We went out and we’ve identified a number of guys that we like and a number of guys that if we can get these guys we’re pretty much where we were a month ago. Are we concerned? Yes. We have to get those guys in.”
Rivera made clear that he will have his “hands in every facet of Cal football” and answer directly to Chancellor Rich Lyons instead of athletic director Jim Knowlton. Rivera said he consults with Lyons on every major decision and is working closely with coach Justin Wilcox and his staff with the major goal of making Cal football “relevant again.”
Wilcox is entering his ninth season in charge of the Golden Bears and has a 42-50 career record. Cal went 6-7 last season in its first year in the ACC, losing to UNLV in the LA Bowl.
The Bears haven’t finished with a winning record since 2019, haven’t finished a season ranked in the AP poll since 2006 and haven’t played in a top-tier bowl game since the 1959 Rose Bowl.
Rivera said it has been “cool” to work with Wilcox through spring practice and the two are intent on sparking the program.
“What I have with Justin is a working relationship,” Rivera said. “It’s an opportunity for he and I to get together, discuss, collaborate and talk about the things we need to do as a university to help this football program become a very successful program that thrives for excellence.”
The Seattle Kraken are making a series of sweeping changes, starting with Monday’s announcement of coach Dan Bylsma’s firing after just one season.
“We thank Dan for his commitment and the energy he brought to our organization over the past four years at the NHL and AHL levels,” Kraken general manager Ron Francis said in a statement. “After a thorough review of the season and our expectations for next year and beyond, we’ve made the difficult decision to move in a different direction behind the bench.”
Other expected changes include Francis being named team president and assistant general manager Jason Botterill being promoted to general manager, a source confirmed to ESPN amid multiple media reports.
In addition, assistant coach Jessica Campbell, who is the first woman to be behind a bench in NHL history, is being retained, a source told ESPN. She signed a two-year contract with the club last season.
Seattle’s restructuring comes at a time in which the franchise is attempting to find cohesion that has been elusive since the NHL’s 32nd team made its debut in the 2021-22 season.
The Kraken, who fired Dave Hakstol last season, will be searching for their third head coach in as many seasons.
Bylsma, who previously coached the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins, had coached the Kraken’s AHL affiliate — where Campbell was also an assistant — for two seasons. They would lead the Coachella Valley Firebirds to consecutive AHL championship game appearances before being promoted to the NHL.
Hiring Bylsma came with the belief that he could parlay his AHL success into the Kraken either returning to the playoffs or being a team that challenged for a postseason berth for most of the season.
It was more of the same, however. After winning 34 games in Hakstol’s final season, the Kraken won 35 games while finishing 20 points adrift of the final Western Conference wild-card spot in what ultimately became Bylsma’s lone campaign.
With the playoffs out of the picture, the Kraken were active ahead of the NHL trade deadline. They received 2026 and 2027 first-round picks from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde while receiving additional draft capital in separate deals for Brandon Tanev and Daniel Sprong.
While they have a three-player restricted free agent class that’s led by Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 pick of the 2019 NHL draft who was acquired in a trade this season, the Kraken have most of their team under contract next season.
They also have more than $21.7 million in projected available cap space that could be used to strengthen a roster that’s trying to challenge in a Western Conference landscape that saw 11 teams finish with more than 89 points.
Francis is slated to speak with reporters Tuesday afternoon, when he will likely address the Kraken’s future and his role going forward. The Hall of Famer had previously served as the Carolina Hurricanes‘ GM before he was hired to take over the Kraken.
His time in charge has seen the franchise seek to build from within using the draft while also dipping into free agency. It has led to the Kraken building what is one of the stronger farm systems in the NHL. But after again missing the playoffs and having mixed results in free agency, questions have emerged about what direction the franchise would be taking and if Francis would be involved.
Now, Botterill will be faced with trying to make the Kraken competitive in a market where the team has struggled to gain traction while also being one of the most expensive to watch, according to the Fan Cost Index.