4. Los Angeles Dodgers
If there was ever a team that was going to convince baseball to institute a salary cap, it is the 2025 Los Angeles Dodgers. The team's offseason saw historic spending and watched the 2024 World Series champs find a way to improve their roster. Not only did the team make splashy moves, but they are also expecting the face of baseball Shohei Ohtani to return to the mound. Any list of World Series threats should have the Dodgers right at the top.
This leads to an important note that while these teams are in no particular order, it is clear the Dodgers and Phillies are at the top of Atlanta's list. Just in case you managed to miss the Dodgers offseason, the team's notable additions include Blake Snell, Michael Conforto, Roki Sasaki, Kirby Yates, Tanner Scott, and Hyeseong Kim.
The Dodgers are not only the favorites in the National League but in all of baseball. It is difficult to look back in recent history and find a team that appears to be as loaded as this group. With stars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman still putting up elite numbers, what is the path to beating this unit?
5. San Diego Padres
Despite losing Juan Soto, the Padres have a very interesting 2025 roster. The team that handed the Braves their 2024 postseason exit should still be respected heading into the season. The team might not have the headline names of the Phillies or Dodgers, but this remains a complete team.
There are a number of players you expect to have bounce back seasons at the plate that will help cover the loss of Soto. The starting pitching has the potential to have three great options in any series, making the Padres the final team that should concern Atlanta heading into the season.
Atlanta unquestionably has a tough road ahead of them in what appears to be the toughest division in baseball. However, they appear to be the only roster with the capability of finding a way to beat the prohibitive favorites and perhaps turn the clock back to their magical 2021 run.