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The Major League Baseball season is officially underway. We have nearly six months before the playoffs begin, but it is never too early to begin speculating on which teams will make a run into November and claim the World Series crown.
MLB news is currently dominated with potential trade rumors and injury reports, but there is so much more to talk about. As the king of summer sports, baseball has become a focal point for millions. These teams are the ones that have people talking now and could be there when it comes down to the final two in November.
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Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the reigning World Series champions and only got better in the offseason. They are the contender thanks to the acquisitions of Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, not to mention names like Teoscar Hernandez, Shohei Ohtani, and a host of All-Stars.
The Dodgers pay a trillion dollars (almost literally) on payroll, and it is working for them. The Dodgers, on paper, have the best team in baseball and expect nothing short of another championship. They need injury luck and to stave off contenders from the N.L. East, but the Dodgers are clearly the team to beat.
New York Yankees
The A.L. East may be the most competitive division in baseball. The Baltimore Orioles have one of the most talented cores in baseball and should be in contention for a World Series title. The Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays all have the talent needed to challenge for the division title.
Having said that, the Yankees remain the cream of the crop. They are the team to beat and will be even after losing Juan Soto in the offseason. With Aaron Judge as the best hitter alive and one of the best pitching staffs in the league, the Yankees will be there again when the playoffs roll around. Whether they can get back to the World Series remains to be seen.
New York Mets
The Mets are one of the great wild cards in baseball. They have one of the most dynamic and dangerous lineups in the game, especially after signing Soto to the largest free agent contract in history. With him, Pete Alonso, and Francisco Lindor in the middle of the lineup, there is no one that can match that kind of elite-level production.
The biggest question surrounding the Mets is their pitching rotation. They have already dealt with injury concerns. The N.L. East has some serious competition, especially if the Atlanta Braves can recover from a slow start to figure things out. If the Mets can grab a wild card spot or win the division, they will be a team that no one wants to see if everyone is healthy and ready to step up.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies have been contenders for years, having lost to the Houston Astros in the World Series in 2022 and in the NL Championship Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023. They have the talent to get back to the promised land, especially with one of the most talented lineups this side of the Dodgers.
Bryce Harper is an MVP-level candidate, and is supplemented by talented bats like Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Johan Rojas, Alec Bohm, and Brandon Marsh. The pitching staff can be elite with Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler, it is just a matter of whether they can get past such deep and talented teams in the National League like the Mets and Dodgers when the stakes are at their highest.
