5 reasons the Dodgers will win it all in 2015

The Los Angeles Dodgers pose a formidable postseason threat behind a productive lineup and the most dominant top of the rotation in baseball.

Next: All-Time 25-Man MLB Roster

As expected, the Los Angeles Dodgers are once again in the thick of things as MLB’s postseason races begin to heat up in early August.

Los Angeles has a tantalizing three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend and sits a hair ahead (three games as of post) of the arch rival San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers are going to make the postseason for the third consecutive year, whether via a division championship or Wild Card Game.

Once there, they will be a very tough out for any team, even juggernaut St. Louis Cardinals. Facing Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke in a  short series is not an enviable task, and Los Angeles has the talent elsewhere to make a serious run deep into the playoffs.

First-year general manager Farhan Zaidi, a former assistant GM with the Oakland Athletics, made a number of wise moves to improve the club both in the offseason and at the trade deadline. Couple Zaidi’s intelligence with Team President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, previously the GM of the Tampa Bay Rays, and a basically unlimited payroll, and Los Angeles has become a formidable opponent for the foreseeable future.

For now, the Dodgers have to be considered one of the World Series favorites and stand a good chance of winning it all for the first time since 1988.

Next: Two Aces