Going into the 2026 season, the Dodgers were an overwhelming pick to win a third straight World Series, but nearly a quarter of the way through the year the report says the rest of the league is showing it will not roll over for L.A. A panel of six MLB experts was asked to name clubs that could take down the Dodgers in October, and the report says the selections mixed teams off to hot starts with preseason contenders still in play; notably, nobody on the panel chose the San Diego Padres, who have kept pace with Los Angeles in the NL West.
Per the report, the Philadelphia Phillies were one of the picks despite a poor early record and the worst run differential in baseball. The report says Philadelphia still boasts an elite pitching staff — third in WAR, second in xERA and third in xFIP this season despite ranking 25th in ERA — and that FanGraphs projects their staff as the best remaining-of-season unit, even ahead of the Dodgers. The report cites a rotation led by Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola and a bullpen headlined by Jhoan Duran as reasons the Phillies could win postseason games on any given night.
Kiley McDaniel, per the report, argues that Phillies hitters have underperformed and been unlucky but that a league-average offense would be enough to complement that pitching. Judge Jeff Passan, serving as the report’s evaluator, is more skeptical: the report says Passan notes the Phillies sit 27th in runs scored, are barely getting on base 30% of the time, and have a bottom-10 slugging percentage. Beyond Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh, the report says no Phillies hitter has an above-average wOBA, and Passan also points to defensive issues.
The report also spotlights the Seattle Mariners. It says that, provided Seattle straightens out after an uneven start and assuming better health, the playoff version of the roster could match up with the Dodgers. The report assumes slow starters such as Luis Castillo, Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor will be rolling by October and highlights a potential pitching core including George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Castillo and Bryan Woo, backed by a bullpen featuring Andres Munoz, Eduard Bazardo, Matt Brash and lefties Gabe Speier and Jose A. Ferrer.
Per the report, the panel did not necessarily expect any of its picks to outpace the Dodgers across 162 games, but argued several clubs have what it takes to knock Los Angeles out in a postseason series. The report says Jeff Passan rendered verdicts on each contender to weigh those cases.
