MLB insider Jeff Passan says the Los Angeles Dodgers are the most \u201cdistinct\u201d World Series favorite he\u2019s seen in his nearly 25 years of covering the sport.<\/p>\n
The ESPN baseball newsbreaker and analyst appeared on SportsCenter Thursday afternoon and heaped praise on the Dodgers, the team\u2019s management of its vast riches, and the organization\u2019s willingness to do whatever it takes to claim another World Series title.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Dodgers are kind of doing something right here,\u201d Passan joked with SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris, highlighting that the two-time-defending champions brought back each of their key World Series contributors from 2025 and added MLB All Stars in Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz, whom Passan said was \u201carguably the best closer in baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been covering baseball for almost 25 years now and I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s a team that I have covered that has been as distinct a favorite to win the World Series as the Dodgers are this year,\u201d Passan said.<\/p>\n
![\"Mandatory](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/USATSI_27483280_168396005_lowres-1.jpg\")
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) and pitcher Blake Snell (7) and pitcher Tyler Glasnow (31) celebrate with the Commissioner\u2019s Trophy in the clubhouse after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre on Oct 31, 2025, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. <\/p>\n
Passan noted that starting pitcher Blake Snell is expected to miss the beginning of the season, but the Dodgers are uniquely positioned to make up for him in the aggregate.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can look at a guy like River Ryan coming back from elbow surgery [being] able to step right in, Justin Wrobleski,\u201d Passan said. \u201cThey are talented, they are lethal and they are deep, and it it\u2019s a crazy combination when you see what the Dodgers have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Will the Dodgers Threepeat?<\/p>\n
Passan\u2019s optimism for the Dodgers is not unwarranted, as the team will return almost its entire roster from its 2025 postseason run that ultimately lifted the Commissioner\u2019s Trophy after one of the most epic World Series comebacks in recent history.<\/p>\n
While the Dodgers are the clear favorites on paper, it\u2019s a tall task for any team, even one headlined by the greatest player the sport has ever seen, to win three consecutive titles.<\/p>\n
The New York Yankees were the last team<\/a> to accomplish the feat at the turn of the century, winning three straight from 1998-2000. The Yankees did one better on two other occasions, once in the 1930s and again in 1949-1953, winning four straight World Series titles. The Oakland Athletics of the early 1970s are the only non-Yankees franchise to do so.<\/p>\n The last North American professional team, regardless of sport, to win three in a row was LA\u2019s other beloved sports franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers.<\/p>\n With Shohei Ohtani<\/a> showing no signs of slowing down (and actually ramping up and returning to his Cy Young contender pitching form), a rested Mookie Betts<\/a> and Freddie Freeman<\/a>, and the other laundry list of potential MLB All-Star candidates that comprise the team\u2019s embarrassment of riches, Passan shares the opinion of many in the sporting world.<\/p>\n If the Dodgers are healthy, focused and avoid a post-title hangover phase, there\u2019s no reason the team couldn\u2019t be the next to etch their names in the game\u2019s record books.<\/p>\n LA Baseball Report<\/p>\n Get the app for faster news<\/p>\n![\"Mookie](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/USATSI_27483329-1.jpg\")
Oct 31, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) celebrates after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n![\"App](\"https:\/\/dodgersnation.com\/path\/to\/app-icon.png\"){kind=icon}
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