MLB fans hoping to see a team overtake the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2026 World Series might be a bit disappointed, based on how things have gone at the halfway point of the offseason. Not only did the Dodgers sign Edwin Diaz, fortifying their bullpen the best way they could have, but their biggest rivals have been mostly quiet.
A look at a power ranking of the Dodgers' biggest rivals shows just that.
7. San Francisco Giants
It wouldn't be a list of the Dodgers rivals without the San Francisco Giants being mentioned, but this team isn't anywhere near the others on the list realistically. The Giants went 81-81 in 2025 and haven't finished a season above .500 since 2021, and unfortunately, they're looking like a .500 team at best right now.
Their rotation is improved around Logan Webb with the Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser additions, but the bullpen still looks like a mess after their 2025 trade deadline sell-off, and their lineup lacks major thump around Rafael Devers. It looked as if Buster Posey was going to go all-in on making the Giants contenders after trading for Devers, but the Giants haven't made a big move all winter, and I'm skeptical that a big move will come at all.
The Tony Vitello hire has a chance to be a great one, but this team doesn't stand much of a chance against their bitter rivals right now.
6. San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are the Dodgers' biggest rivals and biggest threats to overtake them in the NL West, but they shouldn't be taken too seriously on that front. They are, by any measure, a worse team than the one that lost in this past season's Wild Card Series right now.
Re-signing Michael King was a pleasant surprise, and Sung Mun Song can be a decent contributor, but the Padres have lost Dylan Cease, Robert Suarez and Ryan O'Hearn thus far, and guys like Nestor Cortes and Luis Arraez could follow.
Their bullpen, even without Suarez, is still arguably the best in the sport, but their lineup lacks depth behind the star-studded trio of Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado, and the rotation is still a starter or two short of being viable. With a limited budget, I'm not sure how likely it is that San Diego gets much better, either.
5. New York Mets
The New York Mets took the Dodgers to six games in the 2024 NLCS, but things look very different now than they did then. Not only are the Dodgers better, but the Mets have a new look, and not necessarily in a good way. The Mets let Edwin Diaz walk to the Dodgers, traded both Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil, and made no effort to re-sign Pete Alonso. In their places are Marcus Semien, Luke Weaver, Devin Williams and Jorge Polanco.
While morale in Queens is at what feels like an all-time low, it shouldn't be. The Mets are better defensively and still have a ton of money to spend and prospects to trade with the goal of bolstering their lineup and rotation ahead of Opening Day.
With that being said, this team isn't as good as it was in 2024 as constructed, and that 2024 team wasn't good enough to beat a Dodgers team that's better now than it was then. All this goes to say New York has a lot of work to do to become a serious threat to Los Angeles.
4. New York Yankees
The New York Yankees met the Dodgers in the 2024 World Series but lost that in five games, lost Juan Soto that offseason, and then lost in the ALDS in 2025. All they've done since that World Series berth is take steps back, and again, the Dodgers are scarier now than they've ever been.
Still, the path for the Yankees to make things interesting against the Dodgers is right there in front of them. Aaron Judge is still at the peak of his powers, Gerrit Cole will return from a year on the sidelines at some point, and there's a considerable amount of talent surrounding those two superstars.
Even with the talent the Yankees have, though, it's clear that moves must be made. A starting pitching addition feels like a must with all of their injuries, they could use another bullpen arm, and their lineup still has a gaping hole behind Judge. The Yankees spending like the Yankees of old would solve a lot of these problems. Is Hal Steinbrenner comfortable doing that, though? The Yankees will be good, as they always are, but it's hard to consider them major threats to the Dodgers.
3. Philadelphia Phillies
Re-signing Kyle Schwarber was a crucial task for the Philadelphia Phillies to complete, but bringing him back was only half of the Phillies' offseason battle. Ensuring their MVP stayed put was vital, but getting better beyond that is the other half of the battle. Dave Dombrowski hasn't really done that.
What's most concerning is that it looks like the Phillies are going to essentially run back a lineup that has not been good enough in the postseason and was not good against the Dodgers in the 2025 NLDS. There's always the chance that Adolis Garcia, the lone external addition thus far, can turn back the clock and become a force in the middle of the lineup, but he, like Max Kepler last offseason, is more of a lottery ticket type of addition. The Phillies are hoping he produces, but it's tough to expect that based on how things have gone in recent years.
Their rotation, when healthy, is as good as it gets, even without Ranger Suarez, and the trio of Schwarber, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper is elite, but the Phillies need a big bat to be more threatening to the Dodgers.
2. Milwaukee Brewers
It's easy to gloss over this fact after watching them get utterly humiliated in the NLCS by the Dodgers, but the Milwaukee Brewers were the best team in baseball in the 2025 regular season. You don't win 97 games by accident. This is a really good team, but unfortunately, it isn't any better than it was this past season.
Bringing Brandon Woodruff back on the qualifying offer should be a huge help if he can stay healthy, but the Freddy Peralta trade rumors are getting very hard to ignore. Losing Peralta could help Milwaukee sustain its success longer, but it'd make things more challenging for them against the Dodgers in 2026.
Additionally, while their lineup is full of players who put the ball in play, run and defend at a high level, the lack of thump remains an area of concern. The Brewers did not hit for enough power in 2025, particularly against the Dodgers in the postseason, and nothing has changed lineup-wise. The teams Milwaukee would be competing with haven't gotten better to the point where we'd have to bump the Brewers down in the power rankings, but if the Brewers don't seriously add to their roster, it's hard to envision a postseason series ending any differently than the one that we just watched.
1. Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays were the closest team to dethroning the Dodgers in 2025, and all they've done is widen the gap between themselves and the field. Don't get me wrong — the Jays are not better than the Dodgers as constructed, but they're still the closest team by a decent margin when it comes to overtaking them right now.
The Jays added Kazuma Okamoto, a player who can play several positions and doesn't strike out, to a lineup full of versatile defenders who put the ball in play and hit the ball hard. They formed arguably the best rotation in the American League by signing Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce. They even added a reliable late-game reliever, Tyler Rogers. The scariest thing is that the Jays appear likely to add another bat, whether it's Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, or someone else.
The Jays were two outs away from beating the Dodgers in the 2025 World Series, and have gotten better. The Dodgers have also, but there's no debate regarding the team best-equipped to knock them off right now. It's Toronto, and it isn't even close.