As Major League Baseball opens its 2026 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have (once again) dominated much of the conversation after they (once again) landed the No. 1 free agent in the off-season and (once again) are the World Series favourites.
But does that mean they are ruining baseball for 29 other teams and fan bases?
That is one of several burning questions our MLB experts explore ahead of the season opening up on Wednesday night (Yankees vs. Giants at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet ONE).
What do you make of the Dodgers: Threat to the sport’s integrity, just another great team or somewhere in between?
Arden Zwelling: The only thing the Dodgers threaten is the self-esteem of those who aren’t as capable as them. What gets left out in these tired conversations is that their organization scouts, drafts, trades, develops, hires, innovates and strategizes as well as any in the sport. That’s the bedrock of their sustainable competitiveness. A willingness to funnel revenue back into player payroll is just the top layer that’s easiest to see. If you could truly buy championships in MLB, Steve Cohen would have multiple by now.
Ben Nicholson-Smith: The Dodgers do a lot of things well. From front-office strategy to scouting to recruiting and, yes, spending, they’re the industry standard. But it’s not like they’re unbeatable. I don’t have to remind Blue Jays fans how close the Dodgers were to losing last year. And, at some point, the likes of Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts will age out of their prime. This is a great team, but it’s still baseball and small-market teams like the Guardians, Rays and Brewers find ways to win consistently. Plus, there’s something to be said for a villain. I may be in the minority here, but I still don’t see the Dodgers as a structural problem.
David Singh: The “threat to MLB’s integrity” argument has been around since George Steinbrenner was The Boss in New York. Many teams have since proven that money doesn’t guarantee rings, and so these Dodgers deserve kudos for the intelligent ways they’ve deployed their roster over the past two championship seasons.
Jeff Blair: Every pro franchise should be run like the Dodgers: spend money, win titles, buy marquee players, spend money, develop your own talent and spend money. What’s not to like?
Shi Davidi: The complaining about the Dodgers needs to stop. They have better resources, sure, but they’re also super smart in the draft, player development, waivers and reclamation projects, which is why they don’t go full Mets year after year.
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Last season, Cal Raleigh became the first catcher to hit 60 home runs. The year before that, we witnessed baseball’s first 50-50 season from Shohei Ohtani. Which player could do something equally historic this year?
Blair: No clue … but it will be Shohei Ohtani who does it.
Davidi: There hasn’t been a 300-strikeout season since Max Scherzer did it in 2018, with Spencer Strider’s 281 in 2023 the high-water since. Someone will have to get into the 220-230-inning range to pull it off, with 200 now a difficult threshold to cross, but Garret Crochet, Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes have the stuff to pull it off.
Nicholson-Smith: We sometimes forget that Paul Skenes has never had an ERA above 1.97. Posting an ERA under 2.00 for the third straight year would be incredible and it’s clearly within his grasp at age 23.
Singh: Since 2000, only Jose Reyes (78) and Ronald Acuna Jr. (73) have recorded more than 70 stolen bases. This year, Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson will sit atop that exclusive club by swiping more than 80 bags.
Zwelling: Chandler Simpson becomes the first player to steal 100 bases in a season since Vince Coleman.
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Hit us with a baseball-related hot take you believe at least a little bit for the coming season.
Singh: Bo Bichette’s defence will become a massive story in New York … and not in the positive sense. He’s adjusting to a new team and position and will be doing so under the brightest lights imaginable.
Nicholson-Smith: Ben Rice will lead the Yankees in home runs. Jacob Wilson will hit 25 homers. Nick Kurtz will hit 50. Bo Bichette will drive in 120. Within eight weeks, the industry will regret not bidding more for Tatsuya Imai. Bryce Harper will become this year’s Josh Naylor and start stealing bases by sheer force of will. And just for fun, here’s one last hot take: current Rays starter Ryan Pepiot will win World Series MVP … for the Mets.
Davidi: Great as the ABS challenge system will be, what baseball needs more is a clearly defined rule for what a check swing is and a fully automated system for judging them, taking an immensely difficult call from the umpires’ hands.
Zwelling: This will be the first season in MLB history without a pitcher throwing 200 innings.
Blair: Tarik Skubal finishes the year with the Tigers, leads them to the AL Central title, becomes the first pitcher to win three consecutive AL Cy Young Awards and ends up signing with the Blu … eh, never mind.
Who’s your sleeper team for 2026?
Davidi: The Athletics are going to be better than people think but my pick here is the Pirates, who may be a year early but we’ll find out. Adding Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna provides better support for Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz, while the rotation has upside beyond perennial Cy Young talent Paul Skenes. Top prospect Konnor Griffin is on the cusp, too, adding to what should be a roster that takes a step this year.
Nicholson-Smith: As much as I want to say the A’s, I don’t believe in their pitching depth. I’m not sure that Baltimore and Atlanta count as true sleepers because everyone expects them to be good, even after disappointing 2025 seasons. Nor do I expect the White Sox or Nationals to turn it all around. With that in mind, let’s pick Skenes’ Pirates. If they’re in it at the deadline, expect them to add.
Blair: The Marlins. I can see them finishing ahead of both the Phillies and Braves. Then I’ll wait for the misguided salary-cap bros to explain it to me.
Zwelling: The Pittsburgh Pirates. Elite young pitching, a revamped lineup that will surprise people, and high-upside prospects ready to make impact in the majors. All within a wide-open division without a powerhouse team. I think the Pirates will play in the post-season.
Singh: The Athletics. Their pitching is meh, but my goodness, the lineup looks special. We’ll get a glimpse of them at Rogers Centre this weekend and Blue Jays’ pitchers better be ready.
Conversely, which 2025 playoff team is destined to take a step back in 2026?
Singh: The Guardians. It took a collapse from the Tigers to allow Cleveland to capture the AL Central last season. With the Tigers looking even stronger and the Royals on the rise, the Guardians will move backward.
Zwelling: Cleveland is too easy, so I’ll say the Milwaukee Brewers. The biggest news the Guardians made this off-season was for who they traded away rather than who they acquired. Their staff ace is an oft-injured 33-year-old who’s throwing 92 m.p.h. this spring. This lineup doesn’t hit homers and ran the second-highest BABIP in baseball last season. This isn’t a playoff team, even in their division.
Davidi: The Cincinnati Reds brought back Eugenio Suarez but did little else of impact to bolster their wild-card club from a year ago and will be without Hunter Greene for the first half of the season after elbow surgery. As the NL Central improves around them, they may be hard-pressed to keep pace.
Blair: That sound you hear is the Phillies’ window of opportunity slamming shut, and that scream you hear is the Yankees being 50/50 life and death to grab a wild-card spot.
Nicholson-Smith: I’d expect the Guardians (88 wins in 2025) to take a real step back with Detroit reclaiming the AL Central.
